The Good Brand

7. America will be reborn as a more culturally sensitive brand.

It's hard to imagine a time when America's image was so tarnished abroad. Between long-standing complaints about America's cultural imperialism as expressed by everything from Microsoft to EuroDisney, to the fierce anti-Americanism spawned by the war in Iraq, it's not an easy time to be an American multinational. Indeed, a recent study of 30,000 people outside the United States by the global market-research company NOP World found that the total number of consumers worldwide who use American brands had fallen to 27% from 30% over the past 12 months, a trend NOP managing director Tom Miller called a "warning sign for brands."

But some optimists in advertising think it's still possible for America to get its groove back. "People still love Americans. They just don't like our policies and our government," says Claude Singer, senior VP of branding firm Siegel & Gale. Recently, he says, a new group has arisen to try to put forward the best side of American business. Business for Diplomatic Action, headed by DDB chairman Keith Reinhard, aims to help fight anti-Americanism by teaching businesspeople to be more sensitive and responsive to local needs. The idea is not to advertise how great America is, but to get U.S. companies and their employees to act more as ambassadors for the brand called America. Cynics would point to previous failed efforts, most notably Charlotte Beers's campaign for the State Department to burnish America's image in the Muslim world. But this effort is based on action, not slick advertising. And nobody says it's going to be easy. Indeed, Singer allows that it may take some future Reaganesque figure to articulate this vision. But the brand's strength, he says, is that it's authentic. "There's an idea there of liberty, and once upon a time, our country did stand for it," he says. "At some point in the future, there will be an understanding again of who we are and what we stand for. And at that point, we will have a real brand and not just a fake Madison Avenue concept."

Linda Tischler is a Fast Company senior writer. When it comes to cola, she is strictly nonpartisan.

Discussion Guide

Interested in further exploring some of the ideas and issues in this article? Consider starting a Fast Company reading group. Here are some possible conversation catalysts:

How would you rate the global perception of iconic American brands such as Coke, McDonald's, and Wal-Mart? What about the personal brands discussed in previous issues, people such as George W. Bush, Michael Jordan, Martha Stewart, and Bill Clinton? While Mecca-Cola tries to capitalize off anti-American sentiments, many American brands are still faring well overseas. Why might this be? What conditions might make a company operating overseas want to try and establish a separate culture -- and when is American heritage a unique part of a brand?

Run through the seven branding trends identified in the article and consider some of their implications. What happens when "advertainment" becomes too blurry? Is the movie Harold and Kumar Go to White Castle good product placement or a 90-minute ad? Are American brands acting more sensitive (#7)? Should companies feel the need to defend America or are they best acting nationless?

Consider these seven steps as they apply to the Jeff Bezos story. What is your current perception of Amazon and how has it changed?