brand development

I used to hate the phrase "perception is reality." Now I live by it. A few years ago I went public with my politics and lost 12% of my following, plus a handful of signed contracts. It came back bigger. Down the street, a small business made its own alignment public through who they chose to sponsor, and now they're finding out what that costs. Brand alignment cuts both ways. You don't get to be surprised by which side of that blade lands on you.