“This is no ordinary time.” When Eleanor Roosevelt said this in her address to the delegates of the 1940 Democratic National Convention, the world faced the uncertainty of war in Europe and Asia under a cloud of growing nationalism, economic instability, and geopolitical tensions not seen since previous generations. Fast forward to 2024 and the sentiment that business is operating in extraordinary times has not been more acute since.

It has already been an unprecedented year of political and social unrest, with wars in Europe and the Middle East and rising U.S.-China tensions. As the countries that comprise 60 percent of the world’s economic output head to the polls this year, the 2024 Edelman Trust Barometer Special Report: Brands and Politics indicates that people’s top societal concern is election outcomes that could take their country in the wrong direction.

No matter where a business is headquartered or what they are selling, multinational and regional brands are operating in an environment of volatility where consumers, activists, the media, or politicians could draw them into the political fray at any given moment. To successfully navigate the expanding field of reputational landmines and mitigate risk, brands must authentically engage at a place of shared values with their stakeholders through actions that reinforce the emotional bonds they were built upon.

Against the backdrop of economic and political uncertainty, the rise in identity politics globally has influenced consumers to buy, choose or boycott brands based on political beliefs. According to the Brands and Politics special report, 60 percent of consumers buy, choose, or avoid brands based on “my politics.” Brand nationalism is also on the forefront, with 78 percent of consumers saying they will not buy foreign brands because of the countries they are headquartered in, posing risks for parent companies.

With politics top of mind for consumers, they see brand actions through a political lens: nearly 8 in 10 consumers feel brands are doing things they consider political or politically motivated. But consumers do not want brands to shy away from politics. In fact, they expect brands to address key issues like climate change, fair pay, reskilling, public health, and diversity, seeing their action as pivotal to societal progress. And 71 percent of global respondents say brands must take a stance on issues when under pressure, while only 12 percent say that brands must avoid taking a position.

Taken together, these new demands place additional pressure on a brand’s license to operate, but they also provide brands unique opportunities to earn trust with consumers – if they play their cards right. Action does not mean leaning into every issue: If a brand does not have permission from its stakeholders to engage on an issue, it should not. It’s critical to develop a strategy that is based on the shared values of the brand and your stakeholders and recognizes the political climate as well as the politics of its consumers.

In this politicized environment, it makes good sense for brands to engage on issues management like that of a political campaign – developing an overarching campaign platform strengthened with local and cultural nuances. A brand is not running for a seat on Capitol Hill or in Parliament, but it is vying for consumer loyalty and trust by proving its values through actions and messaging that reinforce their brand identity.

The following are a few basic guidelines to consider when deciding to engage on an issue:

1. Get granular. Know your stakeholders and their politics.
   To develop an impactful position and subsequent messages that are unique to the brand but universal to your audience requires that you understand the politics of your stakeholders. By leveraging a mix of syndicated and custom research, brands can quickly ascertain the efficacy of a new message and its potential impact with your audience segments within hours. Moreover, through new message testing technologies, you can quantify the potential risk of taking position and fine tune talking points to resonate in different regions and within different cultures.
2. Practice message discipline.
   Politicians understand the value of amplifying the core principles and messages that define their brand – even in a crisis. In the architecture of a presidential-level campaign, maintaining message discipline is often the difference between winning and losing. Based on the foundation of qualitative and quantitative audience research, campaign messaging structures are designed so that key talking points can be delivered in both planned and responsive content as well as during a crisis-level event to ensure consistent message playback.
3. Ladder up to the core brand ethos.
   Eighty-four percent of consumers say they need to share values with a brand to use it. All actions need to underscore the values the brand was built upon. Brands must maintain character and integrity, even when under pressure to take a side. Never deviate from your values, but look to your consumers, stakeholders, and employees to understand the permissions you have in determining what issues you have the license to engage on.

In that same 1940 speech, Eleanor Roosevelt said, “We cannot tell from day to day what may come.” While we do not know what tomorrow’s political context and consumer expectations will be, we do know that responsible and careful action drives trust. Even at this time when the world is experiencing political uncertainty and a rise in brand nationalism, consumers will protect the brands they trust.

Aaron Guiterman is the U.S. Head of Public Affairs for Edelman’s Public and Government Affairs Business Unit, EGA