THE NEW CEO ACTIVISTSto others, we provided a generic statement about Cook’s manage-
ment philosophy. To the rest, we provided no statement at all;
we simply asked about purchasing intent. We randomly deployed
these three conditions and received 2,176 responses. The people
in the group exposed to Cook’s activism, we found, expressed sig-
nifi cantly higher intent to buy Apple products in the near future
than those in the other two groups. Learning about Cook’s activism
increased intent to purchase among supporters of same- sex mar-
riage but did not erode intent among its opponents. These results
indicate that CEO activism can generate goodwill for the company
but need not alienate those who disagree with the CEO. But this
most likely does not apply to all companies. Apple products are
especially sticky, so while Cook’s remarks might not provoke a
backlash against iPhones, other business leaders should consider
whether the political makeup of their consumers and the nature of
their products might lead to a diff erent result. It’s critical for every
CEO to proceed thoughtfully.
The CEO Activist’s Playbook
Drawing on our empirical research and interviews with CEO activ-
ists and their stakeholders, we have developed a guide for leaders
who are deciding whether to speak out and how.
What to weigh in on
Smart CEO activists typically choose their issues; the issues do not
choose them. To avoid being blindsided by a news story or awk-
wardly weighing in on a topic they know little about, CEOs should
sit down with their executive teams, including their chief commu-
nications offi cers, and decide what issues matter to them and why.
This discussion should include refl ection on why championing the
selected causes would have greater social impact than championing
other causes. (On occasion, however, there’s no time for this kind
of deliberation, such as when corporate leaders felt they quickly
needed to make it clear they had no tolerance for racism after Char-
lottesville.)