The invisible branding in the inauguration of Donald Trump

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So he is finally the President.   Now I can really stress the worth and importance of branding to my clients. Selling is all about branding; and the stronger your brand, the more you can price your service or product. Needless to say if it’s branded right and communicated to the right audience, it will sell. So the bottom line? He sold himself to the right audience to take the Oval Office.

So now that that’s been taken care of, which brand did you hear most about throughout the inauguration ceremony? In the studio commentary of all the media channels, which brand came up over and over? There was no logo flash, no subtle branding, and no advertising or symbols and billboards. If you have not guessed it yet, it was the American symbol of fashion designer, Ralph Lauren, from Nebraska who has probably never played polo.

So would you call this native advertising, as they say in digital advertising where in order to dodge ad blocking by sites you camouflage the actual advertisement to look like something else? Or would you call this a PR stunt — providing free fashion consultation and clothing to the president elect and his families? Or, better yet, is it just fluke combined with luck and years of hard work to become the symbol of the ultimate American fashion designer that obviously a patriotic first lady would choose to wear. Even Anderson Cooper of CNN, while discussing Ralph Lauren, mentioned that he wears the brand regularly. What an endorsement, from the first lady to a CNN anchor.

Usually we pay millions for product placements in movies, TV dramas to get the eyeballs without being an actual advertisement. This was the best free media Ralph Lauren could have gotten, with billions of people watching all over the world.

Now, people can say a zillion things about Melania Trump but the way she came in to the inauguration did take me, as well as others back to the Kennedy times. True, she plagiarized her look, her grace and even the way she walked. But who better to copy than Jackie Kennedy? Copying her is bringing old-time 60s style back into the Oval Office. At least she will compensate for the longish tie hanging behind the unbuttoned suit jacket.

To me the true winner in terms of branding in the inauguration broadcast was none but Ralph Lauren. A brand that the youth don’t relate to or even care about. Polo t-shirts have become a generic name for the collared t-shirt but whether it’s Ralph Lauren nobody really cares. This is a perfect opportunity for Ralph Lauren to rebrand and re launch and connect to the youth. Make the brand hip and cool again just like Donald is promising to make America great again!

The Unpredictable beginning

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You always like the smell of the new car, don’t you? Yes we do and change is always good for better or for worse. The unpredictable beginning is here. So now what? People are scared, nervous, touchy. Ok so we need to get the country together. How do we do that? Not by painting the country blue or red. Maybe yoga or even Valium so we sleep better. But hey, Donald is not a monster. He is just a hungry celebrity. Now that he is the biggest celebrity in the world he may be the wisest man on earth. Also. he will spend his time figuring out what he needs to do because I suspect he did not plan this win. He has to shelve his Trump TV plan for a while which he planned if he lost. So this means he has to get things done, which he is very good at, regardless of how his business is doing or the fact that he has not paid his taxes. Really if all you guys could come up with is he has not declared tax, why is he not in jail? Grabbing that with his hands, really. And you say when he goes low, you go high (no disrespect to Michele). To me she is the ideal candidate to run this country. Somebody who has authority and takes no bullshit from anybody.

 

But the point now is how do we get this country together. So being politically correct didn’t work, it only hides your anger. Being brutally honest didn’t work, because it only brings violence. So what is the solution? America – realize that until you bring yourself together there is no way you will stand in the global map. Look at China and India.

 

So it’s not a white supremacy but a white minority. They feel that they are the minority in this diversity. Are you alarmed? And if so, why? After all, it is “their country.” You might walk in and say that you are a minority who needs protection. But who is protecting the white minority? Nobody but Donald Trump. That’s where he wins. America doesn’t care if he is grabbing balls or P, if he is talking changing room chats. All that matters is what is he doing for them. He is getting the jobs back and he is making America great again. Do you need any more reason to elect him? I don’t think so. It’s all about what you promise and not what you do. Come on America, by now you should know that.

 

Why was Rambo such a super hit? Not because he saved America but because he saved the POWs from Vietnam in a movie. It’s all about perception. That’s all that matters before the vote. Nobody checks the facts, they MSNBC, FOX or CNN.

 

Media and pollsters are finally exposed. They are so far from the truth cause they really think they can reshape and remold it. Hello America, you can’t really write history as you speak. You need to go out and inform and let people decide. You are just a face who is supposed to inform – not judge or have opinions. Informing well is a job well done, making judgment and deciding what we want to hear is job badly done. Basic journalism 101. America has lost the essence of journalism and news broadcast. And that’s why we are here and people are shocked.

