What will America’s Brand Message Be?
America has a lot of explaining to do. As a country, our nation’s brand is changing – and not necessarily for the better. People here and especially abroad aren’t certain what our country stands for anymore. We come across as a nation deeply divided. Instead of joining together as the “us” in U.S., we are separated by a “versus.” Haves vs. have-nots. Intelligence vs. ignorance. Acceptance vs. intolerance. Us vs. them. How is this affecting America’s brand message?
As much as brand integrity is valuable, it is also vulnerable. What was once known as “word of mouth” has evolved into modern social media. Opinions disguised as facts can be disseminated worldwide in a matter of seconds. The Washington Post and a random blogger’s post appear online alongside each other as though they carry the same weight. As a result, businesses and organizations can benefit from immediate praise – or burn to the ground in a firestorm of criticism, whether justified or based in lies.
The same thing can happen to nations.
Every country has a distinct brand and it should be valued as if it were a precious commodity. Countries rely upon the strength and clarity of their brand to secure trade deals, influence other countries and project the image of courage and confidence necessary to remain independent. When a nation’s brand is weakened by divisiveness, the brand message and image it projects become diluted, unsure.
As Election Day draws near, protecting the integrity of America’s brand and our message is worthy of some serious thought. The coming national elections are about more than promoting one political party over another, more than proposals and promises, more than one person’s message. They are about the collective message we want our country to communicate to the rest of the world – the core of America’s brand.
What happens November 8 will most assuredly determine, beginning January 20, whether our brand message will be clear to the world, and just how much explaining we will need to do.