Just a few years ago, many companies felt emboldened, if not obligated, to take clear, decisive stands on public or social policy issues, even controversial ones. In fact, during fraught moments, many of their customers, employees and other stakeholders expected it of them, as a demonstration of good corporate citizenship.
Today? Not so much. While that era hasn’t vanished completely, taking a public stand now on nearly any issue can be risky, and backlash or misinformation can be swift and sustained. Nowhere is this truer than with topics that are considered “political.” And today, what isn’t political?
Monitoring for Political Brandjacking
“Political positions” used to mean explicit support of a candidate or issue, but in our polarized, partisan environment any public stance can be interpreted as political. This includes things you do in your workplace—DEI initiatives, vaccine clinics, voter registration drives and ERG’s can all become weaponized.
I’m thinking in particular of political brandjacking, where a name or product is co-opted for political gain—think of former President Donald Trump’s use of Tic Tacs as a symbol of inflation, or Vice President Kamala Harris’ statement that she worked at McDonald’s in college. (Her opponents used this to attack her, while McDonald’s has remained mum.)
It doesn’t matter if this is intentional or accidental—the risk to a reputation is real, and truth may not be an adequate defense. Even a blatantly false story that targets a company can turn employees, investors, business partners and consumers against it before it has a chance to respond.
A Proactive Approach
While it is understandable when companies choose to retreat into the bunker, many have adapted to this new normal by taking a hard look at their values and priorities to draw a tighter circle around topics where they should have a public point of view. And they may choose a more targeted approach to sharing that point of view than simply “shouting it from the mountain tops.”
But regardless of any particular stance, it is clear that few companies are adequately prepared for the consequences of suddenly being thrust into the political spotlight, particularly around highly-charged issues. As in many things in life and PR, being prepared is the best strategy. Here are some things PR pros can do to prepare and protect an organization’s reputation:
- Assess your risk profile and vulnerabilities, and be prepared to defend them. It’s entirely possible, even likely, that a company takes a stance or makes business decisions that could be cast in an unfavorable light. Be ready to thoughtfully defend those choices in a frame favorable to their cause.
- Pre-bunk rather than de-bunk. Values, priorities and programs are not something to be tucked away and held until they are needed. Established information is a more effective weapon of defense than new information. When a company can point to something it’s said or done in the past, rather than create something new, the likelihood of winning hearts and minds improves.
- Develop a response framework and approach, rather than a scenario-only based plan. When tensions and emotions run high, decision making gets delayed. Who can make decisions? And in their absence who serves as proxy? What is the prioritization framework for audiences, issues and values when tensions exist? Communicators need to build a response strategy and team that is confident and built for speed.
- Understand stakeholder priorities. Identify where the organization has shared values that can be leaned into with a response, and understand any points of difference. A crisis is not an optimal time to try to change minds.
- Revisit and re-evaluate your risk profile and response framework—today’s focus is political brandjacking. But this is not the only risk brands may be facing. In today’s permacrisis environment, new risks are just around the corner. Revisit your plans at least twice per year.
Most of all, it is critically important to use peace time wisely. Review your approaches, and ensure that leaders are aligned with priorities. Run a simulation of a tabletop drill.
There will always be unexpected crises given the current political environment, and chances are you may not foresee the biggest risks to your reputation. Companies ignore crisis and issues preparedness at their peril. Once you are in someone’s crosshairs, it could be too late.
Carreen Winters is President, Corporate Reputation & Strategy at MikeWorldWide.