 

So to bring America back together is the job of the media. It is their job to fix what they broke. Blend the blues and the reds together, don’t expect the leaders to do that because they have better things to do. They have to run the country and the world. The media caused this division. And they now have a responsibility to help the leaders shape the world. If they believe they are in the wrong path criticize those leaders and bring them back to the right path. If they are on the right path, then help them get to their destination and fulfill the vision. Be a part of the change rather then obstructing change.

I’m With You to Make America Great Again

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Ok, I am an immigrant. Not from China or Mexico but still, a legal alien. Yes, a legal one from within Earth, not the ones from outer space, if you know what I mean. I have landed in the country of opportunities, freedom and freewill and wait, wow, it’s all about free Willy. Yes, whale, go live your life in the ocean the way you want to and I will help you fulfill your dream. Wait, what? What wet dreams? I have a dream to make America great again. Hang on, no, I don’t, but my campaign managers do.  My dream was to make America rich again.

This is what is happening in a country you thought you should look up to. Hey, don’t get me wrong, it is the country that you should look up to, barring all the political hatred.  After all, this is the only place in the universe that you can get away with murder (and I am not referring to the show “how to get away with murder”).

Ok now that that’s taken care of, lets discuss their campaigns…

I’m with you vs. make America great again. Well, the thought that America is not great will make Clint Eastwood and Steve McQueen throw up. On the other hand, “I’m with you” will make Mary Poppins come out of her grave with umbrellas in tow. Yes compare and judge knowing the American population, we are the Eastwoods and McQueen’s or wannabe’s.

Brand building is all about consistency and consistently pursuing your single-minded communication. How are we single minded? By reminding voters that we will make America great again. How? Who cares? You don’t need to know, cause if you did you would be running for president. This is America and this is how it’s done.

“I’m with you”, but if I am not you can’t be with him or her cause he or she is worse then me. And that’s the angle stronger than being with anyone. Sorry to disappoint, but that concept is weak and will not win you the war. But have no fear, it might just win you the battle.

To me these polls are bullshit and tell us nothing. We wont know anything until doomsday. Yes, folks, not the 28th but the 8th of November 2016.

 

I’m a woman and you can’t vote for Trump VS make America Great again is a landslide defeat even before the battle. Even if she wins and let’s all pray to whatever God we believe in that she does, I wish she had a better campaign manager or a strategist to figure out her niche. With so much experience an expert campaign manager should make her niche for the public rather than the dollar funding lobbyist. Because at the end of the day, the dollars only get you the eyeballs but the niche and the strategy get you the bang for the buck, which is the Vote. So unless your message is crafted according to your niche what is the point blasting it to the audience?

The US election will boil down to marketing, I mean it already has. If you need a better example, do some research on the recent election in India and how Modi came to power.

The footnote on the webpage of Hillary said this;

Paid for by Hillary for America, a grassroots campaign of over 2 million donors committed to electing Hillary Clinton (and keeping Donald Trump out of the White House).

I am actually confused about what Hillary’s current campaign slogan is. Her current positioning has clearly evolved to “given the choice I am your better option.” Currently, “stronger together” seems to be trending on social media. However, over the campaign period she has gone through numerous slogans, such as, “make America whole”, “love and kindness”, “break down barriers”, “build ladders of opportunity”, “love trumps hate” and of course, “I’m with you.”

On the other hand, if you look at Trump’s campaign, it has always been built around making a broken America “great again.”As he gathered momentum he changed it slightly to “America is great and I am your voice”. Consistency always pays off. I believe that he has managed to come this far mostly because of his consistent hammering of the same message to a similar target audience throughout his campaign. Razor sharp targeting and single minded messaging after building a brand persona that will attract that particular audience with this message. And it’s as simple as that.

Anyway, I am just a legal alien who does not have the right to vote. But if I did I dare not say who I would vote for because the choices laid out before me are so lame.

Some people need help and some don’t. Obama and Michelle didn’t cause they drove their own campaign. They are the products that every advertiser wants to promote because, like any product that delivers, you hardly need to advertise.

So now all we have to do is let the American people decide the fate of the rest of the world. And that’s exactly why this country is the land of opportunity and freedom. God bless us all!