BRAND, BREXIT, CULTURAL IDENTITY + THE BODY POLITIC
WHAT CAN BRANDS LEARN FROM POST-BREXIT BRITAIN, TWITTER’S REBRAND, AND THE ROLE OF LEADERSHIP IN CHALLENGING TIMES?_
I frequently bestow the virtues of seeing your brand not purely as a collection of visual assets, but a holistic, values-based system that drives emotional engagement from your audience and team.
Whether or not we’ve defined them, like brands, we all have values. Either we believe they're parts of our identity - tools to guide our actions - or we don’t. Countries too, of course, are no different.
As the horrors of Brexit become embedded in the UK’s diminishing prospects, many of us are left to consider, isolate and choose between different parts of our identity.
Deciding to stay in Mallorca for the foreseeable future was not a fanciful flight to the sunshine, but a tough decision that was provoked by something deeper.
Do I feel aligned to British values, or those of Europe? It was a binary choice.
LEADERSHIP + BRAND BUILDING
From the outside, the UK has a brand problem. One that’s going to be incredibly hard to recover from.
Founders can help shape public perception of a company as much as politicians can shape that of a country. But an inextricable link between cultural and political identity is not an inevitability.
I’m only just getting my head around Spanish politics. Adding new knowledge to an existing view of the country that has nothing to do with the politics of the place.
Brand Spain, through a British lens - at least until their recent election hit the international headlines - is built on entirely different aspects of the country.
The UK’s particular, self-inflicted problems affect investment, import/export, tax revenue and all the other aspects of its ability to succeed, serve its people and meet the needs of the planet.
This is about internal reality as much as external perception. And obvious parallels with companies can be comfortably drawn.
But the best we can hope for is a weak new leader to preside over the same chaos. Maybe a change of logo and a catchy slogan at best.
An unfavourable, ineffective outcome for everyone.
X MARKS THE SPOT
As we’ve seen from Musk’s ‘rebranding’ of Twitter this week, when the wheels have so obviously fallen off, no good can possibly come of this.
It’s merely lipstick on a very unhappy pig.
From companies to countries, to really create, maintain, or repair a brand one must go back to first principles. An understanding of the shared beliefs that can bring people together, and a strategy that lays the foundations that provide stability, consistency and clarity when the pressure’s on and deviation is tempting.
It requires expert, caring, empathetic leadership. Kindness combined with the ability to make hard decisions. An unwavering commitment to doing what’s right.
The UK has lost this. X has lost this. And as with every brand out there who veers off course and loses its way, it’s ultimately people and the planet that will pay the price.
HOW CAN I HELP?
Whether you’re new to hospitality, an independent operator, a global brand or a developer, I collaborate with people just like you to create brands and concepts that move our industry forward.
Working with a network of talented collaborators, we specialise in projects that seek to achieve a meaningful impact in destination locations.
If you’d like to discuss how we can bring your bold vision to life, or give your existing business a completely new point of view, please book a call with me here.
Ed
