Ahead of the 2020 election, Nike released a star-studded get-out-the-vote campaign called “You Can’t Stop Our Voice.”
The video starts with a mashup of some of the biggest sports stars, including LeBron James and Naomi Osaka, and ends with them wearing shirts emblazoned with “VOTE.”
Nike wasn’t alone. Under Armour launched the digital campaign “Run to Vote,” which showed runners wearing its sports apparel and offered resources to register to vote on its website. Absolut Vodka released “Vote First, Drink Second,” the brand’s first video advertisement in years. The company also gave its employees the day off to vote.
But in 2024, in an election cycle as divisive as ever, the same companies and many more have been less active in encouraging voting. Splashy and star-studded advertisements simply aren’t there.
While Nike did not release a digital campaign for 2024, the sports apparel giant says it has partnered with the nonpartisan groups Time to Vote and When We All Vote and allowed for employees to take time off to vote.
“NIKE, Inc. has a strong history of providing U.S. employees with the resources and time they need to vote. We provide eligible U.S. employees paid time off options to ensure everyone has the time, access and opportunity to cast their ballot,” the company told CNN in a statement.
Under Armour and Absolut did not respond to CNN’s request for comment.
Sitting on the sidelines during this election might be a sound business decision, as 52% of Americans say they have boycotted a brand because it stayed silent on a political issue, or bought from or avoided brands based on their politics, according to a report from public-relations firm Edelman, up 2 percentage points from 2023.
Despite the nonpartisan nature of get-out-the-vote campaigns, companies may view any appearance of being political as a risk not worth taking.
