How to screw up a brand

There are plenty of the instances where the experience of businesses with branding can shed light on public policy and electoral politics. In a world where a carefully built reputation can be toppled with a flurry of mouse clicks, "brand" is the foundation of resilience.

Search on line, you'll find more definitions of "brand" than you can shake an Olive Garden bread stick at. I have never been in an Olive Garden restaurant, but their brand suggests bread sticks, don't you think? See, you already know what brands are.

Brands shape government and politics, too. Take Switzerland, for example, a country whose brand has been reasonably sane and tolerant for as long as I've been alive. A country where a majority of citizens today voted to reposition their brand by outlawing new minarets. No matter what you think about the new policy, your opinion of the country has shifted. History will judge the wisdom of their repositioning.

The Swiss brand was taken over by ordinary citizens in the voting booth, acting on their basest instincts against openness and freedom. It's the same phenomenon that's happening with propositions in California, a state on the rocks because the brand stewards (the citizens) got short-term greedy. They're behaving like ignorant shareholders looking to cash out. Short-term greedy, long-term stupid.

But brand erosion isn't limited to citizen takeovers. Legislators have plenty of impact too. To our south, stinginess in public education and institutional racism color the Palmetto State brand with a dark shadow even the charming streets of Charleston cannot illuminate. Worse still, South Carolina's Republican leadership takes prides in their state being a laughingstock among civilized people. The primordial soup from which Mark Sanford was borne. A brand of perpetual incompetence.

North Carolina's brand seems a good deal healthier, in my view. A long term strategy of investing in travel and tourism has reinforced what's true - ours is a beautiful and friendly place. Smart choices at UNC and in our community colleges have bolstered the quality of our workforce. The Research Triangle Park has been a shining star. The Carolina Blue of Tar Heel basketball ... we just look squeaky clean.

That's why it's so frustrating to see cronyism and corruption raise their ugly heads in state government. So much hard work over all these years can go swirling down the brand drain in a heartbeat. Mike Easley helped pull the plug, with free-market extremists cheering from the sidelines for leaders to fail.

George W. Bush did more to erode the brand value of the United States of America than anyone in history. Obama is working hard on damage control and restoring confidence. That's Bev Perdue's job here in North Carolina, too. She needs to go that extra mile to restore the reputation of state government leadership, in general, and North Carolina Democrats, in particular. When it comes to the fine art of brand-building, good enough isn't.