• by Joe Mandese  @mp_joemandese, August 28, 2019

More than a quarter of top marketers now feel it is appropriate for their brands to take a stance on politically-charged issues, according to the most recent in a series of twice annual surveys conducted by Duke University's Fuqua School of Business.

Currently, 26.5% of marketers responding to The CMO Survey say it political issues are appropriate for their brands vs. just 17.4% when it began tracking the subject in February 2018.

“This openness likely reflects the fact that marketers realize their customers want the companies they support to be good citizens of the world — making profits is just part of that,” explains Christine Moorman, a Fuqua professor and director of The CMO Survey, adding, “Although recent examples with Nike and Colin Kaepernick point to some backlash, overall, getting involved in social debates — if done authentically and if connected to the business that the company is in — appears to be well-received in the marketplace.”

The study also found that consumer service and product brands are more likely to take political positions vs. B2B brands.