If you were paying attention to the news cycles in August, the news of SoulCycle owner Stephen Ross holding a fundraiser for Donald Trump at the cost of $250,000 per plate was more or less unavoidable. While campaign finance matters don’t always get media coverage, this news was a major part of the news cycle for a full week.

Despite the widespread SoulCycle (and Equinox) news spurring a wave of engagement on social media, some were still skeptical of whether or not this would actually affect the reputation or bottom line of the company. A few skeptics (we think incorrectly) claim that there is a developing norm of virtue signaling, where people express their apparent disapproval to express their morality, only to revert back to their usual behavior. 

As it turns out, however, these claims were wrong, as least as to SoulCycle. People do care, and the numbers show they are willing to act.

Earnest Research, a consumer behavior analytics company, did some research to actually quantify the effect of the SoulCycle news – and the numbers are significant.

According to one of the researchers: “We looked at historical data, and there was no other dip [in sign-up numbers] like this.” Signups from the 18 days prior to the media coverage and the 18 days following show nearly a 13% drop in signups.

This is a scary thought to companies who are active in politics. While there once was a time when people may not have cared or there was not enough information to see the political affiliation of brands, that time has passed. Our app, Goods Unite Us, has had higher engagement than ever before – with over 10,000 different people using our app every day over the course of the last month.

In a time when money in politics is so influential, we need your help to spread the word, and to encourage others to change their consumer behavior on a daily basis – to put their money where their vote is. And in the process, you can win a free t-shirt from us. All you have to do is:

1. For every person you tag with our post about the giveaway on Facebook, Instagram, and/or Twitter, you will gain an entry into our contest. MORE PEOPLE TAGGED = MORE ENTRIES!
2. And to get additional entries, use the hashtag #GoodsUniteUs or use the phrase “Download The Goods Unite Us App” on any of your social media accounts (posts, stories, Tweets, etc.).
3. It’s as easy as that!

In the meantime, though, you can rest assured that companies are paying attention and that the individual consumer decisions you make as a result of the Goods app do have a massive impact!