Is “Democracy” a Loaded Term?
Has “democracy” become a loaded term for executives?
The NYT’s DealBook newsletter posed this question last week.
With the landscape changing since the last US presidential election four years ago, in many cases, it HAS become more complicated – and let’s face it, less common – for individual executives to proactively share their stances.
But let’s take a look at opportunities for leadership at companies and clients to finish up preparations for the remainder of the leadup to elections and the potential aftermath.
The NYT article we mentioned pointed to the Business Roundtable’s recent statement “urg[ing] all Americans to respect the processes…for electoral determinations and an orderly transition.”
The Business Roundtable comprises more than 200 CEOs, including those of life science companies Eli Lilly, J&J, Medtronic, Merck, Pfizer, and Thermo Fisher.
So, this is an excellent resource to point to in your communications.
In a Ragan and Conference Board survey of mar-comm professionals from this summer, they found that over half of those surveyed actively encourage their employees to vote, and 43% give time off to vote.
Another great opportunity we have to show our commitment to the democratic process is simply to encourage our employees to vote.
And remember the power of an integrated comms strategy.
That encouragement to your teams to vote doesn’t only have to be an internal message.
It can be external, too.
Ragan’s report-out also reminds us of four of the most common scenarios orgs may encounter during this election season: being unwillingly brought into the political conversation, increased workplace disruptions, political discussion in company platforms, and potential misinformation and deepfake encounters.
Edelman’s 2020 advice from its Divide Guide on operational and comms considerations still holds true.
Among the stakeholders you should scenario plan for are government, the shareholder and business community, customers, media, and employees.
At the end of the day, similar to your corporate social advocacy strategy, any communications efforts in this arena should tie back to corporate values, whether the issues at hand are priority for your core audiences, and if you have standing to share your stance.
More on that next week.
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