Chris Peterson: Your Company's Culture May Be Repelling Customers

Chris Peterson, author of Red and Blue Customers, joined the podcast to unpack a powerful truth: ignoring political worldviews in your marketing could be costing you. From founder values to local franchise messaging, your brand culture may be attracting one side - and quietly pushing the other away.

Chris Peterson's 10 Close The Deal Mindset Success Quotes:

1. “Most businesses are projecting values—they’re just not aware of it."
2. “Knowing your customer’s worldview creates a tailwind. Ignoring it creates a headwind.”
3. “There’s no such thing as a neutral market. Every audience leans one way or the other.”
4. “Two customers can see the same message—and take away completely different meanings.”
5. “It’s not about politics. It’s about values—and values drive buying decisions.”
6. “The biggest blind spot in business today is political identity as a market segment.”
7. “Great branding speaks the language of its audience—without ever using the word ‘politics.’”
8. “Elon Musk’s story is proof that even a great product can lose if the message misfires.”
9. “When you understand values, you don’t need to guess what your customers want.”
10. “Success comes when you stop marketing from your gut—and start marketing from the data.”
    

Learn more about Chris Peterson:

https://www.lifemind.ai/

https://www.linkedin.com/in/chrispetersonsf/

Close The Deal Podcast Player:

When Politics Impact Sales (Bad & Good)

When political beliefs seep into branding decisions, the fallout can be costly. In this episode of Close The Deal, host Ewell Smith sits down with Chris Peterson, author of Red and Blue Customers, to explore how political identity impacts consumer behavior, marketing strategy, and ultimately—business success. Whether you're a franchise founder, corporate marketer, or small business owner, this conversation is a wake-up call to understand how personal beliefs can unintentionally alienate customers.

The Spark Behind the Book

Chris, a longtime marketer and research-driven strategist, traces his journey back to 2020, when he discovered a Pew study capturing what liberals and conservatives wanted each other to understand. This inspired years of research into how values—separate from overt politics—influence buying decisions. The result? A clear divide in customer behavior, preferences, and brand loyalty based on worldview.

Why It Matters for Your Business

Peterson argues that too many businesses unknowingly alienate a portion of their market. From liberal-leaning startup cultures to conservative-aligned branding, companies often reflect the values of their founders or marketing teams—without stopping to ask who their customers actually are. His central thesis: knowing your customers' values can create a tailwind for growth, while ignorance can stir up a costly headwind.

Real-World Brand Examples

Chris and Ewell unpack examples of companies whose branding aligns (or misaligns) with political worldviews:

• Apartments.com: Urban-focused, subtly progressive messaging that resonates with liberal audiences.
• WeatherTech: Rugged, protection-driven ads with conservative appeal.
• Chick-fil-A and Ben & Jerry's: Two legacy brands that built loyal audiences by doubling down on their values.
• Black Rifle Coffee: Conservative-targeted branding that performs well—but may limit long-term scalability.

These examples show how even value-neutral businesses can inadvertently broadcast political cues.

What Happens When Brands Get It Wrong

Ewell shares a powerful anecdote from his years in association leadership. In Washington D.C., it used to be possible to work across the aisle. Today? Not so much. That divisiveness mirrors what happens to brands that insert themselves into political debates or unconsciously project values that don't match their customer base. One wrong move can tank reputation—and revenue.

The team explores Elon Musk's recent missteps with Twitter/X and Tesla. Originally a darling of liberal early adopters, Musk's political pivot led to lost trust, backlash, and a measurable dip in Tesla sales.

Liberal vs. Conservative Consumer Insights

Peterson outlines research showing distinct value systems between liberal and conservative customers:

• Liberals lean toward change, exploration, self-expression, and innovation.
• Conservatives value tradition, safety, order, and self-reliance.

Understanding these value differences allows business owners to tailor messaging, customer service, and even product development to the dominant worldview in their target market.

Why Franchise Leaders Must Pay Attention

Franchise brands operate in diverse markets—but that doesn’t mean one-size-fits-all branding works. Franchisors need to:

• Know where their brand resonates and why
• Identify regional worldview skews
• Support franchisees in aligning with local values

Franchisees, on the other hand, must evaluate whether a brand’s culture and messaging align with the community they serve. Misalignment can lead to slow traction—or worse, public backlash.

The Fix: Market with Self-Awareness

Peterson breaks down a simple process to implement:

1. Assess your customers. Urban vs. rural? Progressive vs. traditional?
2. Evaluate your messaging. What values are you unintentionally projecting?
3. Align intentionally. Decide if you’ll double down on your dominant market or widen appeal.
4. Train your team. Make sure everyone—from franchisees to customer service—understands what’s being communicated.

This doesn’t mean watering down your identity. It means being intentional about what you stand for—and what you don’t.

Final Takeaway: Avoid the Blind Spot

Most business owners don’t see political identity as part of market segmentation—but they should.  Chris Peterson’s work is a reminder that customers are watching. They're choosing brands that reflect their worldview, consciously or not. The goal isn’t to pander. The goal is alignment.

In a polarized world, values sell. Just make sure they’re the right ones for your market.

Learn More

Pick up Chris Peterson’s book Red and Blue Customers on Amazon or Barnes & Noble. To explore his new AI tool that identifies customer values, visit LifeMind.ai.