- PageViews
PageViews Monthly: Issue 14
June 26, 2025
| When Tractor Supply Co. walked back its public commitments to DEI last summer, it happened in just three weeks. Under pressure from a viral post by conservative influencer Robby Starbuck, the company swiftly announced it would end diversity training, dissolve its DEI team, stop sponsoring Pride events, and cease tracking progress on climate goals. That rapid reversal sparked headlines last year, and caught the attention of the top prize-winners for the 2025 IPR + Page Case Study Competition. The Brigham Young University students, Maurielle Cook, Rachel Shuler and Adah Shippen, went beyond the outrage to reveal how cultural misalignment, online influence and inconsistent communication left a trusted brand vulnerable to reputational harm, reviewing their actions through the lens of the Page Principles and other thought leadership. |
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| Assessing the Case One of the key elements of the case study competition is the case assessment, where students use the Page Principles, research reports, and other thought leadership to analyze the strengths and weaknesses of the organization’s approach. While the main document is required to be objective and free of bias, this separate assessment allows the students to make a judgement call on whether an organization made the right decisions. It also exemplifies how Page thought leadership looks in practice. Below is a section from their assessment, marrying their research findings with the Page Principles. Tractor Supply Co.'s response to Robby Starbuck’s X backlash reflects the Page Principle of “manage for tomorrow.” After 21 days of consumer pressure and dipping stocks, Tractor Supply Co. quickly shifted gears to demonstrate that they listen to and care for their customers above all else. Rather than facing another Bud Light fiasco, Tractor Supply quickly observed their publics’ attitudes and “eliminate[d] practices that create[d] difficulties” (Principle 4). Their news release reinforced this, stating, “we deeply value our relationship with our customers and the communities we call home” (Tractor Supply Co., 2024). However, while they “proved it with action,” (Principle 2) the speed of their response felt more reactionary than responsive. Instead of remaining calm and measured, Tractor Supply abruptly abandoned its DEI policies, making it seem like their corporate character was malleable under public pressure rather than guided by clear principles. This undermined the Page Principle that “an enterprise’s true character is expressed by its people” (Principle 6), as the decision appeared to bypass employee perspectives beyond the C-suite. |
| What Communicators Can Learn For corporate communicators, the Tractor Supply case raises critical questions about preparedness, consistency and stakeholder awareness in today’s polarized environment. Don’t assume values are universally understood. Cultural framing matters. DEI and ESG play differently in different communities, and CCOs must recognize that nuance before crises force a reaction. Additionally, as we discussed in the 2025 Confidence in Business Index, organizations need to tie their values-driven action with consistently applied context to effectively earn confidence from their stakeholders. Monitor beyond mainstream media. Influencers without official titles can ignite major consequences. If your monitoring misses them, your strategy may, too. Have a plan before the pressure. DEI efforts shouldn't be vulnerable to real-time backlash. If your DEI programs are consistently connected to your company’s character the groundwork has been laid to defend it. If it is not consistent, then this can be leveraged by agitators into a crisis.Page supports our members through crises like these by offering research, peer discussions, and case studies on these exact topics. For those interested, our membership site has information about membership benefits and criteria. Other Winning Case Studies Along with our grand prize winners, Page and IPR awarded groups from two other institutions for their case study presentations. The second place winners, from the University of Georgia, also wrote about Tractor Supply Company’s DEI walkback, while the third place winners, from Peking University HSBC Business School, studied Dove’s #KeepBeautyReal campaign in the age of AI. For the third place winners, it is the first time since 2022 that students from a university located outside the United States placed in the Case Study Competition. Each of these cases offer unique, fresh perspectives from the future of the profession, and are great reads for communicators grappling with stakeholder expectations in a rapidly-evolving environment. |
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