The expansion of executive power has unleashed an era of high-stakes uncertainty. Businesses should plan accordingly. 

By: Josh Weisz

Straight to the Point

What We See: The escalating expansion of executive powers of the modern presidency is creating unprecedented uncertainty for every industry in every corner of the world. Less than three months into the new administration, law firms, institutions of higher education, media companies, and other organizations — large and small — have experienced sudden and, at times, existential challenges stemming from executive actions.

What It Means: Businesses should be thinking less about if they will cross paths with the administration, and more about when and how. The old playbook — wait, lobby quietly, count on predictability — doesn’t cut it anymore. The rules have changed. Fast.

What to Do About It: While there is no one-size-fits-all approach to navigate today’s political climate and business challenges, every organization should be taking action to mitigate risk and protect their license to operate.

What We See

By: David Bickerton

Straight to the Point

What We See: The challenges of today’s world—where both information and misinformation are widespread—are having a profound impact on businesses and their marketing efforts. To better understand the changing dynamics, Purple conducted a series of in-depth interviews with 15 Chief Marketing Officers (CMOs) from leading Asset Management companies, revealing key themes and challenges that should set the agenda for Marketing teams in 2025 and beyond.

What It Means: Marketing in the Asset Management sector has historically added value by building trusted relationships and integrating activity across the enterprise. Increased external scrutiny and the rise of AI are impacting how trust is built and maintained. In today’s information-rich ecosystem, greater transparency is a given. Truth is no longer certain. Trust only comes with verification.

What to Do About It: The role of Marketing needs to evolve. The guardians of the white space of brand distinction must be equally adept at spotting and addressing the gray space of dissonance between words and actions across the organization. New processes must be defined, and new partnerships must be formed to respond to reputational risks. The mindset of the Marketing function must evolve with the CMO thinking and acting as the “Chief Trust Officer”—looking for new ways to build and nurture trust with clients and other influencers.

What We See

Today, we live and work in an increasingly complex, information-rich and attention-poor world—one where both information and misinformation are widespread. This means that, in matters of brand and reputation, we can no longer rely on the fact that all decisions are made based solely on trusted information sources—as there is evidence to suggest that perceptions now outweigh facts in some circumstances.

To better understand how these changing dynamics impact foundational aspects of business, Purple Strategies and Caffeine Partners conducted a series of in-depth interviews with 15 Chief Marketing Officers (CMOs) from leading Asset Management companies across the United States, UK, and EU. These interviews revealed six key themes:

1. The changing role of Marketing: As the Asset Management sector faces a race for relevance, the relationship between Sales and Marketing has evolved. Marketing has become more specialized—with particular focus on digital touchpoints—and plays a bigger role in the client experience than ever before, with promotional activity being prioritized over product knowledge.

2. Marketing continues to move from art to science: Given Marketing’s enduring role in creating relationships of value, the use of business intelligence has become increasingly important. Shifts in media consumption have made content creation (format, creative, branding) as much science (user data, audience profiling, content habits) as it is art. As a result, the traditional four pillars of brand building—brand identity, image, culture and personality—have been replaced by a new set: platforms, personalization, prompts, and purpose. These shifts are fundamentally impacting the way organizations coordinate their paid, owned, and earned media efforts and how they engage throughout their marketing funnels.

3. Asset management brands have become more multi-dimensional: Investors are increasingly looking beyond products and asking for help in solving their challenges. Thought leadership has become an essential part of building brand distinction and if a relevant news story makes the front page, clients are expecting you to share a point of view with them.

4. The next technology frontier will be more challenging for marketing: AI is expected to have profound impacts on investment-centric and sales-centric organizations. Generative AI is a disruptive technology, and its potential to collapse the marketing funnel is a game-changer that requires a different mindset. Capability building for these advancements needs to be different, and CMOs need to have a seat at the table in assessing their impacts on the business.

5. Misinformation risks are recognized but not yet addressed: In an era where deep fakes and fake news are emerging issues that can move markets, truth is fundamental to building trust. The new playbook to address misinformation is being created on the fly, and companies need robust processes in place to ringfence the truth and create sources of fact rather than opinion.

6. New demands of the CMO: Demands on CMOs are increasing—as they need to be customer champions, capability builders, growth drivers, storytellers, and innovation catalysts. The scope of Marketing teams often transcends the organization, so CMOs are uniquely positioned to “join the dots” internally regarding reputation risk and opportunity.

What It Means

In today’s hyper-connected world, Marketing teams must support the delivery of business outcomes through their engagement with key audiences. Simultaneously, organizations face competing pressures from policy, financial, and societal audiences. These expectations have resulted in three unique challenges for CMOs today:

1. It’s about the gray space and the white space: Historically, CMOs have been tasked with building trust by seeking out the white space of distinction. Today, due to the interconnected nature of their roles, CMOs are increasingly asked to look beyond the white space and find areas of disconnect across their organizations. This requires active engagement, robust internal partnerships, and an integrated mindset towards identifying reputational risks.

