Bored of Brexit? How the B-word went from advertiser’s dream to branding disaster

The word “Brexit” is unavoidable.

When we pick up a newspaper, turn on the TV, or log in to social media, the B-word follows us everywhere.

For many of the world’s largest brands, this would be a dream. The likes of Nike, Coca-Cola and Amazon spend billions of pounds for the kind of ubiquity that “Brexit” enjoys.

Even more frustrating for corporate marketing teams is that this level of recognition has been achieved on a shoestring budget (if we’re not taking into account the $2 trillion that the referendum vote wiped off the global stock market).

And yet, despite this enviable share of the media spotlight, Brexit is failing as a brand. One of the few things that unites both Brexiteers and Remainers is that both are thoroughly bored of the topic.

According to polls, voters on both sides of the debate find the topic of Brexit more tedious than they do interesting. And that’s a problem for Theresa May.

For the last couple of weeks, the Prime Minister has taken on the role of a travelling salesperson, navigating the length and breadth of the country, knocking on doors, trying to make a sale.

While she possesses all the assets of a great salesperson – tenacity, doggedness, determination – she has been let down badly by her branding department.

Just as there is often tension between salespeople and marketers, now that she is back at HQ to run through her figures, she has every right to cast a frustrated glance at her colleagues who have sought safety and comfort by avoiding the sharp-end of the transaction.

So what went wrong? First, let’s define a brand. A brand isn’t just a logo or a name. It’s a non-tangible feeling you get when you interact with something. It’s the attachment and association of loftier virtues to a company or organisation.

You hear the word Rolex and it evokes a reaction. You walk in to an Apple Store and it sparks a sensation. You read the word Brexit and you roll your eyes.

Successful brands have got to where they are today through consistency. Since day one, Rolex has meant luxury, Apple has meant creativity, Nike has meant success.

Brexit has been devoid of any persistent and steady thread. For two years, the idea of Brexit has shifted and morphed.

At first, we were told: “no deal is better than a bad deal”. Then we were told that it isn’t. At one point we were led to believe that we’d be free to negotiate new free trade arrangements during the transition period, now we’re not.

Put bluntly, voters are thoroughly confused about what Brexit means, and we’ve given up trying to figure it out. We’ve become detached from the brand.

Branding in politics is never an easy task, but it’s not impossible. Tony Blair’s embrace of “Cool Britannia” and Margaret Thatcher’s status as the “Iron Lady” were both exercises in political branding gone right.

The current Prime Minister may have just run out of time to turn this around and transform Brexit into a barnstorming brand that resonates with the British public. If advertising agencies want to send in their pitch, they know the address.