We seem to look to brands and companies more often for political interpretation. For their point of view. Why is that?

A brand is the personification of a company. With its own voice, message and personality, it is how the company gives its products emotional meaning. It is that emotional, narrative charge that allows a perfume bottle to be sold for a much higher margin than the “functional” characteristics of the product would justify.

A good brand allows us to feel good; an athlete (Nike), a creative (Apple) or adventurer (North Face). We choose the product and brand personality that best suits us. The brand reinforces our identity, serving as a useful tool to show the outside world who you are. The different products you carry thus form a collage of identities, through the different “meanings” of those products.

Suppose something happens in the world that you did not yet have a place for in your identity. Who do you look to for interpretation and formulation of a point of view?

Increasingly, we look to brands and CEOs. For example, Apple’s pride watch bands and colorful products can be seen as political expression. Where you might see your laptop as a good functional device, someone else might see it as politically provocative expression. Sometimes we go further and look at CEOs. Tesla CEO Elon Musk sets a dangerous precedent with his often offensive political expressions. For example, Musk announced last month that he will vote Republican in the next election, with an ugly sneer at Democrats after.

Suppose you drive a Tesla. Whereas before this had a certain status symbol as a luxury, but mostly green and innovative car, now it can be seen as a “republican” car. From one day to the next, the “meaning” of a product has changed. For you it may not, after all it is still a good car, but for others it may be.

The collage of identities around you shifts with the shift in meaning of brands. And at the same time, we are more or less connected to our products. Changing shoes may be easy, changing cars or laptops is a lot harder. Not only on an “emotional” level can we feel attached to a product or brand, also on a functional or financial level.

CEOs therefore have a responsibility to realize that they represent a legal entity. They are entitled to personal opinions, but as a public figure, they also embody their brand. Their political views are thus inherently tied to the brand, and to the meaning of its products.

Brands have a responsibility to bring predictability to the meaning of their products. Like a real “person,” the “person” of a brand should develop gradually, not unexpectedly and fickle. This is because the story of a brand applies not only to the new products to be sold, but also to the emotional meaning of the products already sold.

We have a responsibility to act from our own identity. By giving ourselves a clear picture of who we are and what we stand for. This requires reflection. An identity as a collage of our own beliefs, friends, family, work, neighborhood and associations.