This is an article from some business column I've subscribed to.
I thought it makes for some interesting reading, for every one in general (pro or anti Bush) and in particular
3rd Degree burn,
Christopher and others who are of the opinion that the president has nothing to do with the economy.
The stuff written is very debatable, depening on the side you're on, but it's good reading.
I might be breaking some copyright stuff, but heck, who's gonna sue me?(I can hear someone
"...the music majors might..."). And besides, anyone can subscribe to the column if they wanted. But just to appease the copyright owners, make sure you visit our sponsors. They are at
www.business2.comHere goes:
Does a Bush Win Mean U.S. Brands Lose? Get ready for the backlash, warns a "nation brander."
By Thomas Mucha, November 11, 2004 With the reelection of George W. Bush, American voters have spoken. Now it is the turn of global consumers. That's the opinion of Simon Anholt, a nation-branding specialist who advises government officials in Croatia, New Zealand, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom, as well as global institutions such as the United Nations and the World Bank. And according to Anholt, the coming consumer backlash isn't going to be pretty.
"This is undoubtedly the worst thing that could have happened," Anholt says of the president's reelection. "Bush has presided over a period of unparalleled decline in the popularity of the United States. Global disapproval of U.S. foreign policy has become so intense that it is spilling over and contaminating the image of U.S. brands and culture."
Before you dismiss this as the whining of yet one more blue-state crybaby, consider the big idea Anholt is pushing: Even in our fast-moving, borderless global economy, brands come with national baggage -- both good and ill. Nation-branding adherents claim this universal psychological trait is why you pay more for a German-engineered BMW than, say, a well-made Hyundai from Korea. It's also why Belgian chocolate costs more than similar stuff produced in England. Simply put, national image matters. (So do prices, consumer tastes, competitive pressures, and countless other complexities of an $11 trillion economy, but work with me here.)
Anholt says the perception many global consumers already have of "Brand America" is of a land teeming with fat, arrogant, oil-slurping, power-hungry cowboys. That's hardly an ideal tagline for a place that produces 63 percent of the world's top brands. "These next four years could witness the terminal decline of the greatest brand the world has ever seen," Anholt warns.
Fine, you might say, foreigners don't like the U.S. government's policies. What does that have to do with my company? Well, some experts assert that those angry youngsters and rising anti-Americanism are already affecting red-white-and-blue businesses. "It is absolutely hitting profits," says Cari Eggspuehler, executive director of Business for Diplomatic Action, a New York-based organization made up of advertising executives, academics, and policy wonks. "[Anti-American sentiment] is affecting companies irrespective of region or industry. It is across the board."
It's OK to be skeptical of Anholt's and Eggspuehler's claims. After all, they can't produce a single example of a brand that has been damaged so far. "It's difficult to fix the point at which 'protest' and 'guerrilla' brands like Mecca-Cola, which have a political and social importance but little economic impact, give way to changes in mass behavior which have a massive impact," Anholt argues. "Perhaps certain restaurants in Germany refusing to accept American Express cards is the thin end of the wedge. But narrow protests, in our liberal-democratic, Internet-connected age, do have a habit of suddenly blossoming into mass phenomena."
Even if you don't buy it, a smart and sensitive global marketer should consider the advice of these nation branders, because it holds up whether or not the anti-Bush case is overblown. "Run as fast as you can from Brand America,'' Anholt says. "Make your brand culture the culture of your organization, not the culture of your country." Among Anholt's other suggestions: "Forge alliances with trusted local partners in overseas markets. Invest in ethical behavior like your life depended on it. Demonstrate corporate social responsibility in every action of your corporation and your people."
Meanwhile, Eggspuehler's organization is compiling a list of best practices of leading multinationals, which is based on the assumption that the companies that succeed in foreign markets ought to know them best. It is also pushing mass corporate exchange programs, conducting new market research on globalization and anti-Americanism, and publishing books on the relationship between business and public diplomacy. Says DDB chairman Keith "You Deserve a Break Today" Reinhard of Business for Diplomatic Action's mission, "We're committed to engaging the private sector to out-recruit bin Laden."
