No doubt you’ve read and heard dozens of tributes to the late great Rush Limbaugh since his passing earlier this year, including some who still marvel at his popularity and radio dominance. Pundits say he was so popular because the mainstream media was so liberal, or they point to the repeal of the (perversely named) Fairness Doctrine. But I believe Rush inspired deep loyalty from his audience because of one simple thing: brand integrity.
Several years ago, I worked with a conservative firebrand well-known for speaking his mind and not tolerating fools or pretenders. One election cycle, I discovered this author was loudly supporting a candidate who seemed to violate most of his principles. The candidate wasn’t particularly conservative, and had not voiced strong positions on most of the issues this author had regularly championed. The author’s rationale: we just want someone who can win.
I tried to tell this author how damaging that support was. He could vote for whomever he wanted, of course, my counsel had nothing to do with politics. It had everything to do with brand integrity. I was convinced his fans stopped dead in their tracks when they heard him praise this candidate. I was certain they said,” wait, what? You support him? That doesn’t make sense to me. Maybe you are not who I thought you were.” At that moment, the author lost his fans’ trust. They would no longer give him the benefit of the doubt.
Like Rush, the most effective conservative authors exude brand integrity. Over time, their readers come to know Mr. Conservative Author’s habits of mind, his favorite phrases, even his personal tastes and history. Readers know Mr. C has a charmingly disobedient dog, or a fear of heights, or loves pistachio ice cream (OK, that’s me). They love the fact that Mr. C always puts his hand over his heart when he says the Pledge. And he gets annoyed when other shoppers abandon their carts in the middle of the parking lot (me, again). While readers may not agree with Mr. C on everything, they know better than to invite him to go sky-diving, and – most importantly – they know they share with him a basic set of values and beliefs about the world. Mr. C’s definition of what is good and honorable and decent matches theirs. They trust him.
Let me be clear: I am not suggesting an author can never say anything new or unexpected. Quite the opposite. Rush would often discuss and endorse new policies and solutions to old problems – but his conservative principles did not waver. As conservatives, we must, constantly seek new and better ways to promote self-reliance and economic independence, for example, but we must never substitute guaranteed outcomes for achievement. We must always strive to take care of those less fortunate, but we must never confuse socialism with charity. We must explore and leverage new discoveries in medicine and science, but we must never delude ourselves that we can “play God.”
Ditching our principles is a violation of the trust bestowed by our readers. It is also a brand integrity disaster.
Tune into FoxNews these days and you will see a brand in crisis. Most of their commentators seem relieved not to have to defend Donald Trump anymore and many sound like they are more interested in currying favor with their fellow journalists and Washington elite than in respecting the values and concerns of their audience. As a result, they are hemorrhaging viewers and losing track of both their brand and their moral compass.
Brand integrity is essential for businesses, too – at Regnery, we have been very intentional about our brand. Readers are willing to buy a book because it has the Regnery logo on the spine, because they know a Regnery book comes from an author who shares their core values.
I urge every business and every author I work with to do a brand integrity audit. Look at your books, your website, your social media accounts, your speeches, your articles, your interviews. Are all these expressions of your brand consistent? Do they look and sound like they came from the same person or organization? Do they represent the same core values and principles? I believe brand integrity extends to the words you choose for your title, the style and colors of your book jacket and website, the organizations you choose to affiliate with, the causes you champion. Make sure every time your audience “encounters” you, they nod and say, “yep, that’s my guy.” Make sure they react to a new idea from you with “gosh, I never thought of it that way, but now it makes sense to me” or “gee, I see why he would suggest that.”
Embracing your brand integrity may not convince millions of Americans to tune in, every day for three hours, every week for more than 30 years, to hear your voice. Then again, it might.