How come no one ever asked if Trump was too ambitious to be president?

Donald Trump declared bankruptcy four times.  He had no experience in government.  He played a CEO on tv.  How come no one ever accused him of being too ambitious when he decided to run for president?  The answer seems rather obvious.

Everyone hates a strong woman.  Just ask Hillary Clinton - the most qualified person in history to ever run for president.  

Now "big financial backers" have started trashing Kamala Harris for being too ambitious.  (Bernstein, 2020)

That's a good sign that they are scared of her.  And well they should be.  She is a very impressive person - lawyer, attorney general, senator.

But research shows that men are far better at bragging then women are.  And, as a result they get 9.4% more citations, which leads to more promotions and grants down the road.  (Wolfers, 2016)

My advice to Senator Harris - start bragging.  

My advice to Joe Biden - this election is not going to be about money.

Bernstein, J. (2020, July 30)  Is Kamala Harris Too 'Ambitious' to Be Vice President?  bloomberg.com.  Retrieved August 4, 2020, from  https://www.bloomberg.com/opinion/articles/2020-07-30/is-kamala-harris-too-ambitious-to-be-vice-president

Wolfers, J. (2016, January 8)  When Teamwork Doesn't Work for Women.  nytimes.com.  Retrieved August 4, 2020, from  https://www.nytimes.com/2016/01/10/upshot/when-teamwork-doesnt-work-for-women.html

Now streaming...Donald Trump destroying his brand.

I've never been a fan of Donald Trump.  But as a marketer I couldn't help but admire the strength of his brand.  In his prime he could command equity in a project just by letting them use his name.

So why would he throw it all away?  It doesn't make sense.  Who hasn't he alienated at this point - Latinos, Muslims, women, the list goes on and on... 

How bad is it? 

So bad that the Trump name will not appear on its newest venture.  Because the new hotel chain will cater to technologically savvy Millennials - another group that has a strong dislike of little Donny.  (Karmin & Das, 2016)

I guess it's only a matter of time before his name starts coming off existing buildings.  I don't think anyone will be fooled.

Karmin, C. and Das, A. (2016, June 8)  New Trump Hotels Skip the Name.  Wall Street Journal. pC1.

 
Update: On June 27, 2017, the new owners of the Trump International Hotel & Tower in Toronto paid $6MM to end their management contract with Trump and drop his name from the building. (Weiss, 2017)


Weiss, L. (2017, June 28)  Toronto hotel buyer pays Trump millions to drop his name. nypost.com.  Retrieved August 22, 2017, from  http://nypost.com/2017/06/28/toronto-hotel-buyer-pays-trump-millions-to-drop-his-name/ 

Is it time for Macy’s to fire Donald Trump?

I have never been a fan of using celebrities in advertising.  While they may be effective in getting your brand noticed, they often overwhelm it and ultimately distract from it.  That’s exactly what’s happening now with Macy’s and Donald Trump.

In case you haven’t been following the story, many people, including me, have been highly offended by the disrespectful comments Mr. Trump has made about President Obama and the American election process over the past several years.

In response, on October 24^th a petition was started on signon.org urging Macy’s to part ways with this ill-fitting spokesperson.  And as of this morning, 678,789 people have signed that petition. (Carusone, 2012)

Moreover, a recent survey by YouGov BrandIndex shows that since the beginning of November the store’s loyalty measure has dropped from 31 to 19, its lowest levels in more than a year, putting them behind all their competitors -- even J.C. Penney. (Mahoney, 2012)

(Strasser, 2012)

And last, but not least, there’s the boycott.  It will no doubt take a while for the company to assess the damage, but when they do, I imagine they will find that I am not the only Macy’s shopper who took my business elsewhere this holiday season.

Advertisers beware.  You can’t have it both ways, when you partner with a celebrity you have to take the good with the bad.  Why risk it?

 

Carusone, A. (2012, October 24)  Urge Macy’s To Dump Donald Trump.  signon.org.  Retrieved December 12, 2012, from http://signon.org/sign/urge-macys-to-dump-donald

Mahoney, S. (2012, November 29)  Is Trump Chasing Women Away From Macy’s?  mediapost.com.  Retrieved December 12, 2012, from

http://www.mediapost.com/publications/article/188167/is-trump-chasing-women-away-from-macys.html#axzz2Emipoa7s

Strasser, A.  (2012, November 29)  Donald Trump Partnership Ruins Macy’s Popularity.  thinkprogress.org.  Retrieved December 12, 2012, from http://thinkprogress.org/media/2012/11/29/1258001/macys-popularity-trump/?mobile=nc