.png)
Would you lend your personal brand to a cause you believe in? We're often told as brands and business owners that speaking on politics is taboo. Personal matters in general are usually avoided. In recent years, though, we've seen a shift. More and more public figures and large brands are vocalizing support for political parties and causes they support. Most recently, Taylor Swift.
As of last week, both Beyonce and Taylor Swift have endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris for President.
Roughly a month ago Beyonce indirectly endorsed VP Harris by permitting the use of her song Freedom for Harris’s campaign ads. This didn’t come as a total surprise. Bey has hinted at her disdain for former president Donald Trump in her song Energy, "Votin’ out 45, don’t get out of line. Oh Oh Oh Oh Oh."
For weeks there has been speculation about Taylor Swift. Would she come out in support of one of the presidential candidates? I had a feeling that IF she were to endorse a presidential candidate it would be VP Harris. Taylor just seems like a girls’ girl, but then again I don’t know the lady personally.
My intuition was confirmed last Tuesday when Taylor shared this heartfelt post on her Instagram. Just days after Brittany Mahomes (wife of Tay-Tay’s boyfriend’s teammate Patrick Mahomes) voiced her support for Donald Trump. I know it’s juicy…
Swift followed this post up with links to voter registration and early voting instructions, rumored to result in over 300,000 new registered voters. Powerful brands man…
Bey and Tay are serving a master class in what it’s like to throw your weight around as a brand giant. Typically celebrities with brands as big as these ladies avoid all things politics, but these icons have decided they have a voice and want to use it.
This is kind of a big deal.
Lending your image to a brand is kind of a big deal, especially for these women with millions of super fans and even bigger deals and partnerships. Not they they are at the mercy of any partner, I can imagine that supporting Harris has come at some cost, maybe more so for Taylor Swift than Beyonce.
Unfortunately, but very wise, Taylor did not allow comments on her post, making it hard to gauge the response from her fans. However, we did see backlash to Indiana Fever star, Caitlin Clark, for simply liking the post (she later said in an interview she didn't wish to publicly discuss her political views)!
This is arguably one of the most historic elections of our lifetime.
Politics in branding...
Thinking about your personal brand, would you lend your support to a social cause knowing it could possibly offend some of your fans, followers, or community?
Personally, I like to keep my integrity and personal convictions at the front of what I do. That doesn't necessarily mean I only work with brands who share my personal beliefs or that I share my personal beliefs throughout my business. What it does mean is that I'm firm in my beliefs and anything that causes me to operate outside of that or compromise typically gets a no from me.
What are your thoughts? Do you prefer celebs and brands you love to stay quiet when it comes to politics? Or do you like to know where they stand?
*****
Hi! I'm Lauren Thomas, a marketing strategist and owner of Limitless Marketing Co. My goal with this blog is to make tough topics easy to understand and apply. If you like marketing news and tips, subscribe to the Limitless Marketing Newsletter!
Comments