Angela Jano

Date: August 27, 2022

OUR BRAND IS CRISIS: On Marketing Management’s Point of View

Upon watching Our Brand is Crisis, two things stuck in my mind. First, one can use a

crisis to an advantage and second, one can fall down because of a crisis. In terms of business,

associating crises, too, can become a tool in acquiring opportunities or a path that can lead to a

series of threats.

What I first saw, marketing-related, in the movie was that they used crisis as the

protagonist's team's brand for the electoral campaign. The female lead, Jane Bodine, was

triggered to act after witnessing the presidential candidate she was supposed to help, publicly

punching an angry citizen who slapped an egg in his face. Because of this, their marketing

strategy was made - to declare and sell CRISIS (economic, cultural, and social) through any

means necessary in order to promote their presidential candidate, who, by the way, is initially

polling poorly. She thought that this tactic will be effective because they will be highlighting the

nation's problems and the type of right leader to face those crises, someone with grit and fights

back (like their candidate who punched a citizen). In this first case, the term “crisis” was used to

pertain on how we can use existing problems to our advantage, or utilizing such problems as

instruments to turn tables around in favor of us.

The second thing I realized was that if we can use, realize and reflect on the problems

we are facing, then won’t it also be, at some point, be disadvantageous to us, especially when

not mitigated earlier? Just like in the movie, many in the protagonist’s team members have

argued that it is not ideal to use Jane’s crisis branding because it comes from a negative

approach therefore it can backfire negatively as well.

 So what I ultimately grasped in this movie is that brand messaging and strategic

marketing management can really be a strenuous task. Especially in this time of ever-changing

customer and communications landscape, it takes a lot of study, research and innovation to

come up with good brand marketing. Thus, for future business leaders and managers like me, I

ought to take brand marketing tips I’ve learnt in this movie. First, understand the vision and

mission of the organization. This will be our driving force and purpose in the future, as well as

the foundation for what we should do for our brand. Second, establish the business’s strategic

management structures (such as SWOT, positioning, value-chain, etc). These will help in

analyzing the company’s competition and competitive advantages. Third, create compelling and

one-of-a-kind contents. Content marketing will continue to play an important role for the

business's brighter future. Fourth, have an active online engagement. Embrace and engage in

anything that helps the organization's brand. In today's market, constant advances in digital and

online resources are all important factors that can help businesses interact with their target

audiences even more effectively. Fifth, provide a great customer experience. We want to please

our customers at every touch point, including brand engagement and marketing solutions.

Today's 1.8 billion Millennials (World Economic Forum, 2021) value experience over product

benefits, so we must pay close attention to their needs and desires throughout the process. And

finally, own it: a well-coordinated marketing strategy with comprehensive solutions. Having a

solid plan in place to not only address the challenges, but also to stay ahead of the opportunities

in a timely and transparent manner will not only benefit the company's brand, but will also

cement it as a company that cares about its customers. It demonstrates that the business is a

dependable long-term partner, building personal brand relationships one customer at a time.
References:

Magiera, K. (2020, August 13). Is Our Brand is Crisis; the Daily Mantra in Your

Company (Culture)? Collective Alternative.

https://www.collectivealternative.com/brand-crisis-daily-mantra-company-culture/

Neufeld, D. (2022, July 14). Demographics: How many millennials are there in the

world? World Economic Forum.

https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2021/11/millennials-world-regional-breakdown/