Should you get political?

One question I get asked a lot whenever I go on Wogan (this is a dream sequence, do keep up) is "Should firms get political?" in their marketing.

There was a time when companies shied away from politics. The view was that speaking out was bad for business. Better to leave all that to Anita Roddick and The Body Shop.

But it’s not so easy now.

Corporate social responsibility has made it a lot easier for companies to show their support for causes. Secondly, the internet has made it possible to stand up for a whole range of issues, simply by changing your profile picture or posting a specific image.

It’s very tempting to join the fray because it’s a way of seeming ‘in touch’ and ‘relevant’. But where do you draw the line? If you support one cause, does it look odd that you don’t support another? Does it seem like you’re jumping on a bandwagon?

Delicious ice cream maker Ben & Jerry’s has supported Black Lives Matter, boycotted Facebook and called for Trump’s impeachment; most recently they intervened in the Ukraine crisis, lashing out at President Biden’s decision to send more troops to eastern Europe saying he risked "fanning the flames of war".

This was a step too far for commentators who said this had exposed "a juvenile view of grown-up issues".

Ouch.

But it’s a great point. Just because everyone can weigh in on issues doesn’t mean they should. So how to approach it?

Take a stance, yes, but make it part of your DNA

Then it becomes much more believable, and easier to manage. By making it part of your values and mission, it will naturally come through in everything you do.

But if that still seems a little wishy-washy, why not take it one step further? Plenty of people are hanging their hat on issues and making fundamental changes to the way they do business as a result.

For example by focusing on ESG investing and supporting causes that align with that. Or by declaring that they’re carbon neutral and adding solar panels to their roof as proof.

Making it personal to you and weaving an issue into the way your business runs makes it much more believable than changing your profile picture on Twitter to support a cause.

The key is to tell people about it. This gives something they can really engage with. It helps create part of your story and makes you unique. It may even inspire real change.