Brands Respond to Trump
We are starting to see more and more brands not only get involved in socio-political issues (something that's been trending for awhile now), but also comment on "issues" that are popping up in the political arena...mostly with our new President.
Manhattan Storage has a long history of making such comments, here's just one example from the election last year:
I think a lot of people simply explain it away as "this is New York," but truthfully this kind of activity is invading the national scene now too.
About a month or so ago, Smirnoff jumped into the action surrounding the topic of Russia and captured people's attention for at least one news cycle:
This isn't a CEO supporting a candidate or making a bold statement, these are marketing communications meant to engage the brands' consumers.
Just this week Reebok "spoke" about Trump's recent trip (and dialogue) in France, again capturing people's attention:
These examples, and some others too, have a lot of marketers (and consumers too) asking if this kind of "advertising" is cool. They're asking if it's ok for brands to join conversations about "politics."
That my friends, is all about being consistent with the brands' values and positioning and of course being consistent with the brand's target audience and how they think, believe, and behave.
Is it right or wrong? All of that is best left in the eyes of the consumer. Just like everything in marketing.
I will say that no matter what, timing is everything.
What's your experience?
Manhattan Storage has a long history of making such comments, here's just one example from the election last year:
I think a lot of people simply explain it away as "this is New York," but truthfully this kind of activity is invading the national scene now too.
About a month or so ago, Smirnoff jumped into the action surrounding the topic of Russia and captured people's attention for at least one news cycle:
This isn't a CEO supporting a candidate or making a bold statement, these are marketing communications meant to engage the brands' consumers.
Just this week Reebok "spoke" about Trump's recent trip (and dialogue) in France, again capturing people's attention:
These examples, and some others too, have a lot of marketers (and consumers too) asking if this kind of "advertising" is cool. They're asking if it's ok for brands to join conversations about "politics."
That my friends, is all about being consistent with the brands' values and positioning and of course being consistent with the brand's target audience and how they think, believe, and behave.
Is it right or wrong? All of that is best left in the eyes of the consumer. Just like everything in marketing.
I will say that no matter what, timing is everything.
What's your experience?