If You Are Your Brand, Can Your Posts Place it in Peril?
If you are your brand, can you still exercise your
right to freedom of speech? Sounds like a no-brainer, right? But what happens in the real world? Ask
Marianne Williamson, world-famous author of Return
to Love. She recently posted her opinion about the war in Iraq on facebook
saying in part “…the War in Iraq, a war that was one of the worst military and moral
disasters in the history of the United States” and “For our recklessness, our
failure as citizens to deeply question and protest what was occurring, and our
transgression against not only our own troops but also the people of Iraq, we
atone and pray for forgiveness on this day.” As of this writing, Marianne got
2781 “Likes” on the post, but others were clearly upset by it. One reader wrote:
"Sorry Marianne, but I must share this with you. I really enjoy the work
that you do spiritually, but I find your interjections of your personal views
regarding political issues very offensive. Stick to what you know and do
best...” Another said, “Marianne, if you believe this, talk about it. But, it has nothing to do
with A Course in Miracles and, it
makes me doubt your understanding of A
Course in Miracles”. Yet another said, “You’d
better stick to your ephemeral, spiritual stuff and leave politics on its own.”
Even though followers might expect Williamson to hold such an opinion, and many,
in fact, posted their support, some of them clearly didn’t want political
rhetoric coming from their spiritual mentor.
So what’s going on here? Is this just a case of, as the late Senator Robert
Kennedy said, “No matter what you do or say at least 25% of people will
disagree with you?” Or is there more to
it? During the months before the recent presidential election many facebook users
revealed their political points of view. I read many posts that said something
like, “By the time Election Day gets here, I will have far fewer facebook friends.”
That poses all kinds of interesting questions: Can we stay friends with someone
whose political opinion drastically differs from our own? Can we, in fact, love
someone whose opinion on deep moral/political issues differs from our own? If
we choose to stay in relationship, have we, however, in our heart of hearts, lost
a measure of respect which would have stayed intact had we remained unaware of
their opinion? Those pre-election facebook posts were the opinions of private
citizens. As Americans we are blessedly unafraid
to state our opinions on a public forum. But what if you are an entrepreneur
and your brand is, well, you?For someone like Williamson, whose brand is all about honoring the divinity within ourselves and others, teaching the human spirit to grow, and serving as a guide on “the journey from anxiety to inner peace,” political commentary was most unwelcome by some of her followers. Some went as far as to say they, “lost all respect for” her. If Williamson were to lose 25% of her following, her loyal customers who purchase her books, audio items and videos, attend her public appearances, and recommend her work to others that would be a major loss of revenue.
Of course, Williamson responded with the grace and eloquence she is so well-known for. Still, her political post placed her brand in peril.
