The New Challenge for Brands

Demonstrators in Berlin

One of the most interesting and difficult challenges for Weber Shandwick and its clients is the unprecedented threat to brand value from an increasingly politicised public, a threat that appeared to reach a watershed with the second war in Iraq. The companies most at risk are those closely associated with "Brand America."

As part of a Weber Shandwick thought leadership initiative, chairman Jack Leslie gave a very well received speech to the French American Chamber of Commerce in Paris at the height of the tension, and sister company KRC carried out some widely publicised research on consumer action linked to the conflict in Iraq. These were followed with a comprehensive brochure that brought in FutureBrand expertise on brand equity and provided guidelines on how companies should protect their brands.

It’s more than just a cursory nod toward "localising" your brand, as the senior executives on the brochure’s distribution list will discover. Savvy companies have to think not only of consumers but all of their stakeholders, including employees, and they must take a sophisticated approach to being identified as an integral part of the communities in which they operate. Really savvy companies get expert input.

By Rolf Olsen, president, European practices and client development, Weber Shandwick.

To view the brochure entitled "Anti-American sentiments and their long-term impact on international corporations" please click here.

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