Speaking Up as a Brand in Election Years
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What if staying silent is a statement too?
In this episode of The Negative Space, host Patricia McLoughlin sits down with Drew Train, CEO of OBERLAND, a creative agency for purpose-driven brands, to explore how organizations can decide when and how to speak up in an election year.
Together, Patricia and Drew dig into OBERLAND’s new Speak or Surrender Roadmap and what makes this moment different: fear of retaliation has entered the conversation. They discuss why that fear is often larger than the actual risk, why companies that have held to their values are faring well with customers, employees, and investors, and why people are looking to brands less as cheerleaders and more as sources of reliable information and ways to take part in civic life. Drew also offers a practical way to find the right issue, grounded in credibility, community, and values, and explains why an election is to purpose-driven marketing what the Super Bowl is to consumer brands.
The conversation also covers how to bring these ideas to leadership, the difference between rallying people around a goal and making claims about work that’s already done, and why humor can be an underused tool for serious topics. Along the way, Drew points to Tony’s Chocolonely, e.l.f. Beauty, and Subaru as examples of purpose that is built steadily over time and expressed in a brand’s own voice.
In a moment when many organizations are choosing to stay quiet, this conversation is a reminder that silence is a position too, and that brands have more power to shape culture than they may realize.
In this episode:
- Why fear of retaliation is shaping how brands show up in this election year, and why that fear is often larger than the real risk
- What people actually want from brands during elections: reliable information and ways to participate in civic life
- How to choose the right issue, based on credibility, community, and values, and how to build alignment with leadership
- The balance between rallying people around a goal and backing up claims with work that’s already done
- Brands that do purpose well in their own voice, from Tony’s Chocolonely and e.l.f. Beauty to Subaru, and the power of humor
- Why silence is a position, and what brands give up when they choose it
