Nike. Gillette. Hobby Lobby. Chick-Fil-A. Starbucks. Target. Walmart. These are brands that you probably see around town almost any day, and in the past decade you’ve seen more and more in the news. America’s most popular consumer brands are constantly preparing for controversy, and in the past your average public relations professional would work to avoid, minimize, and move on from divisive headlines about their company. That is the old world. A new report from Global Strategy Group, a public affairs and consumer research shop, found that the future of business is embracing political activism, not running from it. So if you’re feeling worn down by the political noise that dominates your social media experience, movies and TV, and even your day at the shopping mall — brace yourself, because it’s only going to get louder.
Stay off the sidelines. Engagement is too profitable while inaction poses too high a risk. This is the takeaway from Global Strategy Group’s 2019 report. GSG has been doing this report for six years, and when it started the advice was quite the opposite. Pragmatism and broad appeal are now in decline, in favor of building more motivated and loyal customer bases. The Right and Left both play this game, championing it when a stand is taken in their favor and denouncing it when it does not.
