Anthony Constantino got a lot of responses after he sent a mass email to his custom printing company's customers with the subject line "Trump 2024."
Some recipients applauded the Sticker Mule co-founder's message, which called for a stop to "insane political hate" toward former president Donald Trump and his supporters, after an attempted assassination of Trump on July 13. Others responded with intense distaste, especially once the memo went viral on social media.
Prior to Constantino's email, which Sticker Mule also published on social media, the Amsterdam, New York-based company wasn't particularly known for its political stances. Now, its post on X alone has at least 10.3 million views.
The virality raises a question among leadership experts: During politically fraught moments, do bosses have a responsibility to issue public statements? If you want to maximize your impact, keep your messaging within your company, says Steven Collis, a productive discourse expert and author of the upcoming book, "Habits of a Peacemaker: 10 Habits to Change Our Potentially Toxic Conversations into Healthy Dialogues."
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"You really need to assess how much good do statements like this really do. Do they actually persuade the public on something?" Collis, who teaches at The University of Texas at Austin School of Law, tells CNBC Make It. "The more important question is, could you do something else more valuable that gets less public recognition, but addresses this issue that you're worried about?"
'We are happy to take some heat'
Emotions ran high on July 13. For Constantino, who co-founded the custom printing services company in 2010, supporting the 45th U.S. president was imperative.
"I don't care what your political views are but the hate for Trump and his supporters has gone too far," Constantino wrote. "I support Trump. Many at Sticker Mule do. Many at Sticker Mule also support Biden. The political hate needs to stop."
"Btw, this week, get 1 shirt for $4 (normally $19). I suggest buying one that shows you support Trump," he added in his email, which a recipient screenshotted and posted to Reddit. Those two sentences appear to have been removed from the version Sticker Mule posted to social media.
The memo prompted more than 30,000 comments across social media platforms, and hundreds of reaction videos on TikTok. "You have my business for life," one Instagram user wrote. "Bye Sticker Mule! Seeking a new sticker supplier as we speak. SMH," commented another.
Some people sent death threats to the company's customer support team, Constantino tells CNBC Make It. The company "took swift action by issuing a $2500 bonus to all 79 people on our support team to thank them for dealing with the bulls---," he says.
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Constantino stands by his original email, he notes.
"Sticker Mule has an incredible reputation as a generous, caring brand and we are happy to take some heat to educate the world that the extreme hatred directed at Trump and his supporters is wrong," he says, adding: "We are doing the right thing to make the world happier ... Sticker Mule wants max happiness for everyone."
Do's and don'ts for public statements
Sticker Mule joins a growing number of companies that have waded into culture and political wars over the past decade, from controversial commercial ads to race relations campaigns.
Even Disney found itself weighing in, with then-CEO Bob Chapek publicly opposing Florida's "Don't Say Gay" law in 2022. The trend shows just how much pressure many CEOs feel to speak out, especially when pressed by employees or customers to do so.
Collis has a few do's and don'ts for bosses facing these kinds of situations, he says:
- Do a thorough benefits and costs assessment before sending out commentary
- Don't make hasty public statements without considering ethical implications, including potential legal liabilities and impact on work culture
- Do consider alternative actions, like implementing an employee resource group or donating to a cause you feel passionately about
- Don't release public commentary just to make yourself look good
"Much of [Sticker Mule's] communication was focused on the idea of our political rhetoric just being too hateful," Collis says. This approach is, ironically, unlikely to persuade most people to change their tone, and can "cause more harm than good," he says.
"Instead of issuing a public statement, perhaps promote roundtable discussions or bring someone in to do training [on] productive discourse," adds Collis.
If you really have to make a public statement, study JPMorgan Chase CEO Jamie Dimon, Collis says: Dimon sent a staff memo on Sunday urging his employees to engage in "constructive dialogue" following the assassination attempt, without noting his personal feelings on the matter.
"On behalf of our entire leadership team, our thoughts today are with the former President, his family and the families of those who were tragically injured and killed," Dimon wrote. "We must all stand firmly together against any acts of hate, intimidation or violence."
"That's a much better practice," Collis says. "He's not taking a strong stance on a particular issue ... The benefits of [this message] are much better than issuing a really strong opinion about a current hot topic on which we all have strong opinions."
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