Hasta La Creative!

Today’s heated political environment is putting brands in a tough spot. Even if they don’t want to get involved, one ad in the wrong publication can lead to a massive boycott and scads of angry posts in social media. Many brands are making efforts to spare their reputation by erring on the side of caution — which, today, typically means steering clear of right-leaning sites.

While that may be the right path for some brands for which politics are inextricably linked to the essence of the brand, it’s not necessarily the best direction for most brands to take. For starters, consumers come in all political flavors and, generally, brands don’t cater to that aspect of their behavior anyway. After all, you don’t see “Charmin for Democrats,” or “New Libertarian Laundry Detergent!” Additionally, let’s not forget the independents, whom often fall into both Democratic and Republican buckets. There’s little opportunity to gain new customers based on their political leanings, but a lot to be lost by targeting away from them.

Opportunity lost

Continue reading at AdAge.com