The Los Angeles Times published an interesting editorial, "Friends - and enemies" on April 25, 2007, about a survey that reported, "the U.S. is losing the fight for the hearts and minds of Muslims, even among our allies.
" It summarized the findings published in WorldPublic-Opinion.org and was frightening to see the conclusion in print: "the struggle for Muslim hearts and minds may already be lost."
This wasn't news.
We know Americans and the war are not popular. It still was shocking to read, "overwhelming majorities of those surveyed in Egypt, Morocco, Pakistan and Indonesia say they believe the U.S.
seeks to 'weaken and divide the Islamic world,' and to 'achieve political and military domination to control Middle East resources.'"
I was struck by the contrasts to a story recently sent to me from the advertising and marketing magazine, Brandweek. The story, published April 16, 2007, was headlined, "Emerging Markets Still Like U.
S. Brands," and reported the results of a study that "developing countries prefer foreign names to local offerings."
That story reported the "top brands" in various countries, including:
Hotel: Hilton, Sheraton
My family and I have been fortunate to benefit from the world's appetite for American entertainment, as my husband's television shows air countless times around the world every day, every hour.
Among our country's largest exports are film, television, music and other entertainment.
Maybe it's time for our creative and marketing minds to get involved in capturing hearts and minds, and not just pocketbooks. The political marketers keep selling us more stories about wars, vetoes, attorney generals and enemies.
We saw the failed partisan efforts to "market" our country early in the war. It's time for a new campaign.
Our country is greater than the sum of our iced teas, fast foods, make-up, convenience stores and hotels.
The fact that our entertainment and products are more trusted around the world than our leaders, government, democracy and philosophy is frightening. We're the world's greatest marketers. Let's market us.
If the world tries us, they'll like us, I'm sure.
Exporting film, music and TV is a fine idea, but be honest, for all it does to make those in other countries like us, these are the very media that are currently dividing middle eastern counties. How their citizens feel about our commercial entertainment, pro con, are at the center of their progressive vs.
conservative civil wars.
It recalls a time after WWII when our government acutally funded the arts (oh, the good ole days) abroad to undermine communism during the Cold War. For all the bashing of the arts we do in this country today, it's a far more effect propoganda tool in their cultures than our popular entertainment (oops i did it again / american idol / girls gone wild / grand theft auto) will ever be.
thanks. By: RLewis on April 30, 2007 at 12:28pm
Flag: [ ] I'm not exactly sure what you're advocating here. Our products are already "marketing" very well us as that Brandweek story illustrates.
What's killing our image is our irrational, Neanderthal foreign domestic policies. Corporate "branding" is not the answer to anything! It is instead a huge part of the problem.
How to fix our image problem?
1. Impeach and imprison the entire Bush administration NOW!
2. Stop ALL the idiotic wars NOW! Including Afghanistan and the Wars on Drugs and the Middle Class.
3. Institute Universal Health Care NOW by nationalizing the HMOs.
4.
Nationalize the oil companies and use their ill-gotten wealth to develop sane alternative energies NOW!
That'd be good for a start. The rest of the world would certainly take notice and "like us" if we had the guts to do even one of the above points.
By: KenTao on April 30, 2007 at 01:09pm
Flag: [ ] "If the world tries us, they'll like us, I'm sure."
Not until we as a country renounce and reject the doctrine of "white supremacy," since most of the world consists of nonwhites.
Unfortunately, much too much of our TV and films further this doctrine.
By: poboy on April 30, 2007 at 01:21pm
Flag: [ ] I have always thought that it is in poor taste and judgement to advertise our affluent quality of life to the world citizens who will never reach this quality of life, and in a severe twist of irony, makes our opulent lifestyle possible through their hard work and sacrifice. The export of our "entertainment products" are the most amazing examples of showing how rampant consumerism and waste are in America.
While it is mostly done in the guise of "opening markets", which is a natural response for a corporation's self service, the damage is done by reminding the poor that average people in America live really well by their standards.
By: mcostello on April 30, 2007 at 01:32pm
Flag: [ ] Our brand is in trouble. It's time we took a business-like approach to diplomacy. We don't need to brag about affluence, but we do need a creative and non-military way to communicate, and our marketers have obviously discovered how to do it.
By: Chip1222 on April 30, 2007 at 02:59pm
Flag: [ ] Chip1222: A creative and non-military way to communicate IS diplomacy! Talking about "marketing our brand" just keeps us stuck in the same tired old neo-corporatist paradigm that has been dragging down and trashing our individual rights and freedom for decades.
I'm actually quite heartened to see so many of the fine folks here seem to understand what us "conspiracy nuts" have been talking about for so long when we point out the corporate control of our government and media.
By: KenTao on April 30, 2007 at 03:38pm
Flag: [ ] Hooray for Hollywood! It's sure worth a try. By: kasey600 on April 30, 2007 at 04:08pm
Flag: [ ] Maybe our "brand" would be looked on with more favorability if we stopped weakening and dividing the Islamic world, and stopped trying to achieve political and military domination to control Middle East resources.
If we are not a model for what we want others to think of us, no advertising will succeed. By: Maezeppa on April 30, 2007 at 04:13pm
Flag: [ ] Call me crazy, but I don't think marketing to Muslims as if they're "Mikey" from those old Life cereal commercials is quite so simple, Mrs. Spelling.
The extremists we want to influence shun our consumerism in practice, which in this case IS entertainment. They might buy Nikes but they're going to object to your daughter dressed in a bikini during a 90210 rerun because their religion requires women to be dressed in burqas who walk behind their husbands.
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