The Trump opposition has a branding problem
The Trump opposition needs a slogan. Last week I attended the protests at SFO airport. Hundreds of people gathered there to oppose the executive order banning visa and green card holders from seven countries in the Middle East. The crowd tried a few different chants. Some were too wordy. Others were not catchy or resonant with the current context. At one point the crowd broke off into two disjointed chants.
Great slogans can carry social movements. Humans are wired to respond to words and narratives that evoke emotion. Companies know this when they create marketing campaigns for their product. President Trump knew this. His campaign slogan Make America Great Again, is simple and clear. Obama’s Yes We Can is another example of a good slogan.
In the business world, a brand can create a market where none formerly existed. One of my favorite examples of this is when the Creative Director George Lois worked with Stouffer's in 1981. Lois noticed a trend of Americans becoming more health conscious and with more working professionals going to the gym. He pitched the CEO of Stouffer’s on a diet gourmet product. The CEO was unconvinced. “I realized the only way to convince these guys to come up with a brand name that knocks them on their ass.” Lois recalled. He came up with the name Lean Cuisine which was so elegant that it sold the CEO on creating a new product line. This slogan created an entirely new industry of health conscious food.
When Muhammed Ali was being persecuted for avoiding the Vietnam draft, Lois also worked on a campaign for his release. He created a cover for Esquire with the provocative inscription: “The passion of Muhammed Ali” depicting the African American Muslim using the imagery of Saint Sebastian. [see more about how this cover came to be and the momentum it generated here]
Similarly volunteers have told me they have been drawn to Pakathon, the organization I run, because of our catchy name. A creative word choice can literally move people. And it can focus their attention on a specific issue. The specificity of the slogan “Black Lives Matter” connects the public to become aware of police violence that leads to the death of African Americans around the country.
My life and work have taught me that people moving back and forth across borders is messy and non-linear. Four months ago, at Government Center in Boston, I raised my hand to swear the oath of allegiance to the American flag and became a US citizen. The room had a line of chairs and nervous families waited for their loved ones to get citizenship. One by one every got up to get their papers stamped. A judge came into the building and we took the oath. A city council women told us that this was a country of immigrants. I felt relieved. Getting citizenship meant regardless of whether I travelled abroad for work or do development work in Pakistan, I was no longer just a guest. This was one home too.
So last week when the executive order put a temporary suspension on those coming from seven Muslim majority countries in the Middle East, I was shocked. Despite being a US citizenship I was uneasy. Even though Pakistan was not one of the countries affected by the ban my parents decided to cancel their travel plans back to Pakistan. The action also conflicted with my values: I believe immigrants following legal procedures should not be rejected by a government. They should have the liberty to chose to stay or leave.
On Facebook, I saw friends who were going to JFK to join the protests. I got an invite to a protest at the SFO airport. I decided to go. The train to the airport was packed with other protestors. A huge cheer erupted when we left for our final stop to SFO. People had signs protesting the “Muslim ban” and Trump’s climate of fear. I felt gratitude. It reminded me of the welcome I recieved when I came to the US to study in 2008. It was unlike anything I had experienced before. The American tolerance for my traditions, their openness to learning about my story, and their skepticism of media sound bites, inspired me.
In America, anyone can become President. The same spirit of opportunity that attracts immigrants into this country paradoxically also allows an unconventional businessman like Trump to be President. Opportunity calls to us today. Traveling through the US in the early eighteen century, Alexis de Tocqueville noted the positive effects of an authoritarian government. He suggested it forced people out of their daily routine to form associations, build relationships and organize to defend their rights. Trump’s anti-democratic actions have increased the spirit of democracy in the country. We have been given an opportunity to relearn why our values are important. Many of us will form new friendships by joining protest movements. We will learn to balance our professional commitments with service. And with the right branding, we can also articulate and defend our values when the administration crosses a line.
