Stop business with Russia! Exploring the representation and perceived authenticity of corporate activism in response to Russia‐Ukraine war

After Russia invaded Ukraine on February 24, 2022, hundreds of companies from across the globe publicly announced their intention to withdraw or suspend their operations in Russia. This paper uses this event to investigate the phenomenon of corporate activism. Specifically, its purpose is two-fold. On the one hand, this study using text network analysis and topic modelling identifies what types of words position the company as an activist. On the other hand, through two experimental designs this study evaluates the effect of the source of the statement and the type of sociopolitical commitment (i.e., financial, non-financial or rhetorical) on corporate activism perceived authenticity. This study contributes to the corporate activism lit- erature and provides implications for marketing theory and practice.