Have you seen them? They’re everywhere. Camped out in front of homes, sometimes in the dozens. Standing in the medians of the interstates, on street corners, lining the streets in some areas, and yes, even in front of businesses. What are they? Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton signs. Political freedom and the freedom of speech are just a few of the best things about this country, but taking a political stance as a company can be detrimental to your company’s brand. The biggest way that taking a political stance as a business can hurt your brand is that it can turn-off potential customers. This election is unlike any I can remember. Emotions are running high and everyone is either in love with one candidate and wishes death upon the other, or despises both. Some even threaten to leave the country if one or the other is elected! This is not a friendly election. So when a company posts ten Trump signs, a boat painted “Trump Train,” and have an electronic sign reading “Trump, Let’s Make America Great Again,” out in front of their business (I have really seen this,) they are most definitely making some potential customers feel unwelcomed. The same thing if the company had ten Hillary signs, a boat painted “I’m with Her,” and an electronic sign reading “Elect Hillary Clinton.” Either one of those statements is definitely leaving a sour taste in someone’s mouth and making them want to take their business elsewhere. Other than pushing away potential customers, you could actually offend your current clientele. If you Clintonize your business, how is Bob, the devout Republican going to feel with the “I’m with Her,” signs glaring at him throughout his shopping experience. Probably irritated, disgruntled, and maybe even has him prepared to debate with your cashier over politics by the end of his trip. Isolating your company by taking a political stance transforms your target market and segments it further by political choice. Do you truly want only Hillary supporters or only Trump supporters at your business? Maybe you do, but do you also want to miss that profit? Some of us just bleed red, white, and blue and live for politics. That’s perfectly fine. Just don’t blur the line between the personal you and the professional you because there is a difference. There is a quote from As You Like It by William Shakespeare that reads: "All the world's a stage, And all the men and women merely players; They have their exits and their entrances, And one man in his time plays many parts, His acts being seven ages." How you act at home and in your personal life is most likely different than that at work. The workplace is not a place suitable for high emotions and politics, and so it’s best for everyone to leave those opinions at home.
If you can just not help but talk about politics, there are professional alternatives that won’t isolate anyone. If you must talk about politics, be humorous and bipartisan. Tell your customers TO vote, but not WHO to vote for. Ask their opinions and their stances if you like, but don’t argue with them, degrade them, or tell them your opinion on it. And most of all, don’t post signs all over your business. That my friends, is profit over politics.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
Author@littlemissmktg is a current marketing student at Northern Kentucky University. She loves all things branding and marketing and welcomes any comments or insights. Archives
January 2017
Categories |