So, What is Trump’s Brand Strategy anyway?

Some say Donald Trump fits in this category. His tough talking straight shooter persona seems to be dividing Republicans, shocking America and insulting everyone else. Can he really win the Republican presidential nomination? Some are asking, do we want him to?

Most of us have been surprised at his rise. He is known to speak his mind causing others…people, businesses, corporations and even countries to distance themselves from him or move closer to him. And like the Energizer Bunny, he just keeps going and going…and making more and more money. Maybe we should start calling himTeflon Don. LOL

So what is ‘The Donald’s’ brand strategy?

A brand strategy extends the vision of a brand using all resources and marketing channels (internal and external) to differentiate this brand from the competition to reach a specific audience. Denise Lee Yohn wrote a Forbes article detailing IKEA’s brand attributes that makeup their brand strategy. One of them is for IKEA to be a ‘the leader of life at home.’ People are observed in their homes and they use those insights to tell user stories and inform product development.

The difference between Donald Trump and IKEA is that he is THE brand. Does anyone remember Milton Bradley’s 1989 Trump Board Game above? I do but I don’t remember anyone buying it.

So, why are so many buying what he has to say now? Based on my observations, here is his brand strategy:

1. Free publicity for his Celebrity Apprentice reality TV show.  Nah, NBC fired him from this show and dropped his beauty pageants back in June because of his comments about Mexican immigrants.
2. Free publicity for Trump’s numerous business enterprises. I dont think so since his name is on most of his ventures and bad publicity doesnt help brands grow, or does it?
3. Donald Trump loves personally being in the public eye. Probably.
4. He is a bully. He has conducted himself this way in the media. But isn’t this considered a typical corporate attribute?

Hmmm. The above attributes are pretty obvious and may not say anything new about him. In the past, Trump would quickly move on to something else once he exhausted the media. But its different now. He seems to be entrenching himself for the long haul. Some people trust him. What is motivating him? So, let’s go deeper. Here is another attribute:

 He is the proverbial scrappy underdog who wants to be liked on his own terms. His ‘started at the bottom, now we’re here’ mentality  justifies his drive to embarrass his opponents.

He called Erik Erikson a loser (personal insults), told women he will do things for them that no other candidate can ever do (vague platitudes), said politicians are all talk and no action (populist statements) and tells supporters he is really rich (credibility qualifiers). 

Donald Trump has made it look like he bootstrapped his way to billionaire status. I won’t say he did not work hard but he DID NOT start at the bottom. That needs to be said. So, how has he convinced a swath of supporters that he is a rags to riches billionaire that knows whats best for them?

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