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Avoid the Politics Minefield

November 3, 2012 at 12:49 am Leave a comment

What is the best message when it comes to politics? Well, professional services companies would be well-advised to avoid taking a public stance in favor of one candidate or another. Today, it was reported that Howard Schultz, founder and CEO of Starbucks, endorsed President Obama. Although it is inexorably intertwined with Schultz in many minds, Starbucks as a company posted this extremely on-point message to its Facebook feed that walked-back his action somewhat:

Perfect.

A major election is a time to avoid appearing partisan and potentially losing market share for a non-product or service reason. However, if you have a passionate member of the c-suite who is quite visible, consider aping the message that Starbucks put out. Voting appeals to both sides.

If you need more – humorous or serious – tips for navigating politics in the workplace, give this article in Bloomberg Businessweek a read.

Entry filed under: Business Development, Marketing, Media Relations, Public Relations, Uncategorized.