Elections, brands and the shrinking sidelines: What communicators need to consider
In 2024, the world experienced the biggest election year in history. Two years on, elections are once again creating a challenging environment for global communicators.
Brazil votes in its general election in October, followed by the US midterms in November. And Spain’s decision to call a snap election for 29 November is a timely reminder that political context can change almost overnight. We asked partners across the Brands2Life Global Network what communicators should consider as political temperatures rise.
Brazil: Context can make any campaign political
Patricia Zylberman, Managing Director at Sherlock Comms, warns that during election periods in Latin America, even apparently harmless campaigns can acquire political meaning. Take Brazilian brand Havaianas. In December 2025, a New Year campaign featuring actress Fernanda Torres encouraged people not to start 2026 with the “right foot”, but with “both feet” – a play on a familiar expression intended to encourage action over luck.
In Brazil’s polarised political environment, some interpreted “right foot” as a reference to the political right, prompting criticism and calls for a boycott.
The lesson? Context matters. Language, colours, cultural references, spokespeople and timing can all affect how a campaign is perceived. Brands should keep messaging grounded in their business and customers, while reviewing campaigns through a genuinely local lens. What seems neutral in one market may carry very different associations in another.
US: The sidelines aren’t safe anymore
In 2024, Brands2Life US advised brands to avoid entering the political fray unnecessarily. Rich Gallagher, Deputy MD, Brands2Life US, says that has become much harder. B2B technology companies are increasingly part of political conversations whether they choose to participate or not. Executive political donations and government contracts are public information, while issues once considered largely technical or commercial are becoming politically charged.
Data centres are a prime example. AI regulation, prediction markets, chip imports and “alien of extraordinary ability” visas are among other issues moving into the political debate. Simply staying silent therefore offers less protection than it once did. Preparation matters: brief spokespeople on issues touching the business, review content calendars and paid placements around Election Day, and ensure social listening can identify emerging issues early.
Spain: The political context can change overnight
Spain’s snap election demonstrates another challenge for global brands: political circumstances can change almost overnight, forcing communicators to rethink both their messaging and their plans.
As Kit Greenop, Managing Director Healthcare at RPP, explains, housing and the cost of living have become defining election issues, particularly for younger Spaniards concerned about financial independence.
For brands, the challenge is to engage authentically without being drawn into partisan debates. Kit advises finding common ground beyond party-political positions and focusing on tangible, local connections with customers rather than sweeping national messages. Brands perceived as contributing to, or exacerbating, problems such as housing affordability could face particular scrutiny.
Meanwhile, Deborah Gray, founder and CEO of Canela highlights the immediate operational impact. With a general strike planned for 11 November and polling day falling just two days after Black Friday, planned press and influencer trips are already being disrupted.
Her advice is to scrutinise creative for unintended political associations, particularly given Spain’s regional identities, and reconsider the timing of launches and campaigns around polling day and the potentially prolonged coalition negotiations that follow.
Keep calm, but don’t carry on as usual
Across three very different markets, one principle stands out: neutrality is no longer entirely in a brand’s control. It is judged by the audience, not the author, and even silence can be interpreted as a position.
Brands need to ground communications in what they do and the people they serve, while looking at campaigns through the eyes of each local market. They also need the listening, moderation and spokesperson preparation to respond quickly and calmly if something lands differently from how it was intended.
The fundamentals from 2024 still apply. What has changed is how little it can take – and how quickly it can happen – for a brand to find itself in the middle of the political conversation.