2. Preparing for the misinformation monster: Traditionally, CMOs and corporate leaders have prepared to tackle reputational crises—caused by operational challenges and external events—and cyber threats. However, with advancements in technology and changes in the way people consume information, the risk of an informational crisis The in-depth interviews uncovered a lack of preparedness to handle informational crises—stolen truths, not just stolen data. When such issues arise, CMOs will need to work to safeguard sources of truth and activate advocacy support.

3. The CMO as a Chief Trust Officer: In addition to marketing their products, companies are building trust in a new paradigm—and this landscape is one that CMOs and Marketing departments need to navigate. Rapidly changing political and social dynamics are exerting pressure on organizations—and in some cases, they have a direct impact on a business’ bottom line. In this unpredictable environment, being “campaign ready” has a different meaning, and requires different capabilities and a new leadership mindset to build trust with the audiences that matter. For CMOs today, establishing trust in a product and brand is becoming as important as the performance of the product they are marketing.

What to Do About It

In this increasingly complex landscape, what steps can CMOs and corporate Marketing departments take to navigate these challenges? Here are a few places they can start:

• Expanding priorities: Marketing should actively expand its remit by leveraging its cross-company integration role to continually monitor for brand/reputation dissonance and look for ways to correct areas of concern—be it actual or potential future issues.
• Strengthening internal partnerships: CMOs today must proactively strengthen their partnerships with other internal teams across their organizations. An example would be partnering with HR/People teams to engage with Employee Resource Groups (ERGs) to test and understand attitudes on emerging socio-political issues, and—if the situation warrants it—consider mobilizing employees to proactively advocate for the company.
• Developing critical processes: Preparation is critical. Marketing teams should look to implement new early warning processes to test and respond to misinformation incidents. Much like how a company would develop plans to address a “stolen data” (cyber) event, Marketing should consider how best to develop a new crisis playbook for a “stolen truth” event.
• Building new capabilities: Marketing teams should actively seek skills to understand the full breadth of new technologies. Building strong capabilities in large language models, to stay in step with AI developments and gain insights into potential uses for research and publishing, can merit the CMO a seat at the table to discuss AI strategy for the company.

Discover More:

For a deeper dive into Purple’s insights from this research, download the full report below.

[Click here to download the report]

The Purple team has helped some of the world’s most well-known companies manage their brand and reputations and navigate critical business challenges. If you need support, feel free to contact us — we are here to help.

For more content like this, subscribe to the Purple Point newsletter here.

By: Denise Brien

New research from Purple Strategies and POLITICO’s Insiders Survey provides guidance for corporate leaders looking to anticipate policy opportunities and vulnerabilities, better engage key stakeholders, and manage reputation equity in the months ahead.

Straight to the Point:

What We See: Insiders expect the new administration to prioritize immigration and border security, while key business concerns like healthcare access and workforce modernization will be sidelined.

What It Means: As federal policy remains unpredictable, businesses face growing pressure to fill the gaps—both in shaping regulations and meeting public expectations.

What to Do About It: Companies must navigate shifting regulations while demonstrating leadership on economic and workforce issues to safeguard their license to operate and build trust with all stakeholders.

What We See:

The Purple Strategies and POLITICO Survey findings indicate that Insiders overwhelmingly identified immigration reform and border security as the most important and most likely priorities for the new administration. However, other critical business concerns—healthcare access and affordability, higher education affordability, and workforce modernization—are seen as important but unlikely to get attention in the first year.

The survey suggests several additional areas where business interests and government priorities may diverge:

• Trade & Tariffs: Nearly all insiders (85%) agree tariffs would harm the U.S. economy, yet protectionist policies remain a political wildcard.
• Energy Policy: 75% of insiders favor a balanced oil and gas approach rather than maximizing production—potentially clashing with energy sector strategies.
• AI & Tech Regulation: 70% of insiders support stricter AI regulation, even at the expense of U.S. tech companies’ global growth.

