At a time when big brands increasingly seem to be sitting on the political sidelines, new research indicates the currently polarized election environment represents an opportunity, not a liability for brand marketers to step up and provide a unifying role.

"The nation feels divided," says Greg Andersen, CEO of independent agency Bailey Lauerman, which fielded a survey of 2,000 American voters, which found they're actually looking to brands to be a unifying force, connecting -- or reconnecting -- Americans around our nation's core values.

Importantly, Bailey Lauerman is an Omaha, NE-based agency touting itself as being focused on "everything in-between," which in this case, means between the coasts. You know, the heartland.

"Brands are uniquely positioned to focus on the values that connect us all," Andersen says, citing attributes like freedom, love for our country, hard work, and tolerance.

Actually, those were the top four of 18 core values the agency tested in its voter study, which also found that 90% of Americans want more unity and that brands have an important role to play in communicating that.

"We can’t think of a more important purpose for brands in the foreseeable future than being a unifying force in America," Andersen notes.

That said, Bailey Lauerman's research found nearly half (49%) of Americans -- especially Millennials and Gen Zers -- believe brands can heal political divisions by focusing on shared American values and creating unifying experiences.

The agency even provided a great example of exactly how brands can execute that, citing Left Coast agency Wieden & Kennedy's 2014 "Together is Beautiful" Super Bowl spot for Coca-Cola (see below).

I recommend we all play -- if not sing a chorus -- daily through the next two weeks.