As a branding professional born outside the United States, I grew up seeing America not just as a country, but as a global brand with a spectacular story. It had all the hallmarks of a great brand: a bold origin story, strong visuals (stars and stripes, landmarks, etc), a consistent tone of voice, an evocative national anthem, and a big, emotional promise: freedom, opportunity, and unity. America wasn’t just selling a lifestyle; it was selling a dream.
Lately, I’ve watched Brand USA go through a nightmarish identity crisis. It’s painful to witness this confusion in a country I admire, home to many good friends and family members.
In the immortal words of Bruce Springsteen, “We are lost. We’ve lost so much in so short a time.”
If you’ve ever worked with a legacy brand that’s lost its relevance, you’ll recognize the signs: inconsistent messaging, internal conflict, alienated or confused audiences, emotional disconnection, loss of trust, and outdated or broken promises. The logo may still be intact, the taglines may still be circulating, but the brand no longer delivers on its core value proposition. That’s where America is today.
Division has replaced unity as the dominant brand message. Politicians, influencers, brands, and media figures, many with enormous audiences, fight to redefine what “America” means, not in terms of shared values, but in zero-sum terms. One version of the country must defeat the other. If that sounds like terrible brand architecture, it is. Believe me, I know about division coming from a complex country like my beautiful Mexico.
As a foreign observer, what strikes me most is how emotionally tired the brand now feels. Depression rates remain historically high, according to Gallup. Hope is down. Communities are disengaging or radicalizing, and social media keeps amplifying the static, until people can’t think clearly through the noise. The USA feels like a team wearing the same jersey but playing entirely different sports. Each side is after different goals while accusing the other of betrayal.
And yet, the branding machine keeps churning. Patriotic campaigns, flag-filled commercials or rallies, red or blue hats in the background. But these once-inspiring slogans and visuals now feel hollow, like a company advertising innovation while customer service lines ring endlessly.
No brand can survive if it doesn’t deliver on its promise, not even all-powerful Brand USA. Consumers might overlook a bad product launch, a PR misstep, or even a controversial CEO, as long as the brand stays emotionally consistent. But when there’s a disconnect between what a brand says it stands for and how it actually behaves, audiences respond (and not kindly).
Look at Volkswagen. The German car company was praised for its engineering and environmental responsibility until it was revealed that it had rigged emissions tests, a direct betrayal of its clean diesel positioning. Or consider Nike, which publicly championed Colin Kaepernick and social justice initiatives, while quietly facing criticism for overseas labor practices and the abuse of athletes.
These aren’t just PR mistakes; they’re breaches of emotional trust and brand integrity. And when consumer trust breaks, people don’t just leave. They turn on you.
Both brands paid a steep price for breaking emotional trust. Volkswagen spent years and billions rebuilding its reputation, pivoting hard toward electric vehicles to distance itself from “Dieselgate.” Nike, on the other hand, survived its controversies through cultural relevance and bold storytelling, but its ongoing labor and ethics issues still cast a shadow over its authenticity. In both cases, the message is clear: even powerful brands can’t mask a broken promise with marketing.
So, where does that leave Brand USA?
Here’s the hopeful part. Great brands have something that lukewarm ones never do: a core story worth telling. America’s founding ideals, flawed and complicated as they are, still resonate (Freedom, Opportunity, Dignity, Rights). These aren’t just empty words; they’re human needs. When a brand can return to its core emotional truth, it can evolve and come back stronger.
But it won’t happen with better ads or louder voices. It will happen when the country decides to stop marketing to itself and starts listening, when citizens talk to each other not as enemies, but as stakeholders of a shared brand.
When writing these words, the Boston Strong campaign that emerged after the terrorist bombing at the 2013 Boston Marathon kept coming to mind. “Boston Strong” succeeded where many campaigns fail because it wasn’t manufactured; it was deeply felt. It grew from the simple human truth that united a city around one powerful idea: We’re in this together. Damn, that was powerful and inspiring!
Courtesy @beliefrunners
Like all great rebrands, Brand USA needs a period of deep reflection. America must pause the division campaign, acknowledge the broken trust, and return to the big, emotional promise. Story first, slogans second.
I still believe in what America can be, not because of what the brand says now, but because of what it once stood for. Great brands—even Brand USA—can come back from the brink, but only if they’re honest, consistent, and human.
On a personal note, I think about how sometimes the closest connections can slip away quietly, leaving you to wonder how something so familiar could now be so distant. It’s a reminder that relationships, like brands, are fragile and that preserving them takes effort, attention, and understanding.
Ricardo Saca is the US and Mexico Managing Partner for Cato Brand Partners, a Global Design and Branding Consultancy. He has a Master’s in Branding from the School of Visual Arts in New York City and has 20+ years of experience working with a wide range of companies, from startups to airlines. He is an animal lover and a plant-based cyclist.
Header image by Howie Mapson on Unsplash.
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