How politics and branding intersect

Although many brand managers try not to vocalize their specific political positions, they often reveal their political allegiances when communicating with customers and prospects.

A CEO who endorses a certain political candidate sends a signal that the brand will be closely aligned with the policies of that candidate. Treading that water can be dangerous—especially for senior executives.

Here’s an example:

Consider when Whole Foods’ chief John Mackey published an attack on the Affordable Care Act in The Wall Street Journal. He neglected to factor in that a good number of his customers might be offended by his take on a policy intended to provide health care to millions of uninsured Americans. Though the blowback was minimal, it exposed a gap between Mackey and the brand’s public persona. It didn’t take long for customers to push back.

In the case of president-elect Donald Trump, whose brand consists of hotels, resorts and a variety of licensed luxury goods, it was reported that bookings in some of his hotels were down 60 percent during the first half of 2016.