The Buzz Bin

First of all, let me say that the idea for this post was a patriotic one. Seeing as how it is the 4th of July and we are celebrating our independence and culture, I thought I would post on the positive aspects of the American Brand.

I’m not wealthy, I have no political affiliation, I am not posting for a specific cause. I just felt empowered to research and share the positive aspects of American culture.

The problem I encountered was almost every place I looked, America is branded as the land of dumb, overweight, selfish, insolent people.

One of the most popular videos on Youtube showcases “Stupid Americans” and their idiotic responses to simple questions. This should be no surprise, Jay Leno has made this practice famous with his skit “Jaywalking” on the Tonight Show.

America’s Marketing Brief

Marketing Profs posed the question “If you were writing a marketing brief for America, how would you describe her brand?”

Some of the responses include:

• “A heady concoction of wonder, hope, confidence, power, dreams, glitz, energy, diversity, arrogance, fear, fun, brashness…”
• “On the one hand – global imperialist tendencies, arrogance, ignorance of all things non-American.On the other hand, we are impressed with American financial performance (relative income per capita).”
• “Macdonalds+Levi’s+Nike+Love hate relationship+Feeling of superiority for them selves and of inferiority for entire world.”
• “Powerful, pervasive, wealthy, polarised, fundamentalist, generous, aggressive, blue-chip, pre-eminant.”

• “The media…exposed that there are conflicts in America. With the president’s speeches and films like Farenheit 9/11, we get conflicting messages about this brand.”

Dinesh D’Souza from News Blogger wrote a patriotic post earlier this week about the “10 Great Things About America.” His arguments ranged from “offering more social mobility” to having the “kindest, gentlest foreign policy of any great power in world history.”

In response he received an astonishing backlash of comments such as:

• “Did you write this when you were high?”
• “From what I can decipher of this article Dinesh is saying “America sucks and I hate it but I’m going to pretend to love it while I bask in it’s freedoms and suck all I can from it.”"
• “the America you live in sure as hell isn’t the America I live in.”
• “The great thing about America is that there are wealthy individuals, corporations, and “think tanks” who pay handsome wages to people like DD to write drivel.”
• “Bill Oreilly must have brain washed him.”

In fact, only a couple of positive comments were posted, clearly indicating that America has a serious branding issue, not only with citizens from other countries, but domestically as well.

Why do we hate our country (or its brand)?

So why do we feel this way? In my opinion, our media channels such as FoxNews, CNN, and MSNBC revel in stories that are either fear-based (such as war, death, destruction and natural disasters) or bandwagoned nonsense (such as Paris Hilton).

Stories that show American pride are deliberately toned down as to not offend anyone.This branding strategy is the equivalent of a company blasting ads about how their product or service sucks and then concealing the benefits. Not exactly the kind of campaign you’d want to run for your organization.

Yet, the insanity persists. We complain, laugh about it, debate it, and forget about it – but nothing really gets done.

So, in an effort to counter the massive amounts of negative publicity – here’s a short list of why I like my life in America. You don’t have to agree with it or change your current opinion – this is just me.

1. Freedom of Speech – I can earn a living as a writer and write what I want without fear of censorship or worse punishments.
2. Diversity – I can discuss religion, cultural differences, and politics with anyone without fear of persecution.
3. Opportunity – I can quit a job I hate and take a chance on doing what I love. I can easily exist as an entrepreneur and thrive because of my hard work.
4. Scenery – I can go to the mountains, the beach, the desert, the plains, the city, the country, or anywhere in between with relative ease.
5. Knowledge Exchange – I can brainstorm ideas with others to innovate and create a better world.

What about you? Do you agree that America is accurately portrayed through its current brand? How would you change it?