By Doug Stephens
When we think of so-called “activist brands,” we tend to think immediately of companies like Patagonia, Ben & Jerry’s, and Dove—brands that have made social or political advocacy central to their mission and identity. Environmental protection is Patagonia’s raison d’être. Ben & Jerry’s built its brand around the defense of human rights. Dove has staked its position by challenging entrenched social ideals around beauty, femininity, and masculinity.
Most brands, however, do not see themselves as political actors. In fact, many go out of their way to remain explicitly apolitical, choosing instead to focus on what they view as their primary responsibility: making and selling products or services. There is a deeply held belief among many business leaders that they have no business entering the political arena—that they should, as the saying goes, stick to their knitting and keep their values and opinions to themselves. For much of my own career in business, I was taught the same: leave politics to politicians and focus the organization’s energy exclusively on the consumer.
That luxury no longer exists.
Today, CEOs can no longer afford to sit on the sidelines. Every brand—whether it wants to or not—has become a political actor, because the stability of their customers, their companies, and the democracies they operate within now depends on it.
To be clear, this is not a call for hollow virtue signaling or opportunistic grandstanding in pursuit of short-term gains in brand perception or sales. Political engagement cannot be treated like a marketing campaign. When brands attempt this, the results are often disastrous. Bud Light’s ill-conceived and half-hearted 2023 stance on trans inclusion is a case in point. The campaign generated backlash from across the spectrum: conservatives rejected it outright, while progressives felt betrayed when the brand failed to stand behind its position. In the end, the brand lost trust on all sides—not because it took a position, but because that position was neither authentic nor defended.
What I am arguing is something far more fundamental.
All brands must be willing and ready to defend the laws, norms, and values that underpin Western liberal democracy—because those same institutions make free and fair markets possible in the first place. The rule of law. Broad-based civic participation. Inalienable human rights. Even-handed regulation that ensures a level competitive playing field. These are not abstract ideals; they are the operating system of modern commerce. And today, they are under direct and sustained assault.
Where trust in government once existed, we increasingly see corruption, self-dealing, and pay-to-play favoritism. Where democratic participation was once protected, we now see gerrymandering designed to dilute or nullify the voices of entire voter communities. Where progress toward social and economic fairness once advanced, we see the resurgence of bigotry, misogyny, and repression. Where performance-based markets once prevailed, we see the rise of oligarchic systems in which political and ideological compliance—not innovation or value creation—determine success.
In short, the free society and fair-market system that enabled your business to succeed can no longer be taken for granted. Everything is now contested. Everything is under attack.
Make no mistake, this is not a distraction from your business. It goes to the very core of it.
These forces directly affect your customers, your employees, your shareholders, and the long-term viability of your company itself. And for that reason alone, business leaders have not just a moral obligation—but a fiduciary one—to act. But how? After all, the fear of political retribution today is real.
The first—and most important—step toward action is recognizing that you are not alone. I have spoken with countless business leaders who, like you, clearly see the danger our current political climate poses to their organizations, yet feel uncertain or powerless about how to respond.
To Go Far, Go Together
That sense of isolation is precisely why collective action matters. When like-minded businesses—large and small—come together, they form a powerful bulwark against authoritarianism and corruption. A coalition of companies willing to stand up for the free market and the democratic institutions that sustain it is far more effective than any single voice acting alone.
The good news is that this work has already begun. There are credible, committed business organizations on the front lines defending democracy today. In a future post, I will highlight some of these groups and the important work they are doing.
The second piece of good news is that research proves that there are tremendous competitive advantages for those businesses who not only defend but emulate democratic values. Benefits like enhanced consumer loyalty, brand perception and supplier relationships, as well as far superior employee productivity and investor commitment – to name just a few. In other words, standing up for democracy isn’t a business sacrifice, it’s a business superpower. I’ll touch more on this too in the year ahead!
For now, the immediate task ahead of you is internal. Begin preparing your executives, your board, and your employees to understand a simple reality: your company’s time on the sidelines is over. Like every company operating in a democratic market system, yours is now engaged in an existential fight—not to elevate one party, policy, or politician over another, but to defend democracy itself and the free market it enables.
This is not a drill.
About the Author
Doug Stephens is one of the world’s foremost retail industry futurists. His intellectual work and thinking have influenced many of the world’s best-known retailers, agencies and brands including Walmart, Google, L’Oréal, BMW, Coca Cola and Microsoft. As a global influencer Doug has been called “the futurist that futurists follow”.
He is the author of three internationally bestselling books on the future of retail. Doug is also the nationally syndicated retail columnist for CBC Radio, a featured columnist for The Business of Fashion and sits on multiple academic and corporate advisory boards including the David Sobey Retailing Centre at St. Mary’s University.
You can pre-order Doug’s new book, The Future of Competitive Advantage: A Business Plan to Save Your Customers, Your Company and Democracy, coming in 2026.