Your Company Needs to Engage in These Elections

 By Brett Bruen for PR News

What is the next issue your company will need to publicly take a stand on?  The Global Situation Room and Porter Novelli surveyed 50 former American ambassadors to get their collective wisdom on which global risk is most likely require your attention in the coming year.  Democracy and elections topped the list.  So, how should you prepare to address political issues?

Many businesses would prefer to avoid getting entangled in today’s toxic politics.  Yet, the Black Lives Matter movement put unprecedented pressure on the private sector to act fast and with far reaching plans.  It created a precedented, even an expectation, that executives and the companies they lead engage more on social and political issues.  No longer is it acceptable to claim its outside of your purview or area of expertise.  Your company now needs a far more robust approach to public policy.

There are a number of simple steps you can take.  Like Uber, Twitter, and Blue Apron, start by giving your employees time.  It’s not just time to vote, but to help others get to the polls or staffing a voting precinct. Set aside time for them to participate in voter registration efforts or in voter education programs.

A public relations office in particular can play a key role.  Use your corporate communications channels to promote voting and voter resources.  Perhaps you could also provide communications training or tools for local voting officials.  Look at how your advertising or marketing budgets can help to support local news coverage, debates, or civic organizations.  

It also involves taking a stand when there are problems.  First and most worrisome, how would you react if your brand gets brought up by a politician or political group?  But, your company also needs to decide when and how it will address infringements on citizens’ rights or issues with the election.  Will you have a position if there are racist or other hate-inspired attacks?  Would you speak out about accusations of wide spread voter suppression? What if there are questions about the legitimacy of the outcome?

It may sound somewhat strange to contemplate commenting on an election.  But, it’s actually consistent with a broader trend that is taking place.  We have witnessed numerous recent cases where businesses have played a key role in public debates.  Their public statements have been decisive on issues like climate change, gun rights, immigration, and most recently the names of professional sports teams.

Silence does not mean you get to skip the storm.  There are numerous recent cautionary tales of companies that acted far too slowly, on too small a scale, or not at all.  The costs and consequences for inadequacy or inaction are only going to continue to rise.  We’ve also seen too many examples of businesses that tried to make it up in the moment and just got excoriated.

It would be a mistake to wait.  Developing a thoughtful program or position for your company on democracy will take time, as most of us don’t have in house experts.  You also want to make sure you thoroughly evaluate the risks and find the right message to meet the moment.  If done well, you may be able to avoid becoming a target in these tumultuous times and even reinforcing your commitment to the community.