Last week, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) launched a shot
across the bow to corporate
America:
“Our private sector must stop taking cues from the Outrage-Industrial Complex,”
he said. “Americans do not need or want big business to amplify disinformation
or react to every manufactured controversy with frantic, left-wing signaling.”
McConnell’s statement came in response to a growing chorus of major corporations
that are voicing strong support for voting rights — and against the partisan
efforts to curtail them in states including Georgia and now,
Michigan.
Let’s set aside the irony of Republicans telling businesses what to do after
decades of crusading for unlimited corporate liberties and deregulation, no
matter the costs. Instead, let’s ask why so many companies — including Delta
and Coca-Cola, based in Georgia; and
Ford, General Motors and
Quicken Loans, based in Michigan — are protesting these new voting
restrictions, and why it’s becoming more common for companies to put their
weight behind a range of urgent social
issues.
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Plain and simple: It’s good for business.
This isn’t about partisanship or “wokeness” — it’s about the core values held by
many Americans and a desire among forward-thinking corporate leaders to prove
they share them.
More and more companies have made it their business to know their customers. On
the issue of voter access, two-thirds of Americans — including 58 percent of
Republicans — believe too few people voting is a major
problem,
according to a recent survey. Another poll found that only 30 percent oppose
expanding access to early and mail-in
voting.
And 69 percent of the country thinks voters should have access to food and
water
while standing in line to vote.
Businesses also base their decisions on facts. Despite GOP cries of a “big lie,”
fact-checkers at the New York Times,
Washington Post
and other nonpartisan sources show that most of the provisions in Georgia’s new
law are highly likely to disenfranchise voters — especially people of color and
low-income Americans.
Many businesses have also staked their reputations on voting rights. Last year,
ads from brands encouraging people to
vote
were almost as ubiquitous as political ads themselves. Smart executives know
those efforts will fall flat if they fail to step up when voting access is under
attack.
Finally, for any companies still on the edge about whether or not to face some
backlash by speaking out, there’s a pretty strong moral argument, too.
More broadly, businesses are smart to speak out and take
action
in support of movements championing racial equity, climate action and economic
fairness. The most recent Edelman Trust Barometer showed that 86 percent of
US consumers expect business leaders and their companies to do just
that. And revenues — now
and in the future — are on the line: 84 percent of Gen
Zers
said they’re more likely to buy a product from a socially responsible
company.
It’s not just customers who want to vote with their dollars. With companies
competing intensely for top talent, they now know that nine out of 10 workers
in the United
States
say they would choose to work for a company that shares their values over one
that pays them more.
Of course, longstanding alliances between big corporations and politicians have
created far greater social and environmental disasters than can be fixed with a
press statement. But maybe this is the beginning of the breakup? While politics
often feels disconnected from voters themselves, it’s impossible to see
any successful company so consistently falling short of the values this country was founded on and the more inclusive, equitable and sustainable direction most Americans want to go.
Might this be why US consumers trust businesses far more than they trust
Congress
when it comes to doing the right thing? Maybe elected officials who support
recent unpopular ideas such as restricting access to the polls, barring trans
kids from participating in
sports,
and overturning the 2020
election
could learn a thing or two from the corporates that fund their campaigns — since
several major corporations stood up and took action against each one of these
issues.
After all, money talks — and, slowly, it’s starting to give voice to issues
central to human rights, the health of our planet, and democracy itself.
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Adam Fetcher is a consultant helping leading brands engage in advocacy and activism. He formerly worked as global communications director for Patagonia and senior director of brand advocacy for Lyft. He served in the Obama administration in several senior roles, including deputy national press secretary for President Obama’s 2012 reelection campaign and press secretary for the US Department of the Interior. Adam also currently serves as a senior adviser at Purpose, a global social impact and advocacy agency based in NYC.
Published Apr 15, 2021 2pm EDT / 11am PDT / 7pm BST / 8pm CEST