What It Means:

The current environment presents both challenges and opportunities for businesses navigating policy shifts, stakeholder expectations, and reputational risks. With federal action uncertain and public scrutiny on the rise, corporate leaders must proactively shape their engagement strategies, balance business needs with regulatory realities, and establish their role as trusted problem-solvers. Here’s what this evolving landscape means for companies:

• People Expect More from Companies: The shifting policy landscape doesn’t just have the potential to create gaps in governance—it is also likely to drive (or renew) expectations around how businesses engage with society. When federal action on key issues is unlikely, the public often looks to companies to help shape solutions—not necessarily by taking stances on divisive political issues, but by clearly communicating their values and demonstrating their contributions in ways that align with stakeholder priorities. The survey highlights areas—for example, workforce modernization, access to affordable education and healthcare, and environmental and social issues—where companies may need to step up their own initiatives and reframe their messaging and engagement strategies to maintain trust and credibility.
• Policy Misalignment Poses Business Risks: The administration’s policy direction—whether on tariffs and trade, energy policy, tech regulation, or DEI—won’t always align with business needs, creating challenges for corporate leaders who must maintain strong relationships with policymakers and regulators while also protecting their firm’s reputation with all stakeholders. This may also mean looking for ways to offer the Trump administration a visible success in one of his priority areas in order to advance your businesses’ broader policy goals.
• Messaging for a Divided Political Climate: In today’s polarized environment, how companies communicate can be just as important as what they communicate. Businesses should ensure their messaging resonates across ideological divides, particularly with MAGA audiences, who may view traditional corporate language as coded for progressive priorities. This doesn’t require changing policy positions but rather framing priorities—like economic growth, innovation, and national competitiveness—in ways that align with values such as patriotism, job creation, and American strength. Additionally, organizations should assess whether certain terms or phrases that previously appealed to left-leaning audiences might now trigger backlash, ensuring that language choices don’t inadvertently alienate key stakeholders or put a target on the company’s reputation.

What To Do About It:

Public Affairs leaders must navigate the tension between policy expectations and business realities. This requires proactive engagement, messaging alignment, and risk mitigation strategies tailored to policymakers, investors, and the public.

• Turn Uncertainty into Competitive Advantage. The current level of political uncertainty naturally breeds hesitation, companies must avoid being paralyzed or focusing solely on risk mitigation. Those that can anticipate change and adapt quickly are best poised to turn disruption into opportunity.
• Navigate Political and Regulatory Tensions. Businesses must manage relationships with policymakers while shaping regulations that balance economic growth with public trust. Advancing their own policy agenda may require aligning with some administration priorities and facilitating transactional wins in key areas of interest. Securing progress on business priorities often depends on ensuring the administration achieves some of its own objectives as well.
• Own the Narrative. Companies that proactively shape conversations, rather than simply reacting to shifting expectations, will build trust with policymakers, investors, and the public. While it is important for businesses to avoid becoming entangled in partisan debates that could alienate stakeholders, they should also recognize that language matters. This requires not just refining messaging but also strategically positioning corporate priorities in ways that resonate across the political spectrum.
• Prepare for Corporate Activism Pressures. Employees, investors, and customers will push companies to fill leadership voids, particularly in areas like workforce training, healthcare benefits, and sustainability.

The companies that lead—by engaging stakeholders, shaping the conversation, and demonstrating impact—will be best positioned to thrive in this evolving environment.

Purple Strategies helps businesses strategically manage corporate reputation, engage stakeholders, and navigate complex policy landscapes. Want to discuss how we can support your team? Let’s connect.

For more content like this, subscribe to the Purple Point newsletter here.

About POLITICO INSIDERS:

The POLITICO Insiders Panel is an invite-only research community that brings together influential decision-makers at the intersection of government, industry, and policy. This panel includes senior leaders from Fortune 100 companies, nonprofits, trade associations, federal agencies, and Congress, providing unique insights into how policymakers and key stakeholders view the evolving political and business landscape. This survey fielded to N=460 people in December 2024 through January 2025.

Research Overview

By: Alec Jacobs

Straight to the Point

What we See: The long debate over how to manage misinformation and disinformation on social media is entering a new chapter as companies move away from formal fact-checking and opt instead for user-driven programs like X’s Community Notes.

What It Means: These systems appear to have some promise in terms of their impact and credibility. And though the programs aren’t perfect, the biggest social platforms on the planet seem to be headed in the same direction. It would be wise for companies, especially those uniquely impacted by online misinformation, to recognize where tech companies are going and develop thoughtful and practical strategies to embrace programs like Community Notes.

What to Do About It: Take the time to understand Community Notes and how they work and establish a monitoring and management protocol that is tailored to your business — and the unique challenges you face.

What we See

As the debate continues about the role social media companies can or should play when it comes to correcting or even removing misinformation, it seems many are headed in the direction of replacing official “fact checkers” with democratic, community-based systems where platform users are the ones primarily responsible for correcting false information posted by other users. The leading program of this kind, which we anticipate other platforms will look to emulate, is X’s Community Notes (CNs).

