How Five Companies Showed Leadership As Tariffs Disrupted Their Business

(MENAFN- PRovoke) When President Donald Trump followed through on the tariff threats that were a major feature of his 2024 election campaign, many American companies-the supposed beneficiaries of the trade war-faced massive business challenges, as the price of raw materials soared.

Jobs were threatened, consumers were facing higher prices at a time when affordability was already a significant concern, and many companies were afraid of speaking out on an issue that was clearly of huge personal importance to the president.

Even so, in sectors ranging from aluminum products to online retail to sexual wellness, there were CEOs who were prepared to take a public stand. Below, we profile five very different companies that were able to address tariff issues in ways that underscored their leadership and enhanced stakeholder relationships.

“Managing Geopolitical Complexity for an Iconic Manufacturer”

The Trump administration sought to position its tariff policy as a boon for America's metals industry. The prevailing narrative from the White House-and in much of the media-was that tariffs would protect US jobs, revive production and secure domestic supply.

But for Alcoa, America's largest aluminum producer, the reality was starkly different: tariffs exploded cost of goods, distorted markets and global supply chains, and put long-term investment and competitiveness at risk.

With the White House less than responsive to the historical process of lobbyist outreach, Capitol Hill meetings and policy memos and with the administration insisting that“no exemptions” would be considered, Alcoa needed to find new ways for CEO Bill Oplinger. a trusted industry leader, to carry the company message to an audience of one: President Trump.

Working with Alcoa's public relations agency Burson, and balancing the political and reputational risks of challenging a president who views tariffs as central to his economic legacy, Oplinger adopted a public profile, appearing on Fox Business, warning that 100,000 US aluminum industry jobs could be on the line, and providing an opinion piece for The Wall Street Journal-media known to be influential in administration circles.

In addition to elevating Oplinger's profile, the campaign also helped Alcoa maintain and even improve its stock price. Oplinger's Fox appearances-on the day Trump increased tariffs from 25% to 50%--saw the company's share price remain in the green for the whole day. On the morning of Oplinger's Fox Business media engagement, stock price sat at $31.96 per share; a week later on March 17 it was at $34.79, a 8.85% increase. Oplinger's calm in the face of chaos set a positive tone for the Street.

For Burson, the campaign demonstrated the value of combining data and AI tools with human experience. Says Tom Dowling, US chair, energy & industrials: "Our clients are navigating consequential issues that demand clarity. Our work on behalf of these clients exemplifies how we combine AI-driven foresight with strategic discipline to reduce ambiguity in uncertain environments.

“Machine learning helps us identify signals like policy shifts and sentiment trends early on, but it's human judgment that converts those insights into executive confidence and readiness. For clients facing trade volatility, that integration has become a requirement.”

Chicken of the Sea International Tariff Outreach

The US canned seafood industry relies on globally sourced ingredients that are processed, canned and packaged domestically, supporting thousands of American manufacturing jobs. And Chicken of the Sea International found itself disproportionately impacted by tariffs on tuna loins and other essential inputs such as steel packaging and olive oil.

For COSI, ongoing tariffs increased production costs at US facilities, strained domestic manufacturing operations, and placed pressure on American jobs and grocery prices at a time when affordability was already a growing concern. And as far at the media coverage was concerned, canned seafood was largely absent from the conversation.

New York-based PR agency Hunter sought to insert COSI into the economic news cycle with clarity and credibility, via executive interviews in top-tier national news outlets read and followed by policymakers, business leaders, and influencers, positioning the company as a credible, solutions-oriented industry leader advocating for American jobs and affordable food.

Says Julie Sternberg, managing director, food & beverage at Hunter:“While many industries like computer chips and premium wines were grabbing headlines, we knew that the impact of tariffs on the seafood industry was massive and deserving of the spotlight. It's a complicated and layered situation, so we worked closely with the Chicken of the Sea team to unpack and zero in on the key factors that would have implications to the American consumer: American jobs, food costs and access to safe and healthy seafood.”

As a result, Hunter was able to help Chicken of the Sea conduct in-depth interviews with The New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Politico and more.“The resulting press coverage, including a front-page story in The NY Times, drew tariffs on the seafood industry into the national spotlight and gave the company an elevated platform to reach lawmakers," Sternberg says.

Collectively, this coverage reframed the tariff conversation to include canned seafood while clearly articulating the unintended consequences of tariff policy on US manufacturing, American jobs, and consumer affordability. And the visibility generated by this coverage helped reignite dialogue around canned seafood tariffs among key stakeholders in Washington.

“For Chicken of the Sea, tariffs are not an abstract policy issue. They have a direct impact on our cost structure, our US manufacturing operations, and the affordability of our products for consumers,” says Andy Mecs, president at Chicken of the Sea.“That's why we decided to respond by telling our story in a transparent, solutions-oriented way, grounded in facts and the real experiences of our workforce.

“The outcome was strong national media attention that helped put canned seafood on the map in the broader tariff discussion and gave policymakers a clearer understanding of what was at stake.”

How Smarty Owned the Tariff Moment

While many organizations were surprised when the tariffs that Trump had threatened on the campaign trail materialized on a massive scale, popular online shopping rewards app Smarty was not one of them. Before the first executive order was issued, Smarty and its PR agency Bospar partnered with Propeller Insights to field two surveys, uncovering deep shifts in consumer behavior.

