AutoZone
Public Statements Risk
AutoZone is currently in the midst of a leadership transition; the current CEO, William Rhodes, will be stepping down in 2024. Rhodes is a representative for other CEOs and he has spoken to former President Trump regarding policy shifts and tariffs that could hurt the company's customers. Rhodes is very politically active and has contributed to Governor Charlie Baker and George Flinn, both of whom are Republican. Regarding social media, AutoZone is fairly high profile with 86.4k followers on Instagram alone; the company's posts, however, appear to be neutral politically. The site footer has an ESG link, in which Rhodes is quoted saying, 'An AutoZoner Always... Embraces Diversity,' which he specifies as one of the 6 core values of the company.

Political Contributions Risk
Contributes with a moderate Republican skew with approximately an even contribution split between the PAC and senior executives.Combined contribution level is medium and ranks squarely in the middle of the Consumer discretionary sector, which tends to lean Red. All of these factors yield a moderate risk level.

Political Dichotomy Risk
AutoZone operates the majority of its locations in the southern part of the U.S., where the company was founded. This concentration likely indicates a Republican-leaning consumer base. The corporation's PAC makes political donations that are majority leaning towards Republicans. Despite the absence of public political commentary, AutoZone's executives are unambiguously Republican leaning.

Associational Risk
The current AutoZone CEO is involved in politics in a policy advisory capacity, but does not draw a lot of attention or create controversy. Other than the CEO's political involvement, research revealed no associations that create risk for the brand. AutoZone has not made any significant contributions to controversial government figures. Finally, their Instagram page does not include posts with high profile figures. The overall apolitical nature of the brand mitigates pH, but C-Suite policy advising creates slight risk.

Brand Visibility Risk
Consumers in the auto parts and maintenance segment shop almost entirely on availability of parts and price. This means that as a brand, AutoZone is incredibly well insulated from its consumers' values in a way that's similar of Utilities, rooting demand in the efficient rendering of goods and services.
