Brand Toxicity is a reality.
It sounds like something medicinal or some sort of liver defect however in the last months ,we have all seen what is probably the prime example of brand toxicity form none other than President Donald “the Donald” Trump.
There are numerous instances where huge blunders were made by a brand through bad marketing. A few worthy mentions are the Chevy “Nova” which was marketed in Mexico.Sadly, no va ,in Spanish , means doesn’t work! The “AYDS Diet Candy”,you wont need any help figuring that one out. Even furniture giant IKEA somehow came up and agreed upon the name of “FARTFULL” for one of its desks.
Language and knowledge of language,as mentioned in the example above, plays a huge role in the success a product.
Star Goal Keeper Walter Zenga from Italy was promoting the newest console from SEGA during Italia 90, Sega just happened to overlook that SEGA in Italian means something that couldn’t be more different that what it actually was.
The fact that the full name of the product was actually the “Sega Master System”, sent Italians into hysterics. It is something that is still laughed about today.
The above examples don’t really constitute brand toxicity. They are blunders. Some are very bad blunders that really affected the shares of the company and its sales but , they were honest mistakes
Today we have huge global brands all fighting for space , forging alliances to increase value and sales, awareness and market share.
TRUMP’s alliance with DAMAC would have seen the TRUMP Brand explode in the Middle Eastern Market.
Everything was proceeding well and everyone thought they were moving towards pure gold.
That is until “the Donald “opened his mouth.
Lets forget about the brand for a second and analyse the awful, ridiculous, uneducated and offensive and incendiary remarks he has made during his presidential run.
He wants Mexicans out and wants to build a wall across the border. He wants the Mexicans to pay for the wall and says that the Mexicans that come across the boarder are rapists and drug dealers.
Pretty bad no matter how you look at it.
When we thought things couldn’t get worse, Trump immediately came to the rescue!
He called for a ban on ALL Muslims, not just Arabs, but ALL Muslims entering the United States until “they figure out what to do with them”. Did this include Muslims in the US Armed Forces, Muslim stock brokers, business owners, politicians from the US?
Of course there were other “Kodak” moments in the pas months and weeks. Perhaps too many to mention but now, lets view the US as a brand
How do you think the above comments and comments made later have affected the US?
Not well this is for sure.
Now lets get back to his own brand, the TRUMP brand.
This is a prime example of Brand Toxicity.
1.6 billion Muslims around the world.
He managed to insult and alienate them on the biggest platform there is!
Now the toxicity that he created will spread to brands associated with him such as Damac.
Can you imagine how they must have felt? Being stuck in a contract with the man who said that ALL Muslims should be barred from entering the united states until” we figure out what to do with them”?
Brand Toxicity at its best.
Now lets move back to the USA.
He has rendered himself and his brand along with him completely toxic.
Not just with his racist slanderous rants against entire ethnic and religious groups but also with his honest stupidity, I mean ” we have to go and talk to Bill Gates! we have to talk to Bill Gates and shut the internet!” …still makes me laugh! But people, he is the President.
This man single-handedly set America back 60 years!
What he is saying is reminiscent of Nazi Germany.
He has empowered bigots and managed to turn his brand into a political mistake for any company that wishes to use it or country that wishes to host it.
Why did he do it? well , good question, Im pretty sure that he wanted to shock, and he did, however I am also equally sure that despite what he says, he actually didn’t think things through at all! I am sure he didn’t anticipate the backlash and now he is stuck having to move forward with it.
There is no coming back from what he said.
This will be remembered wherever he goes..
It will probably pass on to his kids as well.
The TRUMP name is now toxic to 1.6 billion people, the number is actually, at least, double that as most people have a brain and can see that it is pure insanity.
A report came out a few weeks ago saying the Trump Brand lost 450 million usd in value since the beginning of his presidency.
Truthfully , I am not surprised.
This is why PR is so important. It is very important as the head of a brand to “filter” comments and emotions especially if your brand carries your name!
Never isolate your brand, and never assume that your brand is immortal because the truth is that brands are extremely delicate and fragile and can crumble very quickly because of simple things such as words.