In Q4 of 2024 the first survey revealed spending hesitation, while Q3 2025 confirmed that 71% of consumers were delaying major purchases amid rising prices and political uncertainty. Smarty's internal teams used the data to refine messaging, user experience, and acquisition strategies.

And the research went beyond tracking concerns: it predicted behavior and positioned Smarty as the essential partner for smart shopping.

"As an affiliate model, tariffs didn't have a direct impact on our business, but they created a moment where consumers were actively seeking clarity, and financial options,” says Natasha Kleinman, Smarty's VP of brand marketing. “ We leaned into that with relevant research and forward-thinking guidance, which not only drove strong media pickup, it also elevated Smarty's position as a trusted, consumer-first brand.”

A core element of the strategy was to release the data in waves, an approach Bospar called“slow-drip newsjacking.” The team tailored narratives around three angles, with expert commentary from Vipin Porwal, Smarty's CEO, around tariff anxiety, the rise of“secondhand shopping,” and the unitended consequences of panic buying in anticipation of increased tariffs.

"Seeding comprehensive research on US consumer tariffs concerns with readied situational messaging proved to be the key in creating viral media interest in our data, thought leadership and experts' insights,” says Brent Shelton, VP of media relations at Bospar.“Collectively that brought months of record online traffic to a client well-positioned to provide savings on products and services directly affected by these tariffs.”

Customer signups increased 35% year-over-year from Q1 2024 to Q1 2025, with a 19% surge from March to April 2025 alone.

Tariff Talk: Braking Down the Year of the Tariff

Following a 2023 rebrand and the introduction of a monthly Industry Insights report in 2024, Cars has been seeking to further cement its place as an industry expert and to break out beyond automotive news reporters and outlets and into more general, consumer and top-tier business publications.

In anticipation of President Trump taking office and beginning to enact his tariff policy, a team including Dallas-based public relations firm LDWW worked to position Cars as a go-to source of information and expertise for all things auto tariffs. By cultivating an“always-on”, newsjacking approach, the team was able to respond in real time to a frenetic news cycle.

Cars was quick to establish a neutral approach that centered on facts and data, without any commentary on political aspects. The approach included e monthly Industry Insights report, which tracked relevant metrics such as price impacts, consumer demand, inventory and pricing by country of origin; and quick response commentary and data.

“We knew tariffs would dominate the headlines last year and Cars was strategically positioned to serve as a non-biased, third-party expert on how tariffs would impact the auto industry and car shoppers alike,” says Brandon Smulyan, partner at LDWW.

“Over the course of the yearlong tariff campaign, Cars's deep bench of industry experts and analysts became the go-to source for insights on all things auto tariffs, commenting on everything from price impacts to where consumers could find the most American-made vehicles, which drove gains in media presence, impressions, reputation and ultimately traffic for the brand.”

Tariffs outreach consistently performed, hitting target media including The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, USA Today, CBS News, CNN and The Street. Outreach also supported two existing campaigns, Industry Insights and The American-Made Index, boosting internal priorities in addition to the overarching goal of increasing brand authority.

Trump Tariff Surcharged on Vibrators

When President Trump announced tariffs on Chinese imports, Dame-a leading female-founded sexual wellness company-faced an immediate financial challenge. With manufacturing operations based in China, tariffs escalating from 34% to as high as 145% threatened to significantly increase the costs of its products, including vibrators.

Passing those increases onto consumers without explanation risked eroding trust in a brand built on transparency and advocacy. So Dame turned to New York-based SolComms to manage a communications effort that would maintain consumer trust and loyalty by explaining clearly the cause of price increases and to position Dame's founder, Alexandra Fine, as a bold leader willing to speak candidly about the intersection of business, politics, and equity.

And in an industry often overlooked due to stigma, Dame and Solcomms saw tariffs as a storytelling opportunity.

“When the initial tariff news broke, we immediately recognized the impact on Dame and moved quickly to elevate the founder's perspective into a broader media narrative,” says Olivia Sepulveda, associate director, SolComms.“By leaning into transparency from LinkedIn commentary to the visible $5 tariff surcharge on the company's website, we turned a business challenge into a powerful storytelling moment.”

The campaign generated 64 pieces of organic press coverage in one month, spanning digital, broadcast, and national business media, including a CNN segment that spotlighted Dame as a leading example of transparency in action. Customer sentiment online reflected appreciation for Dame's honesty, reinforcing brand loyalty during a period of volatility.

“The tariffs had a real and immediate impact on our business,” says Fine,“Our customs costs tripled almost overnight, disrupting our inventory planning, straining cash flow, and forcing us to rethink how we communicated price changes to customers.

“Rather than quietly raising prices, we chose to be transparent by introducing a visible 'Trump tariff surcharge' at checkout so customers could see exactly what was driving the increase. That transparency resonated, even if it was polarizing. It sparked conversation, gave customers context, and ultimately strengthened trust with our community while allowing us to advocate for the realities small businesses were facing.”

And when the tariffs were later ruled unlawful, the company refunded every dollar to its customers automatically.“Whether or not we ever recover that money ourselves, it didn't feel right to keep it,” Fine says.:We believe businesses can choose to operate fairly and lead with integrity, even when policy doesn't. The government may not always play fair, but we will."

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