How brands guard against social-media crossfire

Regardless of election cycles, gun control remains one of the most widely debated topics, not just among politicians but also among consumers, whose heated arguments over the Second Amendment often spill over into social media and occasionally ensnare brands in debates they would rather avoid. For instance, in May former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s gun control group, Everytown for Gun Safety, asked Chipotle Mexican Grill to ban firearms after open-carry activists held a meeting in a Texas Chipotle location, automatic rifles in tow. Similarly, Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America began circulating a petition after representatives of Open Carry Texas, a nonprofit organization dedicated to the legal carry of firearms, held an “armed trip” at another location in Dallas. Following these events, Denver-based Chipotle asked guests to no longer bring guns inside the restaurants, a policy they still stand behind. After Chipotle’s announcement the brand’s Facebook page erupted with opinionated comments from both sides of the debate. Pro-gun user comments included, “Lost my business, have fun getting robbed,” and, “Never had my business and now they never will.” Supporters, however, also chimed in, exclaiming, “Thanks Chipotle, now I have one more reason to visit your restaurant!” or using the #BurritosNotBullets hashtag on Chipotle’s Facebook and Twitter profiles. When a public forum becomes a place for either praising or shaming brands, PR executive Linda Duke, chief executive of Duke Marketing, believes that companies should stay away from voicing a specific opinion and prolonging debate. “Things that are polarizing — such as political issues, gun control or even pets on the patio that aren’t service dogs — are simply better for restaurateurs and franchisors to avoid,” Duke said. “Unless your brand is about zigging when other brands zag, it’s best to stay away from anything concerning politics, religion or making a stand against laws. It is better to find positive subjects to tout on Facebook than divide your followers or guests with subjects not about the brand.” More brands have also been under fire and dragged into the national gun debate, including Target and Starbucks, and deflected a prolonged controversy with one corporate statement and then no further engagement with people trying to start political arguments in the comments section of their Facebook posts. After a heated debate on the Target Facebook page, the chain took a stance on the issue and “respectfully requested” no guns be brought into the store. In a message on Target’s private news site, A Bullseye View, Target interim president John Mulligan addressed the issue. “As you’ve likely seen in the media, there has been a debate about whether guests in communities that permit ‘open carry’ should be allowed to bring firearms into Target stores,” he said. “Our approach has always been to follow local laws, and of course, we will continue to do so. But starting today we will also respectfully request that guests not bring firearms to Target – even in communities where it is permitted by law.” Social media comments following the announcement included, “Thank you for taking a stand against guns!!!! We need more companies like yours.” But detractors also posted, “I'll never shop in Target again until you WELCOME lawful carry. First you can't protect my financial information, now you want to stop me from protecting myself? Shame on you.” Corporate representatives from other brands such as Chili’s Grill & Bar, Sonic Drive-In and Panera have voiced their opinions on gun control, asking guests to refrain from carrying firearms into restaurants.  Many more comments followed suit on Facebook and Twitter pages. But while those businesses apparently lost some followers based on their no-guns policies, they don’t seem to have lost significant traffic to their stores. The brands’ sales trends continued the same trajectory they had shown in the periods before their various social-media controversies, meaning that businesses can quickly move on from a debate like gun control, even if politicians and partisans can’t.