Branding and Politics

There’s no shortage of Americans sharing opinions on world affairs—but how many of those opinions are genuinely informed, especially about European politics? Not enough, if you ask me (or most Europeans). As an American specializing in communications, media, and European politics, I provide insights from an outsider’s perspective to clarify the complexities shaping Europe's political landscape.

I'm Michael Cunningham, an analyst trained in transatlantic affairs at the University of North Carolina. I specialize in populism and Brexit (feel free to read my thesis here if you're into that sort of thing). Beyond politics, I’m also a history buff and—fair warning—a massive Star Trek fan. Over the past 25 years I’ve translated the complex into the understandable and I’m here to explain what all this means. Twice a month, I’ll break down complex and rapidly changing transatlantic political developments into clear, actionable insights. Whether you're a policymaker, business leader, or someone trying to make sense of America’s rapidly changing political scene, I’ve got you covered.

We’re at a crossroads and American politics has, yet again, shaken the West to its core. The institutions that have shaped the past 75 years are being dismantled thanks to the unforeseen consequences of globalism, an ascendant China, and a very real and present threat of Russia. The political machines across the democratic world have attempted to negotiate these changes with most of the political right taking advantage of these consequences while the center and left have stumbled. 

A good brand means you know what you're going to get.

Let’s dive into branding and populism—two topics central to today's political discourse. Branding shapes perception, and in politics, it goes far beyond logos and slogans. Today’s successful political brands—especially on the populist right—consistently deliver simple, emotionally charged messages that resonate quickly on social media. Parties like Germany’s AfD, France’s Rassemblement National, the UK’s ReformUK, and America’s Republicans have mastered this art, turning once-fringe ideas into formidable political forces.

Social media platforms thrive on short, easily digestible messages. Facebook, Threads, or Twitter aren’t places for nuanced discussions; they reward simple slogans designed for likes and shares, fitting perfectly with populism’s strategy of simplifying complex issues into ‘us versus them’ narratives. They’re mostly closed ecosystems of people agreeing with opinions they already have, and with a limited amount of screen to get your message across, in politics you’re mainly dealing with simple slogans that can be liked and shared feeding that ever-hungry algorithm. This fits perfectly with a core aspect of populism: pitting the “people” against “outsiders” and oftentimes winning great success around simple messages such as “Get Brexit Done”, “Make America Great Again”, or “Time For Germany” that promote nationalism over internationalism. These attract voters due to their simplicity and most voters aren’t tied into politics all day, reading blogs about populism. Social media users engage with this content, improving their ranking in the mysterious “algorithm” and generating millions of dollars (or Euros) of free media. 

The left has stumbled time and time again, which is ironic given the stereotype that everyone in Hollywood is a raging communist. While the world is a complicated place and usually doesn’t give you a black or white, up or down answer to the massive struggles people encounter in their day-to-day life, the left continues to give complicated answers. This causes many people to tune out. To them, it’s simple. “X moved into my neighborhood and now I don’t have a job, ergo X caused me to lose my job”. Populists always have someone to blame. It’s clear, simple, easy to understand, and rarely completely accurate. It wins votes, just ask any of the countless former Conservative Members of Parliament in the UK. It also can help keep a coalition of voters together. Take a look at France’s 2024 legislative election. The far-right Rassemblement Nationale has remained a unified bloc while the left has been forced into an uneasy and contentious coalition just to form a parliamentary group large enough to have a voice. A left spread across the entire political spectrum from actual communists and revolutionaries through to Greens and more traditional centre-left candidates is not a recipe for success or even stability. This grand left-wing coalition in France quickly began to fray when the centre-left Socialist Party held a meeting to explore forming a government with other centrist parties, much to the chagrin of more left-wing politicians. 

Sticking with a brand, even if it doesn't pay immediate dividends, is one of the hardest aspects in not only advertising, but media and politics as well. However, it doesn't help your mission if you orient your party as an opposition and then support the government’s agenda. This demotivates your base while at the same time cutting the legs from underneath you if you were to run against a government policy. For mainstream and left-leaning European parties, the challenge isn’t to abandon complexity, but to distill complex policies into clear, relatable messaging. Effective branding means not just defining what you stand for—but sticking consistently to your message, even when the payoff isn't immediate. Find a message that resonates.

Simplify it.

Repeat that message. 

In short, voters crave simplicity. Right-wing populists know this well and capitalize on clear messaging to motivate their base. If center and left-leaning parties hope to regain ground, they'll need clearer, more consistent branding without sacrificing their core principles. Whether they rise to this challenge, as the American Democratic Party aims to after their disappointing 2024 results, remains an open question—but it’s one European decision-makers should pay close attention to. The irony is that the political right, stereotypically the home of older voters has mastered social media while the political left, the stereotypical home of the arts has failed to adequately brand and market themselves to a defined voter. In a world defined by uncertainty, clear, effective political branding might be the difference between stability and continued disruption.