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Time isn't neutral in branding. It's a force multiplier for bad brands, and a drain on everyone trying to hold them accountable.

I've been watching the predictable arc of scandal recovery. Andrew Cuomo resigns over sexual harassment then runs for NYC mayor. Diddy faces serious charges but will likely be "on the red carpet" if he beats the case.

The same formula works for brands. Wells Fargo creates millions of fake accounts, Facebook enables election interference, Uber builds toxic culture.

Then what happens? They wait it out. And it works.

𝗛𝗲𝗿𝗲'𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗯𝗿𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗴𝗶𝘃𝗲𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗺𝘂𝗹𝗮:

𝗣𝗵𝗮𝘀𝗲 𝟭: 𝗣𝗲𝗮𝗸 𝗢𝘂𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗴𝗲 (𝗠𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗵𝘀 𝟭-𝟯) Complete silence or minimal "we're investigating" statements. Let others exhaust their energy attacking.

𝗣𝗵𝗮𝘀𝗲 𝟮: 𝗖𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗿𝗼𝗹𝗹𝗲𝗱 𝗔𝗽𝗼𝗹𝗼𝗴𝘆 (𝗠𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗵𝘀 𝟰-𝟲) Carefully crafted mea culpa with new leadership. "We've learned and grown."

𝗣𝗵𝗮𝘀𝗲 𝟯: 𝗣𝗿𝗼𝗱𝘂𝗰𝘁 𝗣𝗶𝘃𝗼𝘁 (𝗠𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗵𝘀 𝟲-𝟭𝟮) Shift conversation to innovation and social causes. Make the scandal feel like "old news."

𝗣𝗵𝗮𝘀𝗲 𝟰: 𝗙𝘂𝗹𝗹 𝗥𝗲𝗵𝗮𝗯𝗶𝗹𝗶𝘁𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 (𝗬𝗲𝗮𝗿𝘀 𝟭-𝟮) Advertising like nothing happened. Often stronger than before.

The pattern works because outrage takes energy. Memory takes energy. And time drains both.

Cultural accountability has a shot clock. Corporate patience doesn't. One side has to actively maintain pressure while the other just has to wait in silence.

This is why cancel culture fails against institutions.

Look at Trump, the ultimate example of this pattern. Multiple scandals, impeachments, criminal charges, and yet here we are. Individual accountability relies on sustained attention. But institutional accountability requires structural reinforcement.

The brands that actually change face structural consequences, not just social pressure.

Volkswagen had to pay billions in fines and face criminal charges for emissions fraud. That created real change. Compare that to brands that just weathered Twitter storms and came back unchanged.

For strategists, this reveals something important:

Unless there's structural reinforcement behind cultural movements, time will always favor the institution over the individual. The brand over the boycott.

The most successful brand accountability campaigns don't just create outrage. They create systems that outlast attention spans.

Because in the attention economy, the side that can afford to wait usually wins.

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This is what we do at Between Minds, find patterns others miss and turn them into strategic advantage. I write about this every week in my newsletter. And if you're wrestling with a strategy problem that feels impossible to pin down, contact us. That's usually where the best work starts.