As the Election night comes to an end and Donald Trump, the next President of the United States is announced, we thought we would look at what our industry was thinking.
Here are some thoughts from a few of thought leaders:
Chris Miller, Ben & Jerry’s Social Mission Activism Manager:
“It’s no secret that the 2016 election cycle has been hard for many Americans to watch and seemed like it might never end. Despite this, Americans all over our country turned out, stood in line and participated in our Democratic procession at what appears to be near record levels. This speaks to the unbridled optimism that is the foundation of this Nation and proves the enduring resiliency of our Democracy.”
Lindsay Wagner- Managing Account Supervisor at Ketchum:
“Regardless of the winner of this election, and I obviously want HERstory to be made, we want to make sure our new President moves our country forward and represents the best interests of our fellow citizens. This election further exposed a good deal of dormant ignorance and hatred in America, and after all is said and done, we as a nation need to heal and come together.
Many Americans aren’t excited about this election and aren’t all-in for either candidate, but, to withhold a vote is not an option, especially since our elders fought and died for our right to make sure our collective voices are heard at the polls. Whether we’re enthusiastic about the candidates or not is irrelevant now, a President will be chosen and will have to move forward. Having to deal with saying goodbye to arguably the best President and First Family of our generation is painful enough. If we don’t learn how to communicate effectively with those who may have opposing views and beliefs and express empathy for the other side, we will never come together as a people in these United States of America.”
Brian Farkas & Tylynne McCauley, Associate Creative Directors, 180LA:
One thing is clear: we are a nation divided, and that divide isn’t magically going to disappear on November 9th. In fact, it may be worse on November 9th. Regardless of who wins, we’ll need to find a way to collectively heal and move forward together.
We’ve already seen some brands stepping up for unity, diversity, and inclusion – and it will be important that more join the cause and help set the tone for our nation to be indivisible once again.
Our team has been working passionately the past 11 months for voter equality, and it’s been eye-opening to see how much harder it is for some Americans to vote than others. We need a cultural shift. And that shift isn’t just on the shoulders of the President of the United States. It’s up to all of us as Americans.
Kat Gordon- Founder, 3 Percent Conference
“Yes, with the caveat that if Trump wins I may be massively hungover.”
Tiffany R. Warren, Senior VP, Chief Diversity Officer at Omnicom Group/Founder & President, ADCOLOR
“Regardless of the outcome we must come together and remain steadfast in our commitment to make our industry truly reflect America. America is already great and we can use the power of our industry to remind everyone that we are a country whose greatest export is the American dream and everyone deserves to be a part of that!”
John Locke, Founder of the national Walk2Vote program:
“I believe that post election, really marks a very important time to continue engagement now that many important issues that face our country have been the subject of conversation in many households for the past year. We have an opportunity to show communities how to engage and implement change in their community. I think that deliberative dialogue and focus on local elections and policies is paramount to the progress of our country.
This is an important opportunity to show people how to get involved in the processes that happen outside of voting for the next president, because many people are interested in whats happening in government. That is the goal of Walk2Vote post election, to truly engage communities in something we like to call ‘ Democracy 365.”
Ben Phillips, Program Manager for Citizen University and the project they have created called Joy of Voting:
“The Joy of Voting project was all about fostering creative, in-person, opportunities for engagement and celebration around voting at the local level. And what we found in all the communities, was that there was a real hunger for this. People really welcomed the chance to come together with neighbors and friends in a positive way around voting specifically, and civic engagement more broadly. Regardless of the outcome, post-election, this is going to be more important than ever.
This kind of in-person connection is the only way we’re really going to be able to reconcile and heal as a country. And the way that it will succeed is when it is driven by art, and celebration, and creativity. These twenty projects in these four cities were really just the beginning in a movement to revitalize a culture of voting and participation in America.”
