The Post-Election Climate: How Brands Can Make it Out Unscathed

In 2023, beer giant Bud Light partnered with transgender influencer Dylan Mulvaney for a social media campaign.

It didn’t go well.

The backlash was immediate and intense, resulting in a boycott and plummeting sales. Bud Light’s sales numbers are still down — as much as 30 percent.

Conversely, Nike’s ad campaign, which starred then-San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick and occurred a year after he kneeled in protest against racial injustice, resulted in a 5 percent stock increase and a Creative Arts Emmy win.

Both these situations show the tricky relationship between brands and politics. And in today’s hyperconnected, hyperpolarized world, deciding when to voice support for a cause or politician and when to stay silent can be the difference between skyrocketing sales or a brand’s demise.

It will only get more challenging as we usher in a new presidential administration. Brands must carefully plan their level of involvement so they can make it through unscathed. Here are three ways brands can successfully navigate politics and operate in a post-election climate unscathed:

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1. Take a political stance that’s on brand.

Bud Light made the ultimate marketing transgression: engaging an influencer who doesn’t reflect its brand values — which had the double whammy of making the engagement seem completely inauthentic.

A brand’s value system should guide what it stands for and believes in during and after an election season. So if a brand says it values gender equality or DEI efforts, it should be reflected in its actions and the causes it supports. This is important if brands choose to speak on politics, as it can make their stance more palatable for their customer base, who will most likely share similar values.

For example, outdoor clothing and gear company Patagonia is well-known for its commitment to environmental activism and sustainability — even calling itself the “Activist Company.” Part of what makes this commitment work is that Patagonia understands its customer base. The people buying its gear and clothing are outdoor enthusiasts who enjoy nature and want to preserve its integrity.

Because environmental issues are important to both Patagonia and its customers, it’s easier for the company to take a firm and bold stance on these issues — without the threat of alienating its audience and losing sales. And it's certainly been bold. In fact, Patagonia even went as far as suing President Donald Trump over public land use.

To further spread awareness around public lands, Patagonia partnered with Google, implementing a virtual reality-based website that shared information about the cause. This allowed Patagonia to create an immersive experience while encouraging site visitors to take action to protect public lands.

When brands understand their values and their customers, they’re better equipped to successfully take a political position without burning bridges.

2. Keep inspiring people to vote.

Some brands may be uncomfortable with taking a political stance. A safer route may be to encourage civic engagement even after the election season — although even that stance can draw vitriol. According to the U.S. Census, 69.1 percent of the citizen voting-age population are registered to vote, which means nearly a third of eligible U.S. citizens aren’t registered. Brands, which have large platforms and can reach many people, can do their part by motivating this segment to register to vote for future elections.

For instance, brands can use their social platforms, reminding their audiences to make their voices heard by registering to vote. Snapchat took this a step further during the 2020 election with its tech. When users took a selfie with Snapchat’s election filter and shared it with their friends, the selfie image linked to an in-app voter registration page. This allowed for a seamless voter registration process, resulting in more than 750,000 people registering to vote.

Brands can also inspire people to vote by hosting a lunch or dinner in their offices solely focused on the significance of voting. By doing so, brands can educate and promote voter awareness to the audience. Brands could even kill two birds with one stone by partnering with a voter registration group like Rock the Vote or HeadCount, allowing attendees to conveniently register at the event.

3. Be transparent about campaign donations.

Regardless of who brands support, they must publicly disclose political donations. According to Smarty research, one in every four consumers pay attention to what brands contribute to election campaigns, which means brands must be transparent about where their donations went in a post-election season. However, some brands have made the fatal mistake of being evasive about or underreporting who they’ve donated to.

Brands shouldn’t hide this information. Whatever political donations they make, brands should provide context for their decision, explain why they did it, and be willing to answer questions should their customer base have any. That way, they’ll be truly transparent with their audience.

Navigating politics is tricky but not impossible with the right approach. The brands that stay on brand with their political stance, inspire people to vote, and transparently disclose political donations are the ones that will successfully navigate the post-election climate.

Vipin Porwal is the CEO and founder of Smarty, a premier shopping destination that makes online shopping smart.