Is it risky business for brands to weigh in on politics?

In today’s divided society, the old adage of never talking religion or politics in polite company no longer seems to apply. As the two tribes go to war at this week’s midterms, the question of whether brands have a responsibility to use their political voice arises. In this show-us-the-receipts era, do brands that choose not to engage in politics risk irrelevancy for the modern consumer, particularly the millennial for whom equity and social justice are baked into their every spending dollar and upon whom brands have placed such focus? If authenticity is so important, shouldn’t a brand’s values be worn proudly?