Diplomats and trading partners don’t trust the word of America anymore. Countries are hosting summits and meetings to discuss alliances specifically omitting the US. Politicians in other countries are winning elections because they argue against America. There are even kits for sale online to help Americans who do travel abroad to disguise themselves as more universally appreciated Canadians. As an article from Fast Company this week suggests, perhaps Brand America itself has become toxic.
And if that’s true, the impact will not just be felt through tariffs or shifts in global trading. America’s most powerful export has always been its culture—shared through media, film, television, music and sports. Can this juggernaut start to lose its influence too? And if so, what might take its place? To me, the real question is the long term one. Are the actions of America’s current President irreversibly harming the country or could all that be reversed when the country’s leadership eventually changes? In the short term, this is going to continue to create disruption and opportunity too. Expect to see experiences that promote anti-American perspectives and products that could be presented as “America-free” in some way. In this sense, brand America has indeed become something no company really wants to promote right now.
