Study finds polarization increasing in corporate brands that voters believe best mirror their political leanings SAN LUIS OBISPO — Political polarization has far-reaching impacts on American life, harming consumer welfare and creating challenges for leaders, from politicians and policymakers to corporate executives and marketers, says a study led by a pair of Cal Poly professors. That’s one of the conclusions of a new scholarly paper co-led by T.J. Weber and Chris Hydock, assistant professors of marketing in the Orfalea College of Business, and co-authored by researchers from five other universities across the country. The paper, published in January, appears in the Journal of Public Policy & Marketing of the American Marketing Association.