Wednesday, August 21, 2019
Buckle up, business leaders, the 2020 election is coming
by Chris Berry, partner at Green Block Group
We are now under 500 days until the general election, and the third Democratic presidential primary debate is less than a month away. Roughly two-dozen Democrats are running for their party's nomination to challenge President Donald Trump. This will be an election season like no other as the traditional rules of politics have been ripped up and tossed aside. For leaders of businesses both big and small, understanding and preparing for this roller coaster is essential to protecting your brands and interests.
In elections prior, the playbook was simple: Democrats might attack Wall Street and the energy industry and Republicans would support free trade. But for 2020, the only thing certain is uncertainty. Attacks on individual businesses, industries and their leaders are now fair game from both sides. For businesses across America, it's not a matter of if — but when — your interests will be challenged.
To the credit of President Trump, and political colleagues on the other side of the aisle like Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., America's politicians are using technology to take their message straight to voters. And in 280 characters or fewer on Twitter, Trump has put dozens of companies and their leaders in the spotlight. Boeing, Facebook, Merck and dozens more have gotten the president's attention on Twitter. Those with Ohio ties include Ford, Nordstrom, General Motors, Toyota, Amazonand Macy's.
In May, thousands of McDonald's workers in more than a dozen cities across America walked off their jobs to demand greater pay and expanded rights. Several Democratic candidates joined in support of the McDonald's workers and their protests.
Businesses that simply try to ignore the political and technological realities of today are putting themselves, and their stakeholders, in a dangerous situation. Developing a plan and being prepared for what's coming in 2020 is as important to Ohio's business community as ever. As the saying goes, the best day to start was yesterday, but today will work, too.
First, start paying attention to the news and campaign issues. Understand what the candidates are saying, how they're saying it and look to establish trends. In politics, this is called opposition research. Campaigns do it on both themselves and their opponents. They identify weaknesses and strengths and try to figure out what their opponent will try to do ahead of time.
Next, put a plan in place for both what you expect and what you don't expect to happen. Think of it like football: There are offensive and defensive coordinators and gameplans, and you need both to be successful. As business leaders, put plans in place with this same mindset.
Finally, be prepared to respond in force and with extreme speed. Social media has redefined the 24-hour news cycle, and the most important medium for news in presidential politics is Twitter. It's where the candidates, their campaigns and the journalists who cover them live and work. There are no such things as deadlines anymore, and you certainly can't wait and hope for issues to pass.
In politics, responding with decisive quickness is called rapid response. Campaigns have entire teams within their operations whose only mission is to follow the news and react to it — both for offensive and defensive purposes. For businesses, your plans should include not just how you respond but how you plan to make speed a critical component of it.
In years past, businesses and their leaders could stay far away from politics, but, like it or not, the rules have changed. We're now living in a time when ignoring political debates is no longer possible and, for business leaders, understanding the 2020 campaign is a necessity. Your business's future may depend on it.
