How Brand Reputational Costs Can Offset Lack Of Accountability
Our world is in sad shape – corruption, misinformation, growing inequality, tax evasion, unending partisanship, stagnation in Washington, anti-democracy rulings, and a pandemic that continues to divide society on vaccinations and curtail economic recovery. Frustration is deep as there is seldom any accountability or little progress for resolving all these problems. Recently a glimmer of hope has appeared. Three encouraging events have occurred this fall that demonstrate how new data mainly from whistle-blowers will convincingly expose...
read moreWhat’s Wrong With The Anti-Vaccine “Freedom Of Choice” Branding
The U.S. is going through a tough period. A surge in deaths from the Delta variant of Covid-19 and the politicization of solutions, an economy waiting to recover fully, and a growing exasperation and desire to return to normalcy. Behind all of this is the continued reluctance by so many Americans to get vaccinated, falling short of the necessary “herd immunity” levels (i.e. over 70%, only 61% of adults are vaccinated now) needed to conquer Covid-19. A key reason for this shortfall is the effective branding and marketing by anti-vaccine...
read moreThreats To Our Democracy? A Branding Perspective
It seems ironic that in our polarized society today, there is a clear consensus agreeing on the importance of maintaining our democratic system, yet the approaches are very different. Our government leaders promise to uphold the constitution, but new issues have emerged that have created concerns on all sides on whether the tactics offered represent a threat or a boost to democracy. Democracy is about freedom of choice for all citizens, defined and protected by the constitution. Lincoln famously said “Democracy is a government of the...
read moreHow Victoria’s Secret Re-Defined “Sexy” to Re-Brand
The recent re-branding of Victoria’s Secret demonstrates a classic marketing challenge for adapting to changing tastes and desires of primary target customers. Recognizing how your audience has evolved is half the battle. A bigger question is how to update a brand to retain your core customers, yet also appeal to the emerging values of other potential customers. Understanding the origin of the Victoria’s Secret brand concept can help. In 1977 Roy Raymond started Victoria’s Secret with his first store near San Francisco. ...
read moreMisinformation: Why So Many Won’t Accept The Truth
Our society has become so emotionally charged with mistrust and negativity, sowing doubts about our core democratic institutions (e.g. voting), fair treatment of minorities and even honest relationships among neighbors and friends. A primary driver for this hyper-polarization is the rampant spread of misinformation, which also endangers the heart of good branding. The most mind-boggling question is WHY so many consistently refuse to believe the truth, even when clear facts and convincing evidence are presented to them. FDR once said:...
read moreHow Hollywood And The Oscars Lost Their Branded Magic
A key driver for making America a cultural powerhouse over the years has been the popular movies from Hollywood. Fans all over the world would flock to their local theatres to see the latest from Hollywood, especially the Oscar nominees. It was a unique “dream factory” that spawned new heroes to cheer, rich content for TV and cable, related paraphernalia, and an endless fountain of gossip for the media. Captivating, widely popular, memorable ENTERTAINMENT is what the Hollywood brand has promised to the masses, and delivered, at least until...
read moreHow Hollywood And The Oscars Lost Their Branded Magic
A key driver for making America a cultural powerhouse over the years has been the popular movies from Hollywood. Fans all over the world would flock to their local theatres to see the latest from Hollywood, especially the Oscar nominees. It was a unique “dream factory” that spawned new heroes to cheer, rich content for TV and cable, related paraphernalia, and an endless fountain of gossip for the media. Captivating, widely popular, memorable ENTERTAINMENT is what the Hollywood brand has promised to the masses, and delivered, at least until...
read moreA 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 moreLessons In Re-Branding: Trump To Biden
A brand should be strategic and rarely change dramatically. But new customers often emerge with different values and demands, competition may bring pressure on a brand, and/or new leaders invariably want to re-position their message and brand image. We are now seeing a stark re-branding of the Trump Presidency by Biden, which offers a classic lesson on what is essential to create a new and different brand identity. (Note: this is not about right or wrong, but about different approaches.) In any new product or re-branding initiative, the...
read more“Words Matter” – How Republicans Leverage Emotion-Driven Words
While the Democrats can rejoice that Biden won the presidency, they experienced surprising and disheartening setbacks in the House (lost 10 Seats), plus many “down ballot” elections in various states. A major reason for this surprising outcome was the masterful use of highly emotional words and accusations by the Republicans which created fear and anxiety among Trump’s base (e.g. primarily non-educated, rural whites) and importantly many swing voters. The voters’ intense emotional reaction contributed to these Republican gains, which also...
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