CNs are sourced annotations that appear alongside X posts that contain false information, could be misleading, or could benefit from clarification or additional context. You can read more specifically about how they work at X’s Help Center here but essentially they are written and evaluated by X users who sign up to participate, not by professional fact checkers. CNs that the community agrees are warranted, accurate, well-sourced, and unbiased are attached to the post for all future users to see, and anyone who previously interacted with the post in some way (commented on it, amplified it) are notified that a CN has been attached.

And there are signs that the program could have significant impact on the spread of misinformation:

• Research by X has shown that people are 20 – 40% less likely to believe misleading posts when they are accompanied by a CN compared to posts without one.
• A Cornell study found that adding a CN to an X post reduces the number of retweets by almost half and increases the probability that the author will delete their original post by 80%, limiting the spread of false claims.

What It Means

Though the Community Notes program still has many kinks — and it doesn’t solve every misinformation-related challenge — it and programs like it have the potential to be game-changers for a company’s ability to address misinformation and protect its reputation because CNs:

• are literally attached to the misleading content and deliver notifications to users who previously encountered and engaged with the misinformation. This means companies may not have to spend as much energy, time, and money actively correcting the record with all audiences when a false claim spreads or trying to get them to visit a separate website to “get the facts.”
• can be tied not just to a post but to a piece of media — a video, a misleading image or infographic, etc. — so that the CN is visible whenever the content is shared, even if it’s shared by many different people.
• are seen as more independent and credible than official “fact checkers” by many people, especially those segments of society who have grown to distrust institutions and traditional media outlets.
• are published without named authors, further enhancing their credibility — if a company or their agency writes a CN, its credibility can’t be called into question because of who authored it… because no one will know who did.

For these reasons, we believe all companies — but especially those who are often victims of viral and false social media campaigns — should understand how to use CNs and embrace them as part of their broader strategies aimed at combatting misinformation.

What to Do About It

Now, how do you actually use the program and leverage CNs effectively? Here are some ways to get started:

• Learn more about the mechanics: The CN program is not the most straightforward program — you can’t just sign up today and start writing notes. There’s a complex system of impact scores calculated by how often users accurately rate the CNs of others as “helpful” or “not helpful,” how often they write notes of their own and the degree to which those notes are “helpful” or “not helpful,” and a variety of other factors. The X Help Center linked above has more information about how the program works logistically.
• Sign up for the program: Likely the best way to learn how the program works practically is to have communicators, digital listening analysts, and of course social media team members at your company sign up for CN and start experimenting with it — reading and rating others’ notes to build up their profiles and eventually earn the ability to write CNs of their own.
• Understand what a good CN looks like: Look at others’ CNs that have been approved and attached to posts and start thinking about the notes you’ll write and what the defining features will be — inclusion of reliable, high-quality sources and clear, concise, neutral language that directly addresses the false claim.
• Figure out a monitoring protocol and CN approval process that makes sense for you: Set up social listening tools to capture posts with the most common false claims about your company so you can identify misleading posts and add a note as early as possible.

The Purple team has helped some of the world’s most prominent organizations combat misinformation. If you need support protecting your enterprise value, contact us — we are here to help.

For more content like this, subscribe to the Purple Point newsletter here.

By: Maddie Wilson & Katie Pudwill

Straight to the Point

What we See: Every pundit with a pulse has churned out a think piece on the 2024 election and what it means for the shifting media landscape and where people actually consume their news. In our new media reality—where there is a deep distrust and lack of interest in traditional, legacy media—strategies that keep earned media in a silo won’t meet your objectives and achieve staying power. News consumers face information overload, curated by algorithms that amplify bias, making it clear that earned media without paid amplification is ineffective. Control over messaging is an illusion; good reporting means telling both sides and even well-crafted stories are subject to sensationalism that can amplify and give voice to critics. In other words, format matters more than the outlet.

What it Means: The days of scattershot PR campaigns are over. Winning in this new landscape requires focus on objectives over channels and rejecting the old notion that success = “being everywhere” or being somewhere that feels important. Precise messaging that is amplified to the right audience repeatedly is the key to breaking through.

What to Do: Be consistent and focus on outcomes. Precision is the key to breaking through the noise.

What We See

PESO is Dead

The 2024 election wasn’t just a political turning point—it was a wake-up call for how dramatically the media landscape has shifted. With as many adults aged 30-49 reporting they got as much as their political news from social media as they did from news websites, it’s safe to say the old media playbook no longer applies. The traditional divide between paid advertising and earned media—the hallmark of the PESO (paid, earned, shared, owned) model—is dead. If you’re not pairing earned media with paid amplification to reach your audiences where they are, you’re missing the mark.

Meanwhile, news consumers are overwhelmed and suffering from information overload. Algorithms and AI curate their feeds, bombarding them with headlines, opinions, and fragmented pieces of information that typically confirm their own biases. By and large, people don’t seek out news anymore—the news finds them. And news isn’t disciplined, fact-checked reporting. It’s polarized, self-selected, and interest-driven.

