Time and time again, it’s been proven that when companies take political stances or speak out about polarizing social issues, it generally backfires. These brands end up alienating a decent percentage of their audiences, which leads to notable declines in sales.
On top of that, it’s just not necessary for companies without political brands to wade into controversy of this nature. Unfortunately, these businesses are still choosing to go the route of taking stances on issues when they don’t have to.
According to the Tampa Free Press, the latest brand to come under fire for this is Jack Daniels.
What Happened?
Many Americans were not very pleased when they found out that Jack Daniels partnered with drag queens from the TV series RuPaul’s Drag Race. Although this partnership goes back to 2021, it’s still making headlines.
Many customers of Jack Daniels have called for boycotting this brand, in a similar twist to what happened with Bud Light.
WTF… Jack Daniels too? Do brands just not understand what their target audience is? pic.twitter.com/SqOHfvLY1Z
— Tim Young (@TimRunsHisMouth) April 6, 2023
This issue is especially sensitive since a transgender mass shooter recently took the lives of six people at a Christian school based in Nashville. Critics say that Jack Daniels has become too woke and failed to read the room of what its audience wants.
Can Jack Daniels Recover?
It’s going to take some time before the worst of this PR nightmare passes. In the meantime, though, it remains to be seen if Jack Daniels will be able to bounce back from this latest scandal.
This Person is Brand Ambassador for JACK DANIELS Canada! 🇨🇦🥃 pic.twitter.com/VdIvTC9tMm
— Oli London (@OliLondonTV) April 8, 2023
Currently, there are many questions circulating about what caused Jack Daniels to partner up with drag queens. Likewise, a decent amount of Americans don’t want to see this when they’re going to buy alcohol.
As Jack Daniels joins Bud Light in taking backlash over wading into political and social issues, time will tell if other brands choose to steer clear of controversy going forward.
This article appeared in The Conservative Brief and has been published here with permission.
