The Diminished American Brand

As a follow-up to my earlier post, I thought it important to note that what has suffered most is the American brand. What this means is that people inside the country and those around the world no longer view America as having the same attributes that it ones had. America was a place of enormous opportunity, wealth and creativity. There was nothing we were afraid to do, and little we could not accomplish if we put our minds and resources behind it. That was the perception, real or imagined, and people responded. It was no surprise that at one time a large portion of those founding Silicon Valley companies came from other countries, drawn to the US because of capital and our willingness to invest in potential. We were not a country looking toward the past, but one always looking to the future.

This economic mess has unraveled that brand. We are now looked at as being reckless and greedy. The same attributes that were respected are now looked at from a different perspective and they don't look very good.

Why should this matter? Brands differentiate and create desire and behavioral action. People buy, they invest, they join, etc. What will happen when people do not believe in our markets? What will happen when the best and the brightest from around the world no longer want to come here? What will happen when the dollar is no longer a currency that people covet and benchmark?

The other issue is that brands are always judged within a context of competitive offerings. We have now helped to elevate the brands of places like China, Brazil and India. They have serious problems, but they have future upsides that to many appear much more appealing than the US. This is sad.

Can we reverse this problem? Yes, brands can be rebuilt when the foundation of what made the brand great in the first place still has substance and perceived value. The next president will be the leader of brand America and will have to regain the confidence of those inside the country first and then regain the confidence of those outside the country. It won't be easy. We have a deficit of mammouth proportions--almost unimaginable. The Bush Administration has left us in shambles economically and with few friends around the world. Most of the world is smiling that the arrogant Americans are getting knocked down a notch. The smile would be larger if we weren't taking the rest of the world with us.