Here’s what most agencies won’t tell you: earned media can hurt more than it helps. A positive story very rarely moves the needle, but a negative one? Things can spiral out of control before you even have time to measure the impact. True “message control” in earned media engagements—even with a perfect, curated message that tests really, really well—is an illusion.

The question isn’t where your story appears anymore—it’s how. Format beats outlet. Asking where your content will appear is the wrong question. The right question is: what format will resonate with the audience you want to reach? And what format is your CEO, leader, or principal prepared for? Most natural in? Willing to even try? Short formats demand discipline—every word matters. Long formats require relinquishing control, something that often doesn’t come naturally. In Mark Zuckerberg’s’ recent three-hour interview on the Joe Rogan Experience podcast, they discussed how media consumers are more and more hungry for long-form authenticity over short, controlled sound bites. In a sea of noise, depth and authenticity cut through. Real connection to your priority audience thrives in the space beyond the headlines.

What it Means

A Strategic Shift

Achieving a “win” in this new environment means flipping the script: define your objectives first, channels later. Forget the outdated push to “be everywhere.” That’s a stone age PR agency motto, not an effective strategy. Those who successfully break through use precision to reach the right people in the right places using what we know about them, with the necessary frequency to make it stick by repeating a clear, core message across any format you choose. And finding the right audience might require outside-the-box thinking, bold partnerships and new, surprising channels, messages, or platforms to reach audiences where they are today—which could be anywhere.

Coverage doesn’t equal influence. Landing a story in the paper of record might feel like a victory, but if it doesn’t deliver consistent messaging to the right audiences, it’s irrelevant. Influence comes from consistency. Say one thing, say it clearly, and repeat it everywhere that matters. And in this new media environment, the places that matter may not be where your company is accustomed to going.

It’s past time to retire blanket approaches to earned and paid media. Success comes from aligning media efforts with enterprise value—what will drive the business forward? Start and end there. That means rejecting the PR agency status quo: endless “message pillars,” scattershot campaigns, sentiment monitoring and coverage for coverage’s sake. In today’s world, a more focused, precise approach to earned—combined with a strategy to amplify it through paid across multiple channels—delivers more impactful results.

What to Do About it

Action Steps

• Think people, not channels. Stop asking, “What outlet has the largest readership?” Instead, ask, “Who are we trying to reach, and where are they?” Formats matter more than outlets. Target your audience like a political campaign targets swing voters—go where your people are. Do the original audience research to understand what they care about. And do the work to connect what you want to say to what they want to hear.
• Reframe your approach. Coverage for coverage’s sake is pointless, and risky. Focus on outcomes. Chasing big-name media hits may satisfy internal stakeholders, but it won’t drive long-term influence, unless you’re delivering a clear, consistent message—and repeating it until you’re blue in the face.
• Simplify your priorities. Less is more. You can and will have a myriad of business priorities, but each one cannot be the title of your organizations’ story. A chapter, a citation, sure, but know and lead with the title.
• Be bold and focus on the outcome. Most agencies will sell you more: more hits, more channels, more noise. They’re wrong. Hire experts to help you deliver targeted wins with a sharper focus—and amplify them with paid media to ensure your audience sees it and then sees it again.

Influence isn’t about being everywhere—it’s about being effective. Simplify your message, connect it to your audience expectations and repeat it relentlessly. Precision is power. And consistency is how you break through the noise.

The Purple team has helped some of the world’s most well-known brands develop communications strategies to drive influence. If you need support navigating this new media environment, contact us—we are here to help.

Straight to the Point

Last week at the J.P. Morgan Healthcare Conference in San Francisco, Purple Strategies partnered with Axios to host Healthcare in a New Washington. More than 150 senior healthcare leaders joined us for an exclusive conversation on how the industry can navigate trust gaps, public skepticism, and regulatory challenges under a new administration.

The evening featured powerful insights from Kristen Morgante, Managing Partner of Purple Strategies, who shared findings from our new report, Meet the Mindful Majority. Kristen outlined how healthcare companies can adapt to meet the expectations of today’s audiences by embracing trust, transparency, and authentic communication.

As noted during her remarks, gone are the days when “trust the science” was the whole message. Our research shows that in today’s environment, the sentiment triggers distrust, but the science remains essential:

“You need the science—the industry is predicated on it—but you need to balance that with the way people are receiving information and the way you’re communicating.”

The event underscored Purple Strategies’ position as the premier partner for healthcare companies navigating complex reputational and advocacy challenges.

What We See

Trust in healthcare is eroding. Public skepticism toward institutions like pharmaceutical companies and regulators has grown, fueled by concerns about transparency and perceived financial motivations:

“Trust is declining for government, for news organizations, and most notably after COVID, for the healthcare industry.”

