Branding Atrocity: Narrating Dark Sides and Managing Organizational Image

Research on the dark side of organizations has usually focused on atrocities committed by organizations or specific persons within them. Less attention has been paid to how organizations can utilize atrocities they had no part in creating. In this article, the manner in which atrocities can be utilized, managed and narrated in corporate image-work is discussed through two empirical illustrations: The Body Shop's campaign against trafficking, and a campaign by a social movement organization to curb violence towards women in Congo. The article argues that analyzing differences in how organizations choose and position external atrocities in their branding can benefit our understanding of both organizational image-work and the dark side of organization