Politics and PR. When to speak up and when to stay silent

Nowadays, everything can feel political. Brands are understandably nervous to get involved. 

Just look at what happened to Elon Musk. He announced that he was founding the America Party, and Tesla’s market cap dropped by 68 billion in a single day. Investors are worried that his involvement in politics will continue, and he will spend too much time away from the business. It might even alienate more potential customers.  

It’s cases like these that make new PR clients ask questions like “do I have to get political?” or “can I just stay silent?” The answer is: it depends what you’re looking to do. 

Lean into politics if it’s already part of your brand 

Lots of companies want to avoid politics. After all, “Republicans buy sneakers too.” But if your brand is already political, there’s no advantage to trying to tone it down when it comes to PR. 

We recently worked with a client that was selling premium American whiskey, with branding that showed off their love for the recently inaugurated 47th President of the United States. No matter what you do on the PR front, it’s unlikely that people who don’t like the President are going to start placing orders. 

Because of this, our strategy focused on the push for domestic manufacturing, and how Americans were looking for brands that showed off the same patriotism they have for the country.   

The result? The company was able to sell out of their first batch of whiskey, over 3,000 bottles of premium stuff, in just a few days. 

When you have an audience that is passionate about your product and your brand message, you don’t have to be everything to everyone. You can just be the best brand for your audience. If your brand is already taking a side, don’t upset your audience by trying to appease people who aren’t going to buy your product anyway. Lean into what makes your brand interesting. 

For PR, you’re safer to comment on policies, not parties or politicians 

There’s a big difference between commenting on a new policy that impacts your business, and giving your thoughts on political parties or politicians. You can still be neutral while speaking about policies. For example: 

• A manufacturer can explain how tariffs are increasing their costs 

• A tech company can comment on how data privacy legislation will impact their industry 

• A retailer can talk about how labour trends are changing hiring 

You’re not picking a side. You’re showing that you are informed, and taking the problems facing your business seriously without getting into a partisan debate. 

Respond to political news that impacts your business immediately

We were working with a data centre hardware supplier when a 200 percent tariff on American imports from China was introduced. Our client’s manufacturing base was in China. Customers needed to know immediately how the tariffs were about to impact shipping time, costs, and their bottom line. 

Our client set up a webinar that morning for all of their affected customers, and then spoke to reporters about how supply chains for their hardware actually work. They explained that their “domestic” competitors were still buying products from the same region in China. Customers would still receive their hardware, and because of our client’s supply chain, their prices would still be cheaper.  

And speed is key. If news about your industry breaks and you issue a statement 3 days later, you’re just part of the noise. Acting quickly positions you as a thought leader and an expert. 

Staying silent about politics has PR risks 

Sometimes, silence isn’t the answer. If a news story impacts your customers or supply chain, it’s an amazing opportunity to build confidence with your customers. 

For example, when Silicon Valley Bank failed in 2023, the ripple effects across tech firms and startups were immediate. This included customers of Rippling, a payroll and HR software company. 

Instead of staying silent like many competitors, Rippling’s CEO Parker Conrad posted a detailed Twitter thread, explaining how the collapse was impacting the company, and what steps the company was taking to ensure that all employees still got paid. They were transparent and built trust with their customers. 

Rippling was able to turn the SBV collapse into a reputational win by not staying silent like its competitors. The result? Rippling just raised $450 million at a $16.8B valuation.   

Have a plan in place before the news breaks 

When you need to make a statement quickly, you shouldn’t have questions like “is this a topic we’re comfortable talking about?” or “who do I need to sign off on this statement?” in the moment. 

We once worked with a client that had to get approval from their parent company before they made a statement. The only problem? Their parent company was based in Japan, and wouldn’t be getting back to them until well after the reporter’s deadline. Instead of running around for last minute approval, make sure you: 

• Have experts assigned to each topic you want to comment on 

• Know which topics you’ll never comment on; and 

• Know who will make the final decision on what gets approved 

  
  

Follow through on your commitments 

If you’re going to make comments to the media, make sure you back it up with your actions. This not only increases trust in your brand, it also keeps reporters coming back to you as an expert in your industry. 

When one of our clients was dealing with a 50% increase in their costs because of new tariffs, they made their customers and audience aware immediately about the impact on their business. But they went a step further and included the cost increase on their invoices as a line item called ‘increase in costs from tariffs.’ 

This move didn’t require them to change their business overnight, but it showed transparency and therefore built trust with their customers. They knew our client wasn’t just taking advantage of economic uncertainty and hiking prices. It was a problem the entire industry was facing, and our client wanted their customers to have as much information as possible to make smart decisions. 

Need help navigating politics and PR? 

Whether your brand is leaning into politics or avoiding it completely, it helps to have a PR partner that understands your brand and your audience. Need help navigating the complexity, and building trust with your customers? Contact our PR experts at Mind Meld PR today.