they have the power to bring people together
- Written by Michael Beverland, Professor of Brand Management, University of Sussex Business School, University of Sussex
Whatever you think of his personality or politics, it’s impossible to deny the success of Donald Trump as a brand. Supporters and detractors across the world are transfixed by his second term as US president.
And so far, many corporate brands appear keen to get alongside him. The leaders of Tesla, Amazon and Meta were all prominent guests at Trump’s inauguration in January 2025.
By then, Mark Zuckerberg had already shifted company policy on fact checking to be more aligned with the political wind[1]. Weeks later, retail giants Walmart and Target had rolled back[2] diversity, equality and inclusion (DEI) initiatives.
Even the NFL, which had so infuriated Trump in his first term with its support for diversity, has come to heel[3].
So now that Trump is back in town, is the only option available to big US organisations to swing to the right? Well, not necessarily.
Our research[4] suggests that the rise of populism actually represents an opportunity for brands to rebuild a sense of shared national identity.
And the most well-known brands are the best placed to do this. Their familiar place in people’s everyday lives gives them huge power as non-political agents of collective identity which can cross divides of race, class, geography and age.
A great example of this was during the presidential election campaign when Trump’s team wanted to organise a publicity stunt involving the Republican candidate “working” at a branch of McDonald’s in Pennsylvania.
Trump’s love of the golden arches is well known, but McDonald’s is a strongly non-political brand. So what should it do? Refuse and risk a backlash[5], or accept and be accused of taking sides?
In the end, the company’s response was a masterclass in neutrality.
McDonald’s told its employees[6] that the company was neither red (Republican) nor blue (Democrat), but golden. Referring to both presidential candidates’ love of McDonald’s, the company made it clear that the permission granted to Trump illustrated one of their core values, stating[7]: “We open our doors for everyone”.
The plan worked. And this was partly down to McDonald’s being widely thought of as an authentic brand which connects people.
Research has shown that people really value a company’s place[8] in local communities. And McDonald’s is a place which hosts children’s birthday parties, where you can catch up with friends, where you might even have had your first ever job.
This kind of power to unify is something other brands can do too. As something our earlier research shows, brands can benefit from bringing people together, by creating a sense of shared identity[9].
In New Zealand for example, ANZ Bank was widely applauded for a campaign[10] featuring Indian immigrants. The advert tells the story of a father and son and their mixed cricketing loyalties (the parent to India, the child to New Zealand).
It is a tale of immigrants achieving their version of the national dream, through hard work and trademark Kiwi humour. This kind of narrative-driven campaign does not pitch one side against another, but instead highlights the things that bind people together.
Similarly in the UK, the department store John Lewis has become a seasonal advertising staple as it reminds customers of their shared rituals over Christmas. And Kraft’s “How do you love your Vegemite” campaign allowed new immigrants to participate in local snacking rituals, helping them feel Australian.
In the US, a 1971 Coca Cola commercial[11] (one of the most lauded[12] adverts ever) presented a united multi-cultural collection of young people as a response to the anti-Vietnam war counter-culture.
So far, American brands have struggled to navigate the ever-shifting pronouncements coming from the White House in Trump’s second term. Amazon for example, quickly went back on its decision to list the cost of tariffs on products after it was branded a “hostile move”[13].
But one brand does stand out. And that’s Ford.
Perhaps it was inevitable that the car maker which came to symbolise successful 20th century American manufacturing would get this right. And the company’s decision to extend employee discounts to all consumers in what it describes as “unprecedented times” is a clever move.
Some might call it a cynical tactic to embrace Trump’s tariffs and encourage Americans to buy American. But the firm (which will likely take a huge hit[14] from more expensive imported parts and materials) is doing much more than that.
Its new campaign (with the slogan “From America for America”) reminds US citizens that the brand is part of their lives, regardless of their political home. Supportive full-page print ads go further, setting out the firm’s long history spent backing the people of America[15].
One Ford executive says[16] that the campaign is about “authenticity” and Ford being a brand “that all consumers can rely on, especially in these uncertain times”.
Authenticity is much prized when the political landscape is so polarised. And while divisions cannot be healed solely by brands, they can help to remind us of shared values and a sense of community. And in doing so, dial down those political tensions.
References
- ^ political wind (www.theguardian.com)
- ^ rolled back (www.independent.co.uk)
- ^ come to heel (www.theguardian.com)
- ^ Our research (academic.oup.com)
- ^ risk a backlash (hbr.org)
- ^ told its employees (www.ibtimes.co.uk)
- ^ stating (www.newsmax.com)
- ^ company’s place (academic.oup.com)
- ^ sense of shared identity (doi.org)
- ^ campaign (www.bandt.com.au)
- ^ commercial (www.youtube.com)
- ^ most lauded (thebrandhopper.com)
- ^ “hostile move” (www.theguardian.com)
- ^ take a huge hit (uk.finance.yahoo.com)
- ^ of America (www.fromtheroad.ford.com)
- ^ says (www.fromtheroad.ford.com)
