When I was communications director for the US-China Business Council (USCBC), one of my main tasks was communicating why some of America's world-class, blue-chip companies were conducting commerce in the Middle Kingdom.
Frequently I would supply a range of answers to make the case.
Making the case would involve talking points about the financial demands of Wall Street to the bounty of the expanding Chinese middle-class consumerism.
The most salient answers involved American business being a force for good in China. From bringing China world-class safety and environmental standards to spending research and development dollars to harness Chinese intelligence to benefit innovation.
But even with the deftest talking points and communication skills, often I wasn't the best spokesperson.
Desired for their prestige, CEOs are a brand name; even a casual news watcher knows Jamie Dimon. Having a CEO quoted brings heft to the news story and especially pleases an editor or producer.
Small business owners and local community leaders are the best.
Perceived real Americans making a case for global and international commerce to the New York Times, ABC News, BBC, or Politico, perfect
So frequently, I would reach out to the USCBC membership and inquire if they would be interested in making their CEO or one of their stakeholders available for a quote or comment on or off the record.
"That's what we pay you for," once came the response from the top lobbyist of a multinational insurance company.
His point was valid.
As the communications director for a trade association, I was the hired help.
Probably one of the dozens of paid spokespeople, advocates, and policy allies serving this multinational insurance company alone with political intelligence, political noise, and political insurance.
It may seem harsh and cynical if you're a civilian and not experienced in the world of global political communications advocacy, but it is the reality.
Any multinational company has scores of political tools and advocacy tactics to ensure their business objectives are achieved.
Membership in trade associations, donations to free-market think tanks, supporting a charity or single-issue foundations are just a few examples.
However, as we have seen this week when companies want to communicate big business as a force for good, they do so with gusto.
The speed to how companies have responded to Russia's unjustified terror invasion of Ukraine is unprecedented in my professional career.
And a reminder, once again, that the best spokesperson to make sure their company's business objectives are achieved is the companies themselves with their words and actions.
What we are witnessing in real-time is big business responding to Larry Lessing's theory of four forces.
Popularized by Lessig's book, Code and Other Laws of Cyberspace, the four forces represent a socio-economic regulation theory.
The theory is a four-part interconnected reality of how proper behavior is influenced by the law, social norms, the market, and architecture (technical infrastructure).
Daily it must seem big business is untouchable and can't be controlled, influenced, or cajoled.
That would be wrong.
Big business can't escape the law, social norms, the market, and architecture (technical infrastructure).
Hence the rapid response to events in Ukraine.
Here's a current rundown of how big business is responding rapidly to events in Ukraine.
Companies leaving Russia:
BP
Shell
Equinor
Adidas
TotalEnergies
Baker McKenzie
KPMG
McKinsey
Daimler Truck Holding
Volvo
General Motors
Mastercard
Visa
FIFA
UEFA
Boeing
Reuters: Western companies head for the exit in Russia as sanctions tighten
+ Google disables Maps traffic data in Ukraine to protect citizens
+ Facebook bans Russian state media in Europe
+ Apple Pay and Google Pay no longer work in the Moscow metro
+ #TechForUkraine: This campaign, launched by Tech To The Rescue, aims to connect Ukrainian nonprofits with tech companies that can help them design digital solutions that will make a difference.
Companies responding with humanity:
+ @tim_cook: I am deeply concerned with the situation in Ukraine. We're doing all we can for our teams there and will be supporting local humanitarian efforts. I am thinking of the people who are right now in harm's way and joining all those calling for peace.
+ @ABInBev_EU: We're standing in solidarity with the people of #Ukraine 🇺🇦 As well as doing all we can to support our 1,800 colleagues in the country. We're also sending half a million cans of mineral water from our brewery in Leuven to the Ukrainian border.
+ O2, EE, Vodafone, and BT waive charges on calls and texts to and from Ukraine
+ Satellite internet terminals, sent by Elon Musk, arrive in Ukraine
+ Airbnb will offer free, short-term housing to up to 100,000 refugees fleeing Ukraine
It is the early days of this crisis.
Day five of what we should expect to be a five-month struggle, if not a five-year struggle.
Big business has already displayed unprecedented action and embraced being a force for good with their words and actions.
When the spokespeople return to making sure big business objectives are being met, that will signal that, happily, we are back to normalcy and tranquility.
— Marc
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