This skepticism has given rise to what we call the Mindful Majority—a bipartisan coalition of Americans deeply concerned about issues like wellness, ingredient safety, and preventative care:

“This is not a fringe issue. It’s not red, it’s not blue, it’s not germane to a specific demographic. It defies all demographics.”

At the same time, the way people consume information has fundamentally shifted:

“People don’t want to be force-fed information. They want organic, curated information that they’re finding themselves.”

What It Means

The Mindful Majority is reshaping the healthcare landscape, and their influence is growing. Purple’s research reveals that Americans view the current healthcare system as reactive, focused more on treatment than on wellness. This sentiment demands a rethinking of how healthcare companies engage with the public.

Purple’s findings emphasize the importance of adapting communication strategies to meet these expectations:

“The phrase ‘trust the science’ invites skepticism. Informality lends itself to credibility.”

This shift requires healthcare leaders to balance the rigor of science with authenticity in their messaging. It’s no longer enough to rely on traditional communication channels—companies must embrace informal, transparent platforms to build credibility with today’s audiences.

What to do About It

To navigate these shifts successfully, healthcare leaders need a clear plan of action to address public skepticism, build trust, and communicate authentically. Here’s how:

1. Acknowledge the Trust Gap.

Rebuilding trust starts with recognizing the skepticism many feel toward the industry:

“Acknowledge the trust gap. Companies are going to have to communicate differently and identify credible sources that people will listen to.”

2. Adapt Messaging for Today’s Audience.

Polished, corporate messaging often falls flat with today’s consumers. Recognize the value of informal communication:

“Communicating informally—like on podcasts with self-styled experts—is resonating. More people are seeking that style of information out.”

3. Define Yourself Before Others Do.

The importance of being proactive in shaping your organization’s identity is a lesson drawn from Purple’s political roots:

“One of the hallmarks of political campaigns is define yourself before you’re defined. Be proactive, identify where your weak spots are, and scenario plan for where there may be targets or opportunities.”

Discover More

For a deeper dive into the Purple insights Kristen shared during the event, download our latest report, Meet the Mindful Majority. This report explores how healthcare companies can adapt to the expectations of a changing audience and build lasting trust.

[Click here to download the report]

Stay tuned for more insights from Purple Strategies as we continue to guide healthcare leaders through this rapidly evolving landscape.

For more content like this, subscribe to the Purple Point newsletter here.

By: Tara Andersen

Straight to the Point

• WHAT WE SEE: Over the last several years, we have observed an uptick in labor-related challenges — including contentious negotiations, strikes, and organizing elections. Businesses, especially those with large, unionized workforces and vulnerable reputations, have faced increased public pressure and employee activism.
• WHAT IT MEANS: Companies are operating in a new labor environment. Those in high-visibility, complex or highly regulated industries no longer have the luxury of focusing on one issue or topic at a time. Issues are interconnected and the impacts in one area can have spillover effects in many others.
• WHAT TO DO ABOUT IT: Companies must re-evaluate how to approach issues related to organized labor or their workforce. It is important to consider labor wholistically alongside broader issues management and reputation goals.

What We See

After the dramatic, last-minute defeat of President Biden’s renomination of National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) Chair Lauren McFerran in the Senate in December, businesses across the country are perhaps breathing a small sigh of relief. Depending on who President-elect Donald Trump chooses for two open NLRB board seats, the balance of power on the board seems likely to shift away from the decidedly pro-labor approach of the Biden Administration.

But this win for business interests should not be viewed as a bellwether in how union organizing and prominent labor negotiations will proceed during the Trump Administration.

Over the last several years, with some trends starting even prior to the election of President Joe Biden, we have observed an uptick in contentious negotiations, strikes, and organizing elections. Businesses, especially those with large, unionized workforces or vulnerable reputations, have faced increased public pressure and employee activism.

Several factors lead us to believe this labor-related reputation pressure will continue.

• The presidential wildcard. With around 45 percent of union households voting for him, Trump either feels he owes something to organized labor in his new term or believes there is a continued opportunity in to play nice with certain union leaders. Early examples of this dynamic include Trump’s nomination of the Teamster-backed, labor friendly Republican Lori Chavez-DeRemer for Secretary of Labor and his mid-December Truth Social post supporting the East Coast longshoremen over “foreign companies” in the stalled port negotiations.
• Strange political bedfellows. Republicans are no longer reliable allies for corporate America. The same America First populism that strengthened Donald Trump’s victory and that has created strange bedfellows between unions and Republicans like Senators Josh Hawley Marco Rubio and Vice President-elect J.D. Vance on worker issues will continue to make it difficult for companies to count on public support from the right in negotiations and organizing fights.
• Unions are looking for wins. Despite a doubling in union election petitions under President Biden, union membership rates keep falling. Union leaders are looking to reverse this trend and prove their value to members. With public opinion behind them and massive war chests at their disposal, unions – and their allies – will continue to make their case directly to the American people. Savvy union leaders understand what they need to do to drive media coverage, social media attention, and policymaker conversation.
• Left-ward drift by many unions. The labor activist left is seeking wins far beyond the most recent organizing campaign or the bargaining table, making no secret of their desire to remake the American left through union organizing. This loosely affiliated network of individuals and organizations is well-funded with allies across progressive politics who they regularly tap to increase attention and pressure.

