USA TODAY: Was Silicon Valley Bank too ‘woke’? Why Republicans blame collapse on ‘diversity demands’

Republicans are blaming the nation’s second-largest bank failure on corporate “wokeness,” not lax regulation, ill-fated business decisions or panicked customers rushing to pull out their money.

There is no consensus among conservatives on what the GOP means by “woke” but it’s used as a catch-all term for identity and other liberal politics, including diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives in the corporate sector. 

Did environmental, social and governance principles cause the collapse? 

Environmental, social and governance principles had nothing to do with the bank’s failure, according to Lindsay Singleton, chief development officer of public affairs firm Rokk Solutions.

“Blaming the opposing political party will almost certainly win more votes than blaming a misunderstood investment framework,” Singleton said. Get the full story here.

Conservative attacks on ESG investing have spread to statehouses across the country. Now business groups are fighting back.

From North Dakota to Mississippi, state lawmakers have defeated proposals that would bar state governments or pension funds from doing business with financial institutions that follow ESG – environmental, social and governance – principles, making way for weakened versions of legislation.

ROKK Solutions co-founding partner Ron Bonjean spoke with USA Today and discussed why voters, including Republicans, oppose government action to curb ESG investment. Get the full story here.

On March 3, Walgreens announced it would not offer abortion pills in 20 states, even where they remain legal, leading to other consumers and politicians calling out Walgreens on social media. However recently, Walgreens tweeted a clarification on its position.

ROKK Solutions Chief Development Officer Lindsay Singleton spoke on this messaging from Walgreens and noted how “anytime you’re explaining or clarifying, you’re losing. There is risk no matter what you do, but that risk increases dramatically when an organization has to backtrack or clarify.”

Check out this piece in PR News and get more from Lindsay here.

Ken Cuccinelli, a former senior official in Donald Trump’s administration, recently threw his backing behind Florida Governor Ron DeSantis in the 2024 U.S. presidential race, a move that could help DeSantis gain traction among grassroots voters so far loyal to Trump. While Trump has officially launched another run for the White House, DeSantis has made no announcement yet that he plans to seek higher office, although he is widely expected to contest for the Republican presidential nomination.

In Reuters, ROKK co-founder and partner Ron Bonjean discussed how Cuccinelli’s move could give some Trump backers “permission to be supportive of DeSantis”. Get the full story here.

In Bloomberg’s “Sound On,” Bloomberg Washington Correspondent Joe Mathieu delivers insight and analysis on the latest headlines from the White House and Capitol Hill, including conversations with influential lawmakers and key figures in politics and policy.

On the politics panel in this episode, ROKK Partner Kristen Hawn and former Republican National Committee Communications Director Lisa Camooso Miller sat down with Bloomberg’s Joe Mathieu to discuss the topic of railroad regulations and President Biden’s 2024 budget battle amid the debt ceiling showdown. Listen to the episode here.

The Parental Rights in Education Act — widely referred to by critics as “Don’t Say Gay” — prohibits Floridian educators in kindergarten through third grade from addressing gender or sexual orientation in class, and restricts what teachers in upper grades can say on the topic. The Stop Wrongs to Our Kids and Employees Act — or Stop WOKE — bars the teaching of critical race theory in Florida schools, an academic framework for examining systemic racism. 

James Nash, ROKK Senior Vice President, spoke on this topic in a Washington Post piece and shared his thoughts on why Florida has become the “center of gravity” for conservative policymaking. Read his response here.

As more and more consumers shift to streaming services for their entertainment needs, connected TV advertising is becoming an increasingly popular way for brands to reach more targeted audiences. However, with new trends and technologies emerging all the time, running effective CTV ads can be a complex, constantly evolving process.

For brands considering placing ads on CTV devices adjacent to apps, shows, movies, livestreams and other streaming content in 2023, it’s important to understand key factors that can impact the success of the ads CTV users see. 

Rachel Winer, ROKK Executive Vice President of Digital and Paid Media, was featured in the Forbes Agency Council piece and shared her thoughts on things brands looking to run CTV ads need to keep in mind to achieve a strong return on investment. Read her response here.

When Pete Buttigieg became Transportation secretary at the start of the Biden administration, some Democrats said it would be a perfect platform for his political prospects if not in 2024, then 2028. Instead, the job of Transportation secretary has been a set of compounding problems for Buttigieg.

ROKK co-founder and partner Rodell Mollineau discussed how Buttigieg has become the ultimate foil for Republicans because of his stature within the party but also because he’s become a face for the administration’s perceived failures. Read the full story here.

For an organization that professes a love of free markets, the U.S. Republican Party is surprisingly keen to meddle in financial decisions. Its representatives in the U.S. Senate recently voted to overturn a rule that makes it easier for retirement fund managers to consider sustainability factors like climate change when making investments. Yet Republicans face an uphill battle against flows of money and their own voters’ preferences.

Though conservative politicians have recently ramped up their campaign against investments based on environmental, social and governance factors (ESG), Republicans haven’t convinced the American public to ditch ESG.

In fact, a survey by ROKK Solutions with a team of researchers from Penn State University found that a total of 63% of voters oppose government restrictions on sustainable investing and seven in 10 Republican voters pushed back against ESG constraints, saying they “interfered excessively” with the free market.

Get more on this in Reuters and don’t forget to check out ROKK’s full ESG report, “Navigating ESG in the New Congress,” here.

Washington, D.C. – ROKK Solutions, a bipartisan public affairs firm at the nexus of policy and politics, is pleased to announce that Rachel Winer has been promoted to Executive Vice President of the firm’s growing digital and paid media practice.

Having served as a leading digital media pioneer over the past 15 years, Winer has managed paid media campaigns for Fortune 100 corporations, government, nonprofit, coalitions and trade associations. In addition to the intersection of digital and public affairs, her category experience includes B2B, CPG, food and beverage, education, financial services, health, retail, travel and tech. 

“Over the past several years Rachel has been instrumental to the growth of our firm. She has expanded our paid media capabilities, designed award-winning campaigns and helped cement ROKK’s status as a full-service, 360 degree firm,” said ROKK Solutions Co-founder and Partner Rodell Mollineau.

“Each day working at ROKK has offered exciting new opportunities to help our clients navigate an ever-changing paid media landscape and some of the most important policy issues of our time,” said Rachel Winer. “From paid digital and social media to our increasing investment in data and insights client services, I have loved the challenge of leading our digital team and am excited to serve in this new role.”

“In a constantly changing political and digital landscape, Rachel will ensure our paid media strategies remain ahead of the curve,” said ROKK Solutions Partner Kristen Hawn.

“At our core, we believe that understanding the political landscape and being able to effectively communicate can only be achieved by expanding our digital, data and insights capabilities,” said ROKK Solutions Co-founder and Partner Ron Bonjean. “As Executive Vice President of Digital and Paid Media, we know Rachel will help us accomplish just that.”

Winer’s promotion to Executive Vice President of Digital and Paid Media is a key part of ROKK Solutions’ ongoing strategic expansion, which has resulted in triple-digit growth over the past two years, as well as numerous professional accolades, such as being a finalist for PRovoke and The Reeds Agency of the Year, SABRE awards, and inclusion in the Agency Elite 100 list. Before joining ROKK Solutions in 2020, Rachel built and led the Digital Paid Media team at global communications consultancy Ketchum. She holds a M.B.A. specializing in Marketing from Wayne State University and a B.A. in Marketing from Michigan State University.