Brand USA
March 18, 2002 4:59 AM Subscribe
Brand USA Naomi ('No Logo') Klein on Charlotte Beers' work to manage the US 'brand'. Sitting outside the US, a lot of what Klein says about external perception of the 'brand' (and of Beers' actions) seems quite believable to me, but I'd be interested in hearing an insider view.
Klein's assertion that "...America's problem is not with its brand-- which could scarcely be stronger--but with its product" seems relatively solid, and if it is, it seems that Ms Beers' mission is all-but-impossible, or at the very least misdirected.
That said, the thrust of Klein's argument is the assertion that the US's values are basically incompatible with the whole idea of branding, and I'd suggest that the same could be said of many countries. I suppose the point here is that this specific exercise is rooted in the US's positioning of itself in the world at this point in time.
[Via abraxas]
Klein's assertion that "...America's problem is not with its brand-- which could scarcely be stronger--but with its product" seems relatively solid, and if it is, it seems that Ms Beers' mission is all-but-impossible, or at the very least misdirected.
That said, the thrust of Klein's argument is the assertion that the US's values are basically incompatible with the whole idea of branding, and I'd suggest that the same could be said of many countries. I suppose the point here is that this specific exercise is rooted in the US's positioning of itself in the world at this point in time.
[Via abraxas]
sheauga, OUTSTANDING link!
It's well worth some time at that site.
posted by Blake at 5:48 AM on March 18, 2002
It's well worth some time at that site.
posted by Blake at 5:48 AM on March 18, 2002
Gah! That entire story appears as one giant hyperlink in Konqueror.
posted by dagnyscott at 6:07 AM on March 18, 2002
posted by dagnyscott at 6:07 AM on March 18, 2002
"There is nothing wrong with getting somebody who knows how to sell something. We are selling a product. We need someone who can re-brand American foreign policy, re-brand diplomacy." - Colin Powell
After thinking it over a little more, having worked in sales: Branding / advertising isn't the same thing as actually selling. Selling means you provide something to meet your customer's need, and that something is worth paying a price. Is USA, Inc. really listening to its customer base, and meeting its needs at a price that works?
Perhaps Ms. Klein has a point, that we need to "re-brand" diplomacy by listening to our customers, and finding the range of products that work for them-- not by slapping a new label on the same old stuff.
Or perhaps our counterparts in other countries are asking to be treated not as customers, but as respected partners in the enterprise, whose opinions are valued even when we don't fully agree.
posted by sheauga at 6:13 PM on March 18, 2002
After thinking it over a little more, having worked in sales: Branding / advertising isn't the same thing as actually selling. Selling means you provide something to meet your customer's need, and that something is worth paying a price. Is USA, Inc. really listening to its customer base, and meeting its needs at a price that works?
Perhaps Ms. Klein has a point, that we need to "re-brand" diplomacy by listening to our customers, and finding the range of products that work for them-- not by slapping a new label on the same old stuff.
Or perhaps our counterparts in other countries are asking to be treated not as customers, but as respected partners in the enterprise, whose opinions are valued even when we don't fully agree.
posted by sheauga at 6:13 PM on March 18, 2002
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posted by sheauga at 5:43 AM on March 18, 2002