The Antifa Marketing Model: Examination, Application, and Implications for Future Research

Abstract

This paper analyzes the online presence of antifa from a marketing perspective to identify its marketing communication and brand-building tactics for comparison to those of other radical groups. Positioning itself as victim within a well-established grievance ideology is central to the antifa brand narrative, which uses a “persecution appeal” to persuade individuals to pursue a higher purpose by taking action against monolithic and powerful oppressors, thus transforming themselves into intellectually fascinating and emotionally compelling protagonists. The antifa model is used as a framework for analysis of Choose Democracy, another activist site. Similarities between the groups suggest that the antifa marketing model can be useful for analyzing and countering online radicalization.