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Companies don't get a ballot to fill out when Australia heads to the polls on referendum day in a week, but that hasn't stopped many brands from having a say on the Voice to parliament proposal.
The early stages of the campaign, in particular, were dotted with corporate announcements, often in support of the Yes cause.
All the major sporting codes, including the AFL and NRL, backed the constitutional change, as did the likes of the big four banks, Rio Tinto, Telstra and, somewhat infamously, Qantas.
EXPLAINED: Voice to parliament referendum: When, how and where do I vote?
It's hardly a new phenomenon. It's not unusual for brands to support social initiatives – many did just that in the lead-up to the marriage equality plebiscite in 2017.
Adam Ferrier, consumer psychologist at creative advertising agency Thinkerbell, says the referendum is another opportunity for brands to demonstrate their values.
"There's several benefits to a brand backing a cause such as the referendum," he told 9news.com.au
"There's a consumer perspective. People buy brands from companies and people want to buy brands from companies whose values are aligned with theirs, and so it's an opportunity for businesses to tell consumers a bit about the company – what it stands for, its values and so on.
READ MORE: What is the Voice to parliament and what will the referendum entail?
"The second benefit is obviously for its employees and corporate reputation. If someone works for a company, they might want to know where that company's values stand and what its beliefs are."
That's not to say all brands are publicly backing the Yes vote. Some, like resources giant Fortescue Metals, have opted for neutrality.
"We acknowledge and respect the Australian Government's commitment to establishing a First Nations Voice," Fortescue said in its sustainability report.
READ MORE: Australia could wait almost two weeks for referendum result
"Importantly, this will be a matter for the Australian people to decide at a referendum."
In the ASX 20 – Australia's top 20 companies – Oil and gas business Santos, insurer QBE, biotech firm CSL, property group Goodman and gaming provider Aristocrat Leisure are among those who haven't campaigned for the Voice. Nine, the publisher of this website, has not made any public statement about its position.
That means while corporate sentiment appears to be leaning more towards Yes than No, there hasn't been the same overwhelming support for the referendum as there was during the plebiscite.
Ferrier says that's reflective of the public opinion and discourse around the Voice.
"It's complicated. With marriage equality, it was a very popular plebiscite. It was a very clear and simple plebiscite… and therefore many organisations found it easier to come out in favour and support it," he said.
"With the current referendum, polling shows the opinion is not as one-sided, and so it's arguably not as popular, and it's also debatably not quite as clear as well…
"As the debate has continued, we've seen less committed commercial support for the Yes vote.
READ MORE: 'No Voice, no choice': NRL grand final hero backs Yes vote
"I think it's because there's been more ambiguity or more nuanced conversation happening around the pros and cons of Yes versus No, which has made it a more complex issue to find alignment around for corporations to support our or otherwise."
What Ferrier doesn't expect is for brand backing to lead to more votes – and he doesn't think that's even the intent of companies.
"I think a corporation saying 'we're supporting this' or 'we're not supporting this' isn't telling Australians what to do," he said.
"It is just saying 'we're not telling you what to do, but this is what we're doing'. And so I think the impetus isn't telling Australians what to do, the impetus is just being transparent and saying 'this is what we believe'…
"Australians don't like being told what to do. And Australians, as soon as somebody in power says 'you should do this', there's no granter way to create a reactance."
