Saturday, October 22, 2011

Branding: You name it, you own it

As a self-styled branding and marketing guy, I was very frustrated earlier this year at the lame Democratic response to the GOP's so-called "debt crisis."

Once the Dems started arguing with the Republican hordes in Congress about this totally-fabricated "crisis,"  I knew they would fail.

If the White House had instead fought to close the Tax Gap, it might have entertained a small chance of success.

Which brings me to the Occupy movement.  I am totally in sympathy with the brave souls who have decided they are Mad As Hell and are Not Going to Take It Any More.

And I understand there is no need for demands right now. The point is to bear witness to the pain, to represent.

But if we don't have demands, we should at least name our enemy.

And branding is critical.

What are we fighting?

"Wall St. greed" is not slogan-ready.

"Monopoly Man Economics" comes with a built-in fat cat image that makes it a contender, but "monopoly" is a term of art that some might not really grok.

My suggestion comes with a mental image kids learned in Sunday School matched with a high-concept moral punchline.

Let's "Destroy the Golden Calf!"

This is not original to me -- I was inspired by the march in NYC by clergy who paraded a Golden Calf sculpture around the park.

Wall Street has gold on their side.

We have God.