What It Means

Corporate reputation and labor relations are intricately linked, with unions applying corporate campaign tactics to other contexts, such as negotiations. As one labor expert observed in a post-election New York Times article, “Unions are very good at destroying reputation.”

Companies in high visibility, complex or highly regulated industries no longer have the luxury of focusing on one issue or topic at a time. Issues are now becoming increasingly interconnected and the impacts in one area can have spillover effects in many others. Companies can’t wait until a negotiation round has kicked off to prepare a communications strategy. Once an organizing effort is underway, it’s often too late to mount an effective reputation defense.

Even if labor policy improves under Trump, companies will still be operating in a new labor environment. One where union bosses are emboldened, the economic fundamentals still give workers leverage, union members aren’t afraid to break with leaders they consider ineffective, and the public largely sees value in and sides with organized labor.

What to do About It

Given these shifts in the labor environment, companies must re-evaluate how to approach issues related to organized labor or their workforce. Depending on the situation, “tried-and-true” tactics and messaging are no longer reliable.

Don’t view labor negotiations as something that happens every four or five years or assume the next organizing effort will fail because the last one did. Instead, consider labor wholistically alongside broader issues management and reputation goals.

To get ahead of future reputation challenges stemming from labor, corporate leaders should:

• Apply a data-driven approach. Know your strengths and weaknesses and use political-style research to understand your key audiences’ beliefs.
• Proactively shape and share your workforce story. Don’t assume that people know how well you pay, the types of benefits you offer, or that the majority of your employees love working for you. And don’t assume others will tell your story for you. The sooner you share a compelling story and educate key audiences with simple, understandable messages, the better.
• Be prepared to run a strong defense, especially in areas where safety, quality and workforce intersect. Unions have become smarter about their messaging. They know that topics such as work-life balance and working conditions can generate more sustained sympathy and support from the public and policymakers. If you are vulnerable in these areas, prepare for attacks.
• Deploy smarter, not necessarily louder, communications.Persuasive messages should be matched to and tailored for key audiences. Discrete deployment of messages and content allows you to reach audiences directly and consistently while reducing the friction that might come from highly visible efforts.

The Purple team has helped some of the world’s most well-known brands manage their reputation through high-profile labor and employee challenges. If you need support in this area, contact us — we are here to help.

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Purple has welcomed veteran reputation, research and insights executive Jeremy Ruch to the firm as a managing director. With more than two decades of experience, Jeremy has guided clients through critical challenges and strengthened connections with stakeholders who matter most, including customers, investors, employees and policymakers.

“In an era marked by rapid transformation and complexity, Jeremy’s deep understanding of global dynamics and ability to turn insights into actionable strategies align with our commitment to help clients build enterprise value through reputation,” said Steve McMahon, Purple co-founder and CEO. “His leadership and perspective will be a tremendous asset to Purple.”

Jeremy has worked with some of the world’s largest companies across industries such as energy, healthcare, tech, retail, media and financial services. Based first in Washington, D.C., and now London, he has supported clients across the U.S., Europe, the Middle East and Africa from the warehouse to the boardroom and from the depths of crisis to the heights of an IPO. Previously, Jeremy was a partner at Brunswick Group, a senior director at FTI Consulting, and a pollster for political, public affairs and corporate clients at Public Opinion Strategies.

He holds degrees in International Relations from the University of Delaware and in Political Management from The George Washington University.

“It’s a real privilege to join a firm that I’ve admired for a long time for its uniquely confident and ambitious approach,” Jeremy said. “From regulatory shifts to geopolitical upheaval to AI, executive teams and boards are confronting an extraordinary volume of change. Bringing in the outside world to validate and pressure-test ideas and decisions is critical, and I’m so glad to be part of this team.”

By: Chris Durlak

Straight to the Point

WHAT WE SEE: As the Trump administration takes office in January, companies may be presented with unpredictable corporate reputational risks at a moment’s notice. For an example, just look at McDonald’s. On the campaign trail, McDonald’s was thrust into the spotlight when then-candidate Donald Trump worked a “shift” at a Pennsylvania location. What could have been a divisive company moment turned into a win with nine simple words: “We are not red or blue — we are golden.”

