Brands and the election—how to avoid controversy in partisan times

Four years ago, brands including Under Armour, Foot Locker and Spotify, were lining up to promote voting initiatives that ranged from store takeovers to celebrity collabs. Some campaigns began over the summer and ramped up in the fall as the presidential election drew closer. But this year, experts expect fewer brand-backed get out the vote efforts as marketers navigate a hyper-politicized backdrop where even nonpartisan efforts can receive backlash. “Our expectation is there will be less,” said Pam Jenkins, chief public health officer and chief public affairs officer at Weber Shandwick. “Part of that is some trepidation about potentially being seen as being partisan or just knowing that we are so polarized that even the small things can be perceived, sometimes unintentionally, as being partisan rather than neutral.” Check out the latest Ad Age events and award programs That trepidation is resulting in more caution. Experts expect brands that have marketed consumer-facing voter initiatives previously to either pull back this year or take a wait-and-see approach as the Nov. 5 election featuring former President Donald Trump and VP Kamala Harris draws near. No one expects a brand that has not campaigned for voting previously to try it for the first time this year. Other brands may only pursue internal initiatives, such as giving employees time off to vote. Yet the environment is so tense that all brands running campaigns—promoting voting or just promoting their own products—should be running risk scenario planning in case of criticism. For example, Jenkins and her team have counseled more than 50 brands since the beginning of the summer on election-related marketing and processes. Brands also should be certain of where they stand in case backlash does occur, even on efforts not meant to be partisan, experts say, as U.S. consumers are more interested in politics than ever before. “Politics is pop culture and that hasn’t always been the case,” said Mona Munayyer Gonzalez, chief growth officer at Pereira O’Dell, noting that social media feeds are helping to create “more of a piqued interest.” “Rock the vote” origins Another factor complicating perception today is the historical context of get out the vote initiatives. MTV’s early 1990s “Rock the Vote” PSA campaign, which starred musicians such as a shirtless Iggy Pop and an iconic American flag-wrapped Madonna along with celebrities including Robert Downey Jr. and Sarah Jessica Parker, was one of the earliest endeavors. While it simply encouraged voting, it nevertheless was seen as progressive. Such a view paved the way for a stereotype that voting campaigns are pro-Democrat, according to Munayyer Gonzalez. In recent years, “get out the vote” extended beyond the usual players, such as Patagonia and Levi’s, to include tech companies Reddit, Spotify and Twitter, which is now known as X. Also read: Pride Month brand marketing is quieter in 2024 This year, the roster is different. Reddit, which started a voting campaign in July in 2020, said it does not have anything planned as of now. A Spotify spokeswoman pointed to a blog post about how the brand is protecting voter integrity but did not respond to a request for further comment about voter encouragement initiatives. Foot Locker is not planning any voting campaigns—a big shift from 2020 when it transformed more than 2,000 of its retail stores across the U.S. into voter registration sites. Under Armour declined to comment on any potential plans; in 2020 the sports apparel brand created a microsite to help voters register and gave its employees paid time off to vote. Snap will “likely” have more to share but has nothing to report yet, a spokesman said. Brands are wary of dipping a toe into a topic they’re not sure consumers want. Weber Shandwick recently found that 72% of people with varies political affiliations want companies to “stay neutral” politically, Jenkins said. But 55% of consumers said it would be “appropriate” for brands to promote information about voting. “That is the only area of politics where there seems to be some willingness to see a role there, but in general, neutrality,” she said, noting that brands still need to tread cautiously in this politicized environment. “The music you use, the celebrities you show, the colors you use, how much patriotism is baked into the marketing—all of these things communicate something and people will perceive through the lens of their own politics of what that means to them,” she said. Also read: Why purpose marketing isn’t a priority for consumers Avoiding specific issues The NFL began running a get out the vote campaign, “NFL Votes,” earlier this month from 72andSunny. It stars players including Buffalo Bills’ Dion Dawkins and Arizona Cardinals’ Kelvin Beachum. The league is also running a spot for Latino voters from Mel (Messianu/Edelman/Lerma) featuring Carolina Panthers Head Coach Dave Canales, who is Latino. A second campaign around getting out the vote will begin running in October. “We make a concerted effort in the creative to make sure that it is as nonpartisan as possible,” said Solis. “Once you get into a specific issue, the risk of being politicized is so much higher so we certainly don’t want to take any position other than to say please participate and vote and register.” She said that the campaign is similar to work the NFL ran in 2020 and two years ago during the midterm elections, neither of which received criticism. Brands that are pursuing nonpartisan voting messaging should make sure to be authentic to their brand values in campaigns, experts say. One neutral strategy simply involves empathy—elections can be stressful for everyone, so “we’re with you” type messaging will likely resonate, according to Munayyer Gonzalez. “It’s a storytelling moment if brands find a way to take what’s authentic to their DNA and tie it to a universal feeling,” she said. “No matter what side you’re on, it’s stressful and there are a lot of possibilities to land this message of ‘We get it, get out there and vote.’” BLK, Match Group’s dating and lifestyle group for the Black community that encouraged Black consumers to vote in 2020 and 2022, revealed its plans for the coming election in July. Its #ElectionSZN initiative will have in-app voting prompts, push notifications, a registration portal and stickers for consumers to communicate preferences. The 7-year-old brand also partnered with organizations such as Michelle Obama’s When We All Vote, Power the Polls and CivicNation to promote voting. When asked how BLK will avoid appearing partisan, Jonathan Kirkland, head of brand and marketing, said: “We will respond in comments and DMs and say ‘Hey this is what it is this is what it’s not’ and we are real and honest and authentic. But that’s what makes us unique from a brand standpoint is that we are not coming across as preachy.” Check out the latest Ad Age events and award programs Internal employee campaigns Experts say that before a company engages in outward-facing voting campaigns, they need to make sure their own employees are educated. For example, Patagonia, a regular in election advertising, has already started talking to its employees about how they might participate in the upcoming election and will be sharing more about it in the coming weeks, a spokeswoman said. “Your people are your business,” said Munayyer Gonzalez. “If a company is doing a well-funded, highly visible get out the vote campaign, but they haven’t thought about how their internal policies create an environment where people can get out the vote, that is where risk exists.” All brands with campaigns occurring between now and November, whether election-focused or not, should be running scenario-planning in order to understand potential risks and solutions, experts say. Jenkins advised including crisis and issues personnel as part of a creative team, for example. She said in recent weeks, Weber Shandwick has conducted more than two dozen small group peer-to-peer counseling for brands so each can understand what other brands are doing and use that as a benchmark for their own marketing and planning. “The idea that you would do creative right now without vetting it through the lens of politics seems irresponsible,” she said. One thing marketers should avoid is trying to be overly clever by hinting at something political without being outright. Brands should either be deliberate and all in, or avoid the topic altogether, Jenkins said, adding that the middle ground is the more dangerous risky territory for brands right now. “Four years ago, you could connect in subtle ways with what’s happening politically through a wink and a nod,” she said. “But subtlety is not the thing this year. It will be jumped on and seen as partisan.”

Brands and the election—how to avoid controversy in partisan times

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