John Tantillo, Ph.D.

If only journalists and comedians understood marketing and branding they could be dangerous.
Why, because they both theoretically satisfy needs — journalists our requirement for objective perspective. Comedians for necessary laughter.
But from a practical perspective, this has been further from the truth, since President Trump took his oath of office.
Both journalist and comedians have forgotten their respective brands by taking political positions that attract a targeted market — rather than...

It’s been a little more than 15 months since President Trump took his oath of office. Still the fourth estate doesn’t "get" the Trump brand.
For that matter, they don’t understand branding. Journalists continually fail to appreciate what it is from a marketing perspective — the perception that a name creates in the minds of those who interact with it.
Most media folks adhere to "brand" as the thesaurus alternative to an entity’s name, rather than attending to the essence of what a brand is — ...

Laura Ingraham’s recent imbroglio with Parkland student David Hogg is not one of her best on-air moments.
Her attempt at comedy where she sarcastically mocked Mr. Hogg with her tweet, “David Hogg Rejected By Four Colleges To Which He Applied and whines about it. (Dinged by UCLA with a 4.1 GPA...totally predictable given acceptance rates)” was silly. Worse yet, it was simply not consistent with her personal brand as a thoughtful commentator, as a “thinker.”
Hogg’s response to Ingraham, a Fox N...

With the prurient curiosity of an adolescent reading a suggestive X-rated publication, whether you like Donald Trump or not, you most likely watched the “60 Minutes” interview actually to hear what was said, without even considering pictures.
The “not-so” dirty secret is that although it was a ratings bonanza for CBS, the fact is, few actually cared politically about what was said by Ms. Daniels, unless you have to prove your point and here’s why — branding.
Yes branding, that discipline many...

As companies line up to end their NRA marketing programs, the question must be asked: Is it good business?
Brands have always been careful to avoid alienating customers. This was especially true in the golden age of advertising (1950s and the 1960s), when programs attracted much larger shares of audience and viewers could only switch among the three networks.
With CBS, NBC, and ABC ruling the airwaves, saying or doing the wrong thing could do irreparable harm to one’s promoted product or serv...

Candidate for senate Mitt Romney at the wheel of a John Deere tractor as he tours Gibson's Green Acres Dairy on February 16, 2018, in Ogden, Utah. Mr. Romney is running for a U.S. Senate seat from Utah, currently held by Sen. Orrin Hatch, who announced his retirement after the current term expires. (Gene Sweeney Jr./Getty Images)
President Trump’s recent endorsement of Mitt Romney for the Utah U.S. Senate seat is another blow to the “old school” prognosticators who were busy speculating on an...

Winning the midterms is all about Independents.
Despite this week’s stock market correction, and “swiping of the derangement kind” toward the president and his party, this fact is abundantly clear.
When they say it’s not about the Independents, well then it’s all about the Independents.
But for some reason, some just don’t hear it.
If you listen to the experts, regarding the midterms, it’s simply a matter of time until we are back to the good old days of Obama, the Democrats, and a lackluster...

It’s easy to forget how much the U.S. military sacrifices for us so that we can enjoy our freedom even when it comes down to football.
Their sacrifice was witnessed once again last week when their “please stand” advertisement, showcasing the importance of all players standing during the national anthem at the Super Bowl, was declined by the NFL.
The first reaction was disappointing. Many objected to this decision as a capricious, apparently one-sided, pro-player opinion.
However, when ponderi...

U.S. President Donald Trump speaks as he stops by a Conversations with the Women of America panel at the South Court Auditorium of Eisenhower Executive Office Building January 18, 2018, in Washington, D.C. (Alex Wong/Getty Images)
“Reality is whatever you perceive it to be!”
This axiom with its roots in Gestalt psychology and political consultancy a la Lee Atwater
(George H.W. Bush’s political advisor) outlines why many analysts fail to perceive that political parties are meaningless today.
F...

They say that insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result.
So why do Trump’s critics continue to describe him in less than flattering terms and expect a different outcome regarding his brand’s popularity among his base and a small independent voter segment?
Part of the answer may lie in the Freudian construct of projection.
This psychological defense mechanism can tell us a great deal about those doing the “Trump Derangement Syndrome” screaming. But more im...

(Saul Loeb/AFP/Getty Images)
Political brands dominated this year’s marketplace.
The brand winners and losers for 2017 (like 2016) included below are both political and non-political brands who have responded (or failed to respond) to market forces.
President Donald Trump is both the 2017 Brand Winner and Loser.
Without further ado, here are Tantillo’s 2017 Brand Winners/Losers.
Winner
1. Donald Trump
Marketing and Branding go hand in hand when attempting to win market share. President Trump ...

For voters who are not “brand loyal” Democrats or Republicans, mendacity is the new norm regarding the way politicians respond to all sex scandals.
Whatever is said by either side and then reported by the media becomes a partisan discussion where one position is right and the other wrong. This approach misses the point shared by most Americans — both parties (politicians) are to blame and all accused need to be investigated no matter their popularity, status, or party.
Consider the way brand-...

(Roobcio/Dreamstime)
They say that insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result.
So why are advertisers continually listening to activists who want to hurt their promoted brand, when it’s their customers who buy their brand that count?
The recent dust-up with Sean Hannity and his show’s advertisers is an example of traditional thinking gone silly.
It started with Mr. Hannity’s “fair and balanced” approach regarding Judge Moore, giving the accused the b...

Marketing and branding have become the new normal in our politics, whether we like it or not. It is a check which prevents predictive miscalculations from happening, as experienced in 2016. Utilizing this relatively new lens means when considering yesterday’s outcomes in Virginia, New Jersey, and New York City, as a "ray of hope," for Democrats, there may be more to the story than what merely meets the eye.
From at least a marketing perspective, it would be a mistake to think that this is a t...

“It’s not personal — it’s strictly business,” couldn’t be more appropriate when discussing the recent NFL “taking a knee” kafuffle and its effect on consumer buying behavior.
This past week, the Papa John’s Pizza chain announced significant stock price loss, down 8.5 percent on Wednesday (November 1) due to the NFL player actions. For fans, football team owners are not managing the crisis effectively and as a result, have walked away from their beloved sport.
From the fan’s perspective, there...