N.B. I don’t own the rights to the images on my blogs and website. Howerver, due to the Fair Use act, I have taken these from the Bing online images on Google.
A Branding Perspective: Why Corporations Oppose Voter Suppression
The rising tide of corporate resistance to new voting suppression laws is gaining momentum every day. The possible ramifications of this opposition are wide and deep. Conservatives urge business to stay out of politics, even though many enjoy receiving corporate contributions. Their rationale is a baseless argument that such modifications are essential for eliminating voter fraud, which has been totally disproven. On the other hand, many view these new voter restrictions as an alarming threat to our democracy, similar to the January 6...
read moreTrump Brand: Shrewd Marketing Or Narcissistic Overreach?
Many people believe Donald Trump is brilliant at branding, since his name is on such a vast variety of products, services and even public institutions. A brand name is considered the “face of the brand”, and ideally it must imply a promise of benefits that will ultimately lead to a favorable relationship with an audience. Brand image and personality are also critical since the emotional connotations of the name should match what customers want and expect. In general, there are several approaches to creating good brand names. The...
read moreThe Talarico Brand: Targeting An Emerging “Silent Majority”
Branding is strategic, so a basic promise should stay focused on the distinct desires of a target audience. However, market dynamics often require brands to tweak their promise or competitive edge to address changing attitudes and values of their customers. These principles are especially relevant in today’s chaotic world of politics, characterized by extremism, divisiveness, hateful speech and even violence. Fringe activists from both the Republicans and Democrats are guilty of vitriolic rhetoric and misinformation to castigate their...
read moreMinneapolis-Olympics: Re-Discovering Key Brand Values
In today’s chaotic and divisive world, it can be difficult to identify many new happenings that make us feel encouraged and optimistic. Two events that are currently dominating our news are the I.C.E. driven protests in Minneapolis and inspiring heroics at the Olympics in Italy. The juxtaposition of these disparate experiences reveals some heartwarming values, however, that most people genuinely crave. And these values are also critical for successfully positioning and marketing a brand. The Power of Emotions Neuroscientists have proven...
read moreHow Politics Are Now Undermining Environmental Car Brands
A fundamental challenge for the development of a strong brand positioning is to create a distinctive “reason for being” that is highly relevant to target customers and different from competition. In 2001 Toyota introduced the market’s first gas-electric hybrid, Prius, and it quickly became the global leader in green cars. Its core “reason for being” was the environmental benefit of “saving the planet”. In comparison to gas driven cars, driving a Prius would also cost much less and would make Toyota more competitive around the world. The...
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Deviating From Core Brand Promises Can Be Risky – In Business & Politics Successful branding requires extensive research, creativity and credibility. It is strategic, so the goal is to develop a relevant promise and image that will captivate an audience, and over time establish a trusting relationship with the brand’s customers (or voters). However, when a brand changes course and leaves its original message and values, it risks a significant decline in popularity, including political brands (i.e. Biden and Trump). Business...
read moreHow Ken Burns’ “American Revolution” Undermines The Trump Brand
On Sunday, November 16, the latest Ken Burns documentary, “The American Revolution” will premiere on PBS. After 9 years in production, Burns considers this his most consequential public-spirited program ever. It’s vision of America is an ongoing moral experiment, defined by Enlightenment ideas and values that inspired the Revolution: reason, civic duty, truth and shared humanity. These ideals contrast with the Trump brand values of dominance, loyalty to the leader and his view of democracy as transactional and populist. For Trump, power...
read moreHow The Dutch Shaped New York City’s Unique Brand
This year is New York City’s 400th birthday. However, there will be no big celebration as promised by Mayor Eric Adams earlier in the year, due to all the controversies leading to his departure as a candidate for mayor, plus the endless chaos from Trumpism. Furthermore, New Yorkers are not as wistful about their history, compared to other cities like Boston. Instead, most attention has been focused on the mayor’s race between the 34-year-old Islamic outlier, Zohran Mamdani (originally from Uganda), and the older (67), establishment candidate,...
read moreDoes Trump Deserve The 2025 Nobel Peace Prize?
It is no secret that Trump has been vigorously lobbying for the 2025 Nobel Peace Prize. This obsession is consistent with his enduring search for cult-like worship and recognition. He is still complaining about not getting an Emmy for his reality TV show, The Apprentice, and continues to claim the 2020 Presidential election was rigged and that he won. Now he brags that he is the world’s greatest peacemaker and his accomplishments deserve the Nobel Peace Prize. But do they? A factual examination of the criteria for this Peace prize matched...
read moreIt’s Basic: The Democrat’s Brand Must Offer What Voters Want
The starting point for the development or repositioning of any brand is a deep dive into what exactly their audience wants, their perceived hang-ups, and how intensely they feel. The Republicans did this and offered proposals that won the Presidential election. The Democrats complained a lot about Trump and his vision for America but did not provide any credible solution that would address voters’ pain. In short, they didn’t do their homework well. Now the Democratic brand is in big trouble. The appeal of their brand is at its lowest point in...
read moreHow Trump Has Tarnished The Brand Image Of American Goods Abroad.
The goal for any brand is to create a strong bond with consumers. Brand loyalty is sustained by maintaining a perception of trust, credibility and authenticity. Price always matters, but emotions can play a crucial role for keeping customers happy and satisfied. Historically American companies have been leaders for establishing significant brand franchises in Canada, Europe and the rest of the world. With their pioneering brand marketing acumen and credible product quality, the American heritage has been an essential ingredient for the...
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