Why every CEO needs a stump speech

Ryan Farrell is a senior leader in brand and reputation strategy at Purple, guiding organizations and executive teams through corporate repositioning, narrative development, and high-stakes, multi-stakeholder communications.

Straight to the Point

• What we see: A new Purple Pulse poll finds CEOs are perceived to be out of step with the values and concerns of ordinary Americans.
• What it means: The real issue is not that business leaders are unpopular, it’s that they are unknown.
• What to do: CEOs need to introduce themselves to the American people, and the best model for how to do that isn’t from business school or the boardroom—it’s from the campaign trail.

What we see

Americans believe corporate leaders are out of touch. That’s the finding from a new Purple Pulse poll of the US Informed Public, in which 76% of respondents said CEOs are out of touch with their values and concerns. The sentiment is broadly bipartisan—82% of Democrats and 71% of Republicans agree—and cross-generational, with 75% of Gen Z holding the same view as 71% of Boomers.

This finding is consistent with broader cultural trends. We live in an era shaped by the rise of anti-establishment forces, the collapse of faith in institutions, and “the powerful” being treated with suspicion rather than reverence.

Hearing this data, it would be natural for executives to consider pulling back on public appearances, either to avoid scrutiny, or because audiences don’t seem interested in hearing from the C-Suite. Our poll suggests the opposite. When executives go silent, skepticism doesn’t dissipate, it hardens.

What it means

This last finding points to the root cause of the problem: It’s not that CEOs are unpopular. It’s that they’re unknown. Aside from a few outliers, most CEOs of large corporations built their careers by letting results speak for themselves, and they’d rather keep the spotlight on the company than the corner office. That’s admirable, but in today’s environment, it leaves a vacuum that their critics are happy to fill.

Furthermore, Americans tend to trust who they know personally, even when they distrust the institution that person represents. We dislike Congress but are content with our own Representative. We’re frustrated with “Big Business” but like our employer. The medical system feels broken, but we want to keep our doctor.

The action item is clear: CEOs need to reintroduce themselves to the American people. The best model for how to do that isn’t from business school or the boardroom—it’s from the campaign trail.

[Read more: When Corporate Affairs Thinks Like Campaigns]

What to do

Running for office involves more than giving speeches. Candidates think in terms of coalitions and understanding what different groups of voters need and how to speak to each of them. They develop a clear point of view, then use polling and research to sharpen how they communicate it. They build a case, not just a message. CEOs operating in today’s environment need to do the same.

The most visible expression of that case is the stump speech. Every campaign builds one—not as a prepared script, but as the candidate’s most fully realized argument for themselves. Before making a single policy case, candidates tell voters who they are: their origin story, their values, their vision. CEOs can’t run campaign ads, but they can apply the same logic. Unlike prepared corporate remarks or a talking-points memo, a stump speech is built around the person delivering it. Its core elements translate directly to executive communications:

• The origin story: Where you came from, what shaped you, and why you got into this business.
• The problem statement: What’s broken or at stake and how it connects to the audience’s lives.
• The values: What you believe and how you see the world.
• The vision: Where we’re going, why it will be better, and what it means for the audience.
• The call to action: What needs to be done and the role the audience can play.
• The through line: The core idea that ties your entire argument together.

The goal here isn’t to sound more like a politician. It’s to sound less like a corporate spokesperson. CEOs don’t need to be someone different when they give a talk or join a panel. They just need to be the same leader on stage as they are inside their company every day.

Need help telling your story? Let’s talk.

The Purple Pulse is Purple Strategies’ proprietary survey of the U.S. Informed Public — nationally representative adults who regularly follow news and public affairs — designed to track how opinion is shifting on the issues that matter most to companies and organizations. This wave was conducted April 24–26, 2026 among 1,000 U.S. adults (margin of error ±3.1%).