After the horrific events of January 6, 2021, many wondered what brands would do. Some warned brands on social media not to engage in this event, that any type of message would be seen as completely inappropriate. Some of these doing the warning are seen as very smart strategic communicators.
Luckily, brands didn’t listen.
Historically, brands keep their political donations pretty quiet, and many brands donate to both parties in a ‘hedging one’s bets’ strategy. That is why it is interesting to see brands stepping up to condemn the insurgence and the lawmakers who voted against certifying results. And they’re using the power of the purse to do it.
The New York Times has been tracking the brands that are stopping donations to any Republican who did not vote to certify the results of the free and fair election of Joe Biden. Some of these brands include WalMart, Marriott, Blue Cross/Blue Shield,
Other brands have paused all political donations to PACs. This list includes Google, Facebook, Goldman Sachs, AT&T and Coca Cola. Many brands have their own PACs, and corporate PACs account for about 5% of donations, as donations are capped at $5000. Charles Schwab announced they were doing away with their corporate PAC after the insurgence.
Tracking brands’ and corporations’ political donations is not easy, and so it is a positive move to see companies clearly stating what they won’t do in the future (keep in mind that many companies are not committing to never donating again). And one could argue that it’s too late to erase the damage their contributions have done to date.
At the same time, I have to see these brands as courageous—in such a crazy time, making any type of political statement could put a brand in harms’ way. And at a minimum, companies are rethinking their roles–and obligations–in the political sphere. That could lead to some real change. We’ll see.