Political Commentary vs. Silence: What 270 Communicators Are Doing

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For months, we’ve seen heated discussions on how each presidential candidate may impact the economy, industries and businesses.

We were curious how such a polarized election has factored into organizations’ communications plans, so we polled nearly 275 communicators on the topic. We found that most are staying quiet.

Just 33% of respondents said their company made a strategic decision to address political issues and potential regulatory changes externally, and 66% said they planned to continue marketing communications “as normal” amid increasing election noise.

While remaining apolitical can be a sound strategy in this heated election cycle, only 59% of respondents said they believe their company is taking the right approach. Other opinions included:

  • One in every 5 (21%) thought their company should be communicating more about the election.
  • 38% believed they should be communicating more about regulatory changes that could impact their customers and industry.
Source: 2024 Election Communications Survey, SHIFT Communications

Additional findings from our 2024 Election Communications survey include:

Few companies prepared. Just 19% said they had created formal messaging on how policy/regulatory changes would impact their industry. Only 28% said they felt prepared if a customer asks their POV on this, and even fewer (23%) said they felt prepared if a reporter asks.

Additionally, 40% said they did not do any strategic planning with company leadership specific to election communications.

Source: 2024 Election Communications Surveys, SHIFT Communications

Employers treading lightly. While 40% of respondents said employees are distracted due to the election and 32% report that heated debates have occurred at work, fewer than half (47%) said their company is communicating policies on interacting with colleagues. Only 32% said they are communicating policies on posting on social media, and just 19% plan to/are providing opportunities or resources for employees to talk about how they are feeling — a possible employee engagement opportunity.

Meanwhile, 60% said they are encouraging staff to vote and 50% reported they are communicating around major election events such as violence and hate crimes.

2024 Election Communications Survey, SHIFT Communications

Executives staying quiet; communicators keeping eyes open. 54% reported they were increasing how closely they monitor company executives’ social media activity due to potential backlash, even though only 24% said their executives will/have commented on possible regulatory changes and only 9% said executives have backed a candidate publicly.

When it comes to geopolitical, socioeconomic or cultural events, communications should be part of a well-informed strategy. For some companies, it’s a missed opportunity to not engage on the potential impact of policy, regulatory or political changes — we’ve recently helped clients do so successfully in the hospitality and education industries. For others, it’s a third rail that is sure to polarize audiences.  

If you could benefit from support on this, get in touch at connect@shiftcomm.com.

Survey methodology: SHIFT surveyed 273 marketing, communications and PR professionals using Pollfish, an online insights platform. Respondents were aged 18+, currently employed and reported that they support or make decisions about internal and external communications. The survey was completed in October 2024.

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