Should your brand get political?

 

Companies have always taken political stances, but in today’s modern technological environment it has become much easier for consumers to both praise and criticize their actions.   

This begs the question of whether or not it is in a company’s best intent to get political, and whether or not it is advantageous or detrimental to their image and business as a whole. One would assume that taking a stance on any political issue would risk alienating some consumers and in turn reduce profits.

However, as it turns out, some companies are taking a stand and ignoring any possible negative publicity to show their customers what their values are. Many major brands used the Super Bowl – an event that is no stranger to controversial commercials – to speak out, and the internet loved it.

Brands such as Budweiser and 84 Lumber endured backlash on Twitter in the form of hashtags urging people to boycott their products, with some calling them out as anti-american. Despite all the backlash, analytics of the ads show that the campaigns actually received mostly positive reactions from consumers.

Regardless of whatever stance an organization decides to take on a political issue, it’s clear that they’ll be walking on thin ice. This risky trend is tending to get more popular and advertisers should think twice before they take that next step – as it could prove to be quite polarizing.