For Black consumers, that figure is 63%; for Latinos, 52%. Trust, Edelman finds, is now equal to price and quality as a purchase consideration. Brands earning high trust see 75% loyalty premiums and 78% advocacy rates. Silence isn’t safety. It’s the slow bleed of brand equity.
The employee imperative
A 2024 study in the Journal of Accounting and Economics found that firms whose CEOs engage in values-aligned activism see higher employee satisfaction, net inflows of productive talent, and increased firm-level innovation. Purpose-driven companies don’t just attract customers. They attract and retain better people. In a war for talent, your position on the defining issues of the moment is a recruitment tool. When OpenAI CEO Sam Altman declared that “what’s happening with ICE is going too far” this week, he was surely thinking as much about employees as he was his users.
The brands getting it right
Ben & Jerry’s co-founder Ben Cohen recently observed that “there’s this general idea that you can’t do it, that it’s bad for business, and it’s not true.” The brand has seen purchase intent increase after speaking out on immigration. Patagonia has donated over $140 million to environmental causes while becoming one of the most profitable outdoor retailers on the planet. These aren’t anomalies. They’re proof that doing the right thing and doing the profitable thing aren’t mutually exclusive. They’re increasingly synonymous.
The strategic case for speaking out
The 60+ Minnesota CEOs who signed that vague “de-escalation” letter thought they were playing it safe. But their refusal to name ICE or criticize policy satisfied no one.
They got the worst of both worlds: activists saw cowardice, conservatives saw disloyalty. Seventy-three percent of consumers say their trust increases when brands authentically reflect current culture. Only 27% prefer brands that ignore culture entirely. The numbers are clear.
When 700 small businesses can close their doors and stand for something, when 70,000 Minnesotans can march in life-threatening cold, surely the nation’s largest corporations can muster something more than bland HR memos.
Minneapolis isn’t asking for corporate saviors. It’s asking for corporate citizens. Companies that build great products, serve customers, create value for stakeholders, but who also remember that they are still part of culture.
