Skittles, you’re not alone.
Over the course of his presidential campaign, Donald Trump hasn’t just made a mess of his own brand but brought down others as well.
Here’s how the Trump brand has affected other brands and personalities, courtesy of data from Brandwatch. It’s interesting to note that it’s all negative, bar Skittles, whose non-committal, and yet perfectly worded statement pushing back against being used as a metaphor for refugees, has brought the candy nothing by positive sentiment.
Billy Bush
According to data pulled by Brandwatch, the brand or personality most mentioned alongside Donald Trump is Billy Bush, the NBC host who was caught on a hot mic talking to Trump as the candidate bragged about assaulting women. He has since been fired and is expected to get a $10 million severance. Billy Bush has been mentioned 153,000 times since July 1.
Ad position: web_incontent_pos1
“When it comes to sentiment within categorized mentions of each brand, it becomes clear that you don’t want to be mentioned alongside Donald Trump,” said Kellan Terry, analyst at Brandwatch. About 74.2 percent of the mentions were negative. According to 30DB, which pulled data for Digiday, there has been a large fall from grace for Bush in the past two weeks. That positive spike is reaction to his suggestion that he may donate his severance to women’s charities.
Ivanka Trump
Trump’s daughter Ivanka has been one of the more visible family members during his campaign. She has stumped at campaign events and been, in some ways, the female voice, assuring voters that her father does not serially assault women. Her own clothing brand, Ivanka Trump, has positioned itself for years as a women’s empowerment brand. After the tapes were leaked, she was criticized online for promoting a forthcoming book for young working women. In some ways, Ivanka Trump, who worked with her father on his maternity policies, was the campaign’s best hope for the “women’s vote.” Now her line of women’s clothing is at stake — it reportedly did $100 million in sales last year — as are her licensing arrangements with Marc Fisher footwear, handbag company Mondani and B. Robinson eyewear brand.
Ad position: web_incontent_pos2
Tic Tacs
The candy everyone forgot about was somewhat thrust into the limelight after Trump mentioned the brand in conjunction with forcing himself on women. He uses Tic Tacs, he said, “just in case” he wants to start kissing a woman without her consent. Tic Tac, and parent company Ferrero, scolded the Republican nominee. “Tic Tac respects all women. We find the recent statements and behavior completely inappropriate and unacceptable,” the candy company said in a statement.
Despite that, there were a lot of negative statements about Trump and Tic Tac. While the candy itself wasn’t implicated, it was certainly part of a conversation it didn’t wish to be in. Brandwatch found 26,000 mentions of Tic Tac alongside Donald Trump, with 71 percent of them negative.
Miss Universe
The Miss Universe competition was first pulled into the election after Hillary Clinton attacked Trump for the way he spoke about Alicia Machado, a former Miss Universe contestant whom he had called “Miss Piggy,” after she put on weight, and “Miss Housekeeping,” supposedly in reference to her Hispanic heritage. Trump no longer owns the pageant, having sold it to WME/IMG in 2015. But his past and present attitudes to women, which have become central to the campaign, are also pulling the pageant into the muck. A growing number of former beauty queens have come forward to talk about his inappropriate behavior, shining a new light on a general culture of misogyny at pageants. “Miss Universe” has been mentioned 93,000 times alongside Trump, half the time negatively.
Source: 30dB.com – Miss Universe
The Apprentice/Mark Burnett
The role that first made Trump a true household name was as host of his reality TV show “The Apprentice,” which he has used time and again as proof that he knows how to do business. But after the Bush tape leaked, people started wondering about what might have gone on behind the scenes on the show, and what sort of hot mic footage the show is sitting on. Producer Mark Burnett has reportedly warned staff who may release tapes that would show anything damaging for Trump. Brandwatch reports that the show has received 43,000 mentions alongside “Trump,” with 73 percent negative.
More in Marketing
In the marketing world, anime is following in the footsteps of gaming
As marketers look to take advantage of anime’s entry into the zeitgeist, they might be wise to observe the parallels between the evolution of anime as a marketing channel and the ways brands have learned to better leverage gaming in recent years.
With the introduction of video ads and e-commerce, Roblox looks to attain platform status
Roblox is expanding into more areas than just ads in 2024. Much like platforms such as Amazon and Facebook have transcended their origins to evolve from their origins as online marketplaces and social media channels, Roblox is in the midst of a transformation into a platform for all elements of users’ virtual lives.
PepsiCo wants to remain a ‘driver of culture’ as it turns to influencers and activations amid rebrand
The soda-maker says it can translate cultural relevance into sales volume.
Ad position: web_bfu