Every day, more and more brands are quickly pulled into current events, from Carrier to Ford, to even the beloved brand Apple, that affect both public perception and the bottom line.

For example, Tic-Tac was recently cast as an unwilling accomplice in a political scandal more unpleasant than chronic halitosis. Massive public outcry forced Kellogg’s to yank advertising dollars from ultra-right-wing website Breitbart. Despite the best efforts of their PR machine, Uber is still scrambling to quell a mass exodus of customers who deleted their accounts because of their CEO’s relationship to President Trump.

In such a politically-charged climate, even the most apolitical brands have the lingering threat of being flung into extremely polarizing controversies. Now more than ever, brands need to proactively own what they stand for, before the public decides for them.