But, I feel as if I have no choice…

As you all know, regardless of your political leanings, the immigration crackdown pushed by the US administration has created innumerable tragedies. Most notably, Renee Good and Alex Pretti were shot & killed by the Immigration & Customs Enforcement agency, referred to as ICE.

I will let you know EXACTLY where I stand on this issue - I BELIEVE THESE TWO PEOPLE WERE MURDERED BY ICE AGENTS.

There are millions of people who think differently & that I am some kind of woke leftist who values chaos, is unpatriotic, and other stuff.

You know what?

I am really liberal. After all, I live in Massachusetts, I listen to NPR, I am an atheist, I believe in the dignity of the individual, and the individual responsibility to care for others. I am pro-choice, pro-LGBTQIA+ rights, pro-DEI & believe that climate change is real, that wealth inequality is a moral crisis, that individual liberties & collective responsibilities are completely compatible, that systemic racism, misogyny, tribalism, nationalism & prejudice has diminished the progress that we can make as a species. (Check my Instagram story on any particular day - it is full of left-leaning stuff, a huge number of dad jokes & some posts about baseball) My political learnings are in the Bernie Sanders/ Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez neighborhood. If that fact makes you not want to work with me…OK…as I mentioned…

Lots of businesses are afraid to articulate where they stand on sensitive issues for two reasons:

Fear of market reverberations is a bullshit reason. Fear of not being representative of your team is a slightly less bullshit reason, but a bullshit reason nonetheless…

Let me explain why:

After the most recent shooting, there was an avalanche of emotions, hot takes, false claims about the victim, Alex Pretti, the events that unfolded, and there was real & true unrest in Minneapolis, as well as demonstrations across the country.

The night of the shooting, at the White House, there was a screening of Melania, the documentary of the 20 days before President Trump’s last inauguration through the First Lady’s experience.

This documentary (and the $40mm Amazon Films paid for it) has been widely criticized as part egotistical vanity project & part bribe. The fees paid by Amazon have been characterized as payment for special treatment of Amazon by the administration.

But that night, in the wake of an unnecessary national tragedy caused by a wicked concoction of racism, nationalism & political retribution put into motion by the president & those who create his agenda, corporate leaders celebrated their fealty to the president in direct opposition to their stated values.

Among the attendees:

I think that ALL of these companies are extraordinary. These leaders are extraordinary. But they are disappointing. (I told them so on Twitter/X). Regardless of my disappointment with them as people whom I had some respect for (maybe not Jassy, I don’t have any real opinion of him, tbh), I was disappointed that they don’t really espouse the values that they put their names & corporate brands behind.

Their appearance, I think, may be somewhat situational. A less mercurial president may have had tolerance for these leaders backing away from an event after such a polarizing incident. But the current president, if nothing else, is easily offended and enjoys payback. These leaders may have felt obligated to attend in order to keep their companies out of the president’s firing line, but in doing so, their company values became hollow.

We’ve talked about Vibes, Vision & Values so many times in this newsletter that it must be tiresome by now. (But in case you are new to these parts, this link & this one are good starting points.)

The whole deal with VVV is that it creates intimacy with the people exploring your brand. It helps them identify themselves in what you do. It helps your audience become your market.

Using VVV as a way to create affinity and connection is based in authenticity. The power of this approach (and throughout the entire WTF Sales philosophy) is depth of understanding and empathy.

In a world where marketers lie, politicians act selfishly & AI makes us question our very senses, authenticity and alignment are true differentiators. It is the connection brought about by feeling seen and understood and the magic of working towards something together which creates a whole that is greater than the sum of its parts.

But Tim Cook, Andy Jassy & Eric Yuan tossed away the values that they corporately hold most dear and publicly proclaim. They have forfeited their authenticity, their alignment and their integrity.

I am most disappointed in Apple. It has been and is an extraordinary story. From their iconoclastic explosion into the mainstream with their 1984-inspired ad announcing the Macintosh to their inspiring Think Different campaign to their Privacy is a Fundamental Human Right stance, Apple has always portrayed itself as a company that stands up for what it believes.

If any of these leaders had really reflected on their Vibes, Vision & Value/s, they never would have been at the White House honoring an administration that didn’t show, at very least during that day, “serve the public good” (Apple), “broad responsibility” (Amazon), or “care” (Zoom).

Creating visibility and vitality in the market is hard work. It takes time, effort & insight. Your VVV is positioning, demand generation and proof of your quality as an agency all at the same time.

VVV is your reputation. It’s your super-power. It’s your differentiator.

Don’t waste it by making the Value/s performative, because your Vibe & Vision will never be attractive enough to overcome the trust deficit (see Trustables & Permission Gates for more on trust deficits).

I’ve intentionally run this issue without ads or any product links because I think that defining and honoring your VVV is so important that I didn’t want to take a chance on losing you…
If anyone you know might find this line of thought compelling, please invite them to subscribe.