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In the wake of the release of a video showing Donald Trump speaking about women in vulgar sexual terms, a study conducted by our New York-based brand engagement and customer loyalty research consultancy Brand Keys revealed that 100% of the categories where Brand Keys has tracked the Trump brand had been negatively affected. But in a follow-up survey regarding Ivanka Trump, we found that the damage to her brand was insignificant compared to that of her father’s.

In a national survey conducted among 950 Millennial female shoppers who spent at least $250 on a dress or shoes in the past 12 months, we found that 83% were positively disposed to Ivanka Trump’s line of clothing or shoes – despite her involvement in her father’s presidential campaign.

We always talk about the complexity of 21st century consumers (particularly Millennials) so right now it’s pretty apparent that consumers can separate the political from the paternal. And while there may actually be an “I Hate Trump” movement (beyond the political) the most recent study found more than half (51%) of them are still “extremely” or “very” willing to keep Ivanka Trump brand on their shopping lists. When asked, “In light of Ivanka Trump’s involvement with the Trump campaign for president, how likely would you be to consider buying her line of shoes or clothing?” responses were follows:

Extremely Likely         18%

Very Likely                 33%

Somewhat Likely         32%

Not Very Likely          11%

Not At All Likely         6%

While some groups have called for a boycott of all things Trump, Ivanka’s comments have been pretty balanced regarding the campaign overall, i.e., not crazy or racist. What’s more, she’s been extraordinarily articulate about issues and generally supportive of her father, something anyone – except the most rabid of Democrats – should have expected. And if you were expecting to see her wear a “I’m For Hillary” button, you’re crazier than her father!

Note well, that when the video surfaced on October 7th she was not among the many surrogates and apologists to rush to Mr. Trump’s defense. And while there have been large losses to the (Donald) Trump brand and its ability to bring added value to various products and services, Ivanka’s brand does not appear to have suffered the same fate as her father’s. Perhaps consumers are thinking in terms of a paraphrased quote from Deuteronomy 24:16, “The father’s (brand) shall not be put to death for the children, neither shall the children’s (brand) be put to death for the fathers; every man’s (brand) shall be put to death for his own sin.”

Brand Keys has been tracking the (Donald) Trump brand for more than 20 years. At one point, Mr. Trump was the most powerful ‘Human Brand’ we had ever encountered. That included people like Martha Stewart and Tiger Woods and Oprah Winfrey. But recent revelations, and his ongoing political rhetoric, have badly damaged his brand, and history proves that when a brand has been damaged this badly, it generally doesn’t come back. Or in Biblical terms, it looks like unless Mr. Trump actually wins the election, consumers are going to put his brand to death.

 


Find out more about what makes customer loyalty happen and how Brand Keys metrics is able to predict future consumer behavior: brandkeys.com. Visit our YouTube channel to learn more about Brand Keys methodology, applications and case studies.

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