Consumers & Brands split regarding Trump’s contradictory statements
However, sometimes it’s not easy to determine how consumers will respond to a campaign. For example, Trump’s recent Presidency announcement followed by his views of Mexican immigrants and border protection, seemed to have created two very split sides within consumers and brands.
On one hand, many didn’t take his comments lightly and were insulted stating it was a “blatantly disrespectful statement against Mexicans”. Quickly social media users took a stand by using the hashtag #dumptrump. Many mocked photos of his suits, which ironically on the inside have both, his brand tag and the “Made in Mexico” tag. Houston-based Farouk Systems, a hair product supplier for Trump’s Celebrity Apprentice show, withdrew its sponsorship of the Miss USA, Miss Universe and Miss Teen USA pageants and said it will have no further involvement with Trump. Brands such as Univision, NBC, and Macy’s also announced dropping his brand from their company in support of their own brand reputation.
It is very likely these individuals saw inconsistency in his message. He spoke negative of Mexico, yet his suits are made in that country. *There were 55 million Hispanics living in the U.S. in 2014 with an expected buying power of $1.5 trillion by end of 2015. Hispanics are on a growth streak and they will continue to see growth in the near future. Trump clearly didn’t take this fact into consideration, neither the feelings of many of his current Hispanic customers. Although all might not be Mexicans, many Hispanics and Non-Hispanics are still taking a very strong stand against his comments and are choosing to no longer support his brand or his candidacy.
Despite the negative publicity, there are still large groups of individuals in support of what he said and are actually ready to vote for Trump. According to Media Matters for America, an article on their site states that Fox News rallies to defend Donald Trump after NBC announces split. Journalist like Sean Hannity, Bill O’Reilly, and Megyn Kelly, all took a positive stand defending Trump’s characterization of immigrants. Regarding the Presidency, CNN/ORC poll showed Trump had 12 percent of the vote among Republicans and Republican-leaners, second only to former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, who earned 19 percent. Although, many are still skeptical that this will have any real traction as other candidates join.
Many social media users also responded in his support, using hashtag #MakeAmericaGreatAgain, posting statements like “@overpasses4America Take note America. You just may be looking at a future president.” And some very disturbing ones like “@_M__D__S_ I almost just killed an illegal Mexican on the lawnmower… driving it down the road like a car…”
It is apparent that these individuals are united by the same perception as Trump – that the Mexican border issues are affecting this country. In their minds, Trump’s way is the best way. It might have to do with Trump’s strong Entrepreneurial background and how he has led many profitable businesses, creating a strong perception and trust in his capabilities to turn this country around. Some believe the statements were taken out of context and don’t see any discriminatory actions against Mexicans.
*Source: Nielsen, Pew Research Center