WHAT IT MEANS: Moments like the one McDonald’s faced are going to come up again. When handled correctly, they serve as opportunities for brands to assert their values and turn risky situations into reputational wins.

WHAT TO DO: Articulate your company’s values, remain true to them even when no crisis appears on the horizon, and stay ready to articulate and defend them if an issue arises. Companies that are prepared to do so are best positioned to protect both reputation and enterprise value.

WHAT WE SEE:

As with all incoming Presidential administrations, a second Trump term signals a time for uncertainty for companies and corporate leaders across industries. As we saw throughout President Trump’s first term in office, companies may be presented with unpredictable corporate reputational risks at a moment’s notice. We’ve already seen examples of this happening in the lead up to the election.

In October 2024, when then-candidate Donald Trump worked a “shift” at a Pennsylvania McDonald’s, the company was thrust into the spotlight. Its response became a masterclass in corporate reputation management. Trump’s 20-minute appearance at a closed store prompted the fast-food giant to issue a statement to its 1.7M+ employees, affirming that the company does not endorse political candidates, saying: “We are not red or blue — we are golden.”

Speaking apolitically, this internal statement — which was also shared with the media — served as a strong response to a potentially vulnerable situation for McDonald’s reputation. In just nine words, the multibillion-dollar company demonstrated how strategic messaging can transcend political division while reinforcing core brand equity. This approach provides a framework for companies facing similar challenges in today’s polarized environment.

What’s more, companies today face increasing pressure from the media/social media complex to pick a side. Whether it’s a news outlet or an influencer, the message is often the same: “Our side is better for you,” or worse, “We won’t attack you if you align with us.” This is almost never the case. The reality is that taking sides often alienates large segments of stakeholders and erodes trust, making neutrality, authenticity, and value-driven messaging even more critical in these moments.

As we enter a second Trump presidency and a new era in Washington, companies across sectors may be faced with challenges sparked by political debates — debates that could negatively impact their brands.

WHAT IT MEANS:

Even when they try to avoid them, companies can find themselves at the center of politically divisive moments. The recently shifting landscape of Corporate DEI programs, which we discussed in a September issue of this newsletter, is an example of this. While the advocacy efforts and public criticism from influencer Robby Starbuck didn’t fully represent the corporate world’s DEI problem, he was able to throw gasoline on it.

In this highly politicized environment, companies must remain vigilant and ready to act. The upcoming Trump presidency is likely to present surprise moments, like the one McDonald’s experienced on the campaign trail. While these moments can serve as moments of corporate and brand risk, when handled correctly, they can also be opportunities for brands to prove who they really are and walk away with a reputational win.

There’s no one-size-fits-all solution for these situations. A few years ago, corporate purpose projects were all the rage, but the good ones are the ones that make deciding what to do in these moments pretty easy. For example, some companies take a firm stance that if an issue doesn’t directly relate to their business, they won’t get involved or respond. Yet, these same companies often share purpose statements about “changing humanity” or solving global challenges, which creates misalignment and confusion. Purpose, when authentic and actionable, should guide companies in these moments, ensuring their response aligns with what they stand for and how they operate.

WHAT TO DO ABOUT IT:

McDonald’s response was effective because it reinforced that its brand’s true value lies in the authentic connections it builds with customers across the country and world. The company used the moment to point to its corporate mission to make “delicious, feel-good moments easy for everyone.”

To navigate other unexpected politically sparked moments, corporate leaders should:

• Keep their eyes open for unexpected opportunities and map out potential issues in advance. The speed of social media means brands need to actively monitor what’s happening in real time while also preparing for a host of predictable issues that may arise. Develop internal guidelines and proactively map out scenarios most likely to impact your business. For each, have response plans and key messages ready to go, ensuring your communications team can move quickly and confidently when needed.
• Make sure the plan isn’t just about mitigating a problem but amplifying a win. When crafting a response to a politically charged or reputationally vulnerable moment, the goal shouldn’t just be damage control. It should be about seizing an opportunity to reinforce and elevate your brand’s core strengths. Mitigation ensures you neutralize immediate risks, but amplification can create lasting positive impressions with consumers.
• Know your company values and share them widely to be in the best position to succeed. The most effective defense against political polarization is to consistently and authentically deliver on your fundamental promise to customers. When controversy strikes, redirect attention to what makes your brand unique, and what you do best.

Being prepared may be the most powerful stance a brand can take as they navigate the challenges ahead in the next few years.

If your company is determining the best way to navigate reputational challenges like the one McDonald’s faced, we are here to help. Don’t hesitate to reach out to see how we can support you.

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