According to Bernadette Rivero, co-founder and president of Cortez Brothers, brands currently have a more active role in society: “It’s strange, but today’s brands behave like the political leaders of yesteryear.” Rivero feels that brands like Walmart and Dick’s Sporting Goods – which took a stand on gun control in the U.S. after banning sales to those under 21 – are making a difference. “They have a voice and have enormous platforms from which to project that voice. And as you can see from what Walmart and Dick’s are doing, they are now speaking to the entire country just like a politician would – if today’s politicians weren’t trapped in an endless cycle of talking and talking without actually doing anything.” After the tragedy at the Parkland high school on February 14, in which 17 people were shot and killed, Walmart announced it would only sell weapons and high-capacity magazines to those over 21, while Dick’s Sporting Goods, the biggest sports gear chain of all, said it would stop selling weapons like the deadly AK-15 assault rifle used in the Parkland shooting, and at the same time increased the age for buying any firearm to 21.