There is no doubt that the current economy has us in uncharted waters.  It’s hard not to worry– scary headlines report falling real estate, failing banks, brokerage firms in dire straits, and stock prices plummeting internationally.  

Granted we are in troubling times, but with media constantly talking about doom and gloom, it’s difficult to find our bearings through the fog.  Are they exacerbating the problem by painting a bleak economic picture?  Can all this talk about the next Great Depression become a self fulfilling prophecy?  Tara Kinateder, Vice President of Bernstein Global Wealth Management, said, “You can quickly see the financial statistics on several stocks [CME Group Inc., Google, Exxon, and Apple] that are taking a beating based on fear rather than fundamentals.”    

Perhaps this is not an economic crisis, but a crisis of faith.  In a time of crisis, a strong, positive brand could be our saving grace. Some politicians knew this well.  The New Deal, for example, connoted change and hope and by the end of the first one hundred days, the words, “new deal,” had become the most powerful brand of the 20th century.   

Does “Bailout” convey any hope? No, it only creates more pessimism.  It implies failure and leads our thought process toward criticism.  Furthermore because politicians and economic experts are in disagreement, we begin to wonder and lose faith in the powers that be.  The worse thing that could happen to the U.S. economy is a loss of confidence of the folks who run the show, especially now that our economy is reliant upon their actions.    

We need the situation simplified in terms that everyone can understand.  A message of reform and hope is a message can put things into perspective that can calm the nation’s apprehension.  Strong branding can help.  

-Bianca Abate

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