The election is over, but politics is here to stay 24/7 for the foreseeable future. Today, everything is politicized. That’s no secret to you because one of the things that’s been politicized most is our social feeds, which are inundated with news and posts from (mostly) well-meaning people sharing their thoughts and opinions. The Obama and Biden memes are the last funny thing to make its way onto the Internet as of late, and yes, even those were political.

These are not ordinary times. Facebook has taken drastic steps to overhaul its approach to how news is shared and consumed on its platform because of its role in the dissemination of fake news. Twitter has found new relevance (for better or for worse) in its ability to share and shape policy decisions from the government. These platforms are working to define their roles in a political environment they, at the very least, helped create.

These are most certainly not ordinary times, and brands need to be paying attention.

Purpose is Critical When Things Get Political

The number of brands being brought into the political environment is a rapidly growing list. Uber, Lyft, Facebook, Amazon, L.L. Bean, New Balance and multiple brands showing up on boycott lists have all found themselves both willing and unwilling political lightning rods. Their involvement wasn’t planned or calculated, but that doesn’t mean the results weren’t damaging. #DeleteUber is a perfect case in point.

Getting political is often circumstantial and not a choice, which means today, more than ever, a brand’s need for a clear mission and purpose is critical.

That mission drives your business’ why, determines what it stands for and, just as importantly, what it stands against. For a mission and purpose to matter, the brand has to back it up with how it operates and exists in the world. A purpose without behavior to back it up will fall apart when challenged, and in today’s political environment, a brand that needs to lean on its purpose will need to back it up.

Purpose is what guides brands on what they believe and how they behave in the world. A brand caught in a political issue needs its purpose to define how it responds because people will demand a response.

Can a Brand Still be Apolitcial?

What we’re seeing is the evolution of a larger trend driven by the rise of the Millennial consumer. They, as a group, want to buy from brands that stand for something. Brands that rose in this environment range from Zappos (impeccable service) to Tom’s Shoes and Warby Parker (giving back). Many brands learned from those stances and adopted programs that allow them to give back as well.

Now, brands are going beyond giving back and getting political, and the more brands that decide (or are forced to) get political, the more that will become the expectation for those that have yet to take a stance. It may not be a choice, and more brands may need to use their purpose to be brave enough to stand for what they think is right and strong enough to not back down when challenged because every brand will be challenged. Starbucks is seeing the pros and cons of such an approach playing out right now.

Consider the approach your brand could and would take on political issues in today’s environment. If it’s not clear, maybe your purpose isn’t defined enough, and maybe your plan is to rely on “No Comment.” That may only get you so far as expectations change and what people expect to know about the brands they support grows. This isn’t meant to be an invitation to take a stand, but it should be an invitation to have clear purpose that can be relied upon when deciding whether or not to take a stand is no longer an option.