Hope is not a strategy this election cycle, but Brand Safety is.
Volume 1: Edition 3
The political environment in which businesses are expected to operate during the 2024 election season is about as stable as a Jenga tower built by a toddler (no offense to the toddlers out there). Corporate communications pros will be on the defense heading into the elections, with one of the first tests in 2024 being Pride Month in the U.S., which has increasingly been a challenge for brands to navigate. After years of brands wading into social and geopolitical issues, many have been thrust into reinvigorated culture wars – being used as pawns for those looking to either raise money, boost their own clout, or sow discord.
It’s no surprise then that recent data put out by our colleagues at KRC Research (hey Axios, thanks for the write up) shows that while employees still demand the businesses they work for lead on social issues, they also want their employers to stay politically neutral. That’s a tough and contradictory line to walk, particularly if you are a brand marketer trying to appeal to those illusive Gen Z consumers that want to feel good about what they buy… Patagonia or Glossier come to mind here.
What’s a company, or more specifically a company leader, who’s tasked with walking the tightrope of being edgy, appealing to the next gen consumer, and breaking through the noise – all while protecting your brand’s reputation, to do?
You need to acknowledge that there really is no risk-free approach. Sorry about that. Even something as simple as an influencer partner can – and has – derailed entire programs. It’s 2024 and there is always going to be someone, or groups of someones/bots, shouting from some corner of X (or formerly Twitter, if you prefer) seeking attention.
In this issue, we share key preparedness principles for brands to be considering as they head into U.S. Pride Month planning this year. Also featured is a discussion with our colleagues John Files and Meghann Curtis about what company communications leaders should be considering as they plan marketing campaigns and activations, product launches, and influencer engagement activity ahead of the US election. John and Meghann, lead Public Affairs for Powell Tate (our sister firm based in Washington, D.C.) and are heading up our cross-agency Election Taskforce.
Peter Duda, President, Global Corporate Issues at Weber Shandwick
Eric Blankenbaker, EVP, Rapid Response Lead, Global Corporate Issues
Nick Goodwin, EVP, Brand Safety Lead, Global Corporate Issues
This issue also received contributions from Samantha Rabideau and Madyson Epplin, as well as from John McCourt from Weber Shandwick’s Social Impact practice.
This is the third issue of Compass for the Chaos – Weber Shandwick’s monthly newsletter highlighting recent trends and topics impacting global organizations. This month, we’re zeroing in on AI’s potential risks and rewards as the emerging technology increasingly shapes the future of business, work and society.
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A discussion with John Files and Meghann Curtis, Weber Shandwick’s US Election Task Force Leads:
Nick Goodwin: Weber Shandwick and Powell Tate have a long history of helping companies protect and promote their brands. What are clients thinking about as we dive deeper into what looks like a brutal election season?
Meghann Curtis: Clients are realizing that not only is there the domestic landscape to consider—with extreme partisanship, declining trust in big business, and the rise of AI-powered deep fakes—there are also geopolitical factors at play. With tensions running high and more than half the world’s population living through an election this year, everyone’s bracing for foreign interference. Taken together, corporate leaders may feel themselves sitting atop a tinder box.
Eric Blankenbaker: Right, which is why we’ve been taking clients through trainings that help them protect and prepare for both external risks and internal turbulence in the workplace. Employees will be critical stakeholders this year, as they can be both a source and mitigator of risk. Leaders will need to de-escalate emotional topics and build deeper understanding and awareness across the full enterprise about the threats companies are facing this year.
John Files: Exactly. It’s about instilling a “see something, say something culture” while also continuing to enable bold thinking. One imperative is building resiliency through active simulations using a social simulation platform like Firebell, so you know what you are walking into, and your leadership teams have appreciation for worst case-scenarios.
Nick: Over the past several years, we have done thousands of brand safety audits, scenario plans, influencer, celebrity, and spokesperson vets for brands. Where we have really pushed in recent months is how we bring advanced analytics and rapid-message testing using AI tools to better enhance campaign content and roll-out.
Eric: And, Nick, as we’ve collectively spent a lot of time talking about, we are seeing such an increase in manipulated media and narratives, so it’s critical that you build your strategy based on data. We are taking a lot of the methods and tools we’ve leveraged in high-profile crisis engagements and bringing them, at scale, to our clients ahead of the election.
John: Exactly, you have to employ predictive trends and monitoring capabilities that harness data-driven insights to anticipate external issues impacting your business and your reputation. For example, I know an integrated team from Powell Tate, Weber Shandwick and KRC Research recently leveraged several AI-driven tools to quickly get a pulse and swiftly test messaging around a situation that could have resulted in an entire product category being pulled from pharmacy and retail shelves , all within the first 48 hours of being engaged.
Meghann: And that’s the kind of data analysis, along with brand safety auditing, scenario planning, and process refinement, that will allow companies to avoid a highly volatile situation that would have attracted critical narratives from the left and right this year.
Gearing up for LGBTQ+ Pride Month
John McCourt from Weber Shandwick’s Social Impact practice curated a list of key principles in partnership with our team, our Election Taskforce, and TWSC’s Q+ Business Resource Group as our clients approach planning for LGBTQ+ Pride Month in the U.S. this year:
Stakeholder fluency is critical. If you don’t know where your consumers, customers, or your employees stand, you’re going to be in a tough spot. You need to ensure their values are guiding your strategy, or you risk drawing false parallels to other big brand dramas. Also, if you are a Global business, make sure you keep in mind that people outside the U.S. have different value-systems and expectations.
Speaking of drama, plan for the critics. There are going to be people that have a problem with whatever you say or do, and they might target your campaign. Employee safety should be at the heart of your immediate response, but a lot of your response can be done in advance with careful scenario planning that both protects your brand and unlocks opportunity to take risks and get rewarded.
Pride isn’t a one and done event. June is more than just a bandwagon marketing moment. Pride campaigns need to be connected to the organization’s existing corporate impact, purpose, and values strategy. If you are only planning on showing up in June, you should probably take a beat and re-evaluate. And if you showed up last year and don’t plan to this year, ask yourself who may notice and how that may be perceived.
Stay firm in your commitments. If you backpedal, it will both embolden your critics and allow proponents of LGBTQ+ corporate allyship to accuse you of flip-flopping. In fact, Weber Shandwick recently analyzed eight high-profile consumer brands that activated for June last year using data pulled from a media and social media monitoring tool, and found that the brands perceived as “back-pedalers” accounted for 90% of the online conversation and faced far longer and more negative news cycles than those brands that held strong to their commitments.
Find your allies. Partnering with LGBTQ+ nonprofits is something consumers and media expect to see, and these organizations can be valuable partners to help navigate the current landscape and ensure Pride efforts are authentic. Don’t know what all those pride flag colors above represent? Well then, your organization's LGBTQ+ employee resource group will also be your best friend, because they can share insights that help prevent missteps (just remember, the LGBTQ+ community is diverse and continually evolving).
Above all, walk into Pride Month with your head held high – but make sure you know your vulnerabilities. For one consumer packaged goods company, we did a 360-degree audit of their stakeholders, partnerships, media perceptions, on-topic legislation, and more to help them decide their approach to Pride and beyond. It was an invaluable tool amid increasing stakeholder scrutiny of corporate allyship. From across the spectrum, corporate diligence is key this year to both take advantage of opportunities and avoid becoming the next controversy.