All the flag
waving...

...comes to nothing as the flag is turned upside down

Blue Marlin's John Matthews writes for the Sydney Morning Herald 27th February 2009

If, as the author Samuel Johnson said, "patriotism is the last refuge of the scoundrel", where does that leave Australian brands that wrap themselves in the flag? In the case of Pacific Brands, we see a company that traded on as an icon, the Bonds brand, shedding 1850 jobs in an effort to reduce costs, and the response? That's downright un-Australian.

Aside from the repellent political point scoring, the shock has been caused by our belief that a brand that benefits from borrowing (and to be fair creating) so many symbols of Australianness should act in a way that reflects the public interest.

The "Buy me, I'm an Aussie" route to success is one fraught with danger. In claiming the privilege and loyalty of patriotism, brands tend to see only the up side. They ought to remember the price a brand pays for that sort of loyalty is a responsibility to act in a way consistent with Australian values.

Who owns a brand isn't what makes it Australian. On the criterion Dairy Farmers - a current client - would be Japanese and Vegemite would be American. Values are the key here. Politicians struggle consistently to articulate a vision of Australian values but many brands have become a part of our cultural fabric far more convincingly than any political party's manifesto.

Great brands rarely, if ever, make explicit claims about their nationality; they realise acting Australian is far more important than claiming to be Australian. Of course, when asked what are our values most people will reel off words such as "down to earth" or "egalitarian". Again, this is where brands trump politicians. Our most trusted brands speak to us in a calm and open way as if to a peer rather than an idiot.

Contrast this with politicians who will serve up "fair dinkum" whenever it appears expedient, no matter how incongruous it sounds. Great brands show far more respect to the idea of Australia, because they refuse to stoop to a condescending dumbing down.

Dairy Farmers is an example of a brand that feels genuinely Australian. Originally formed as a milk producers' co-operative in 1990, it has worked through the proud embrace and support of farmers. When Dairy Farmers was acquired last year by National Foods (owned by Japanese brewing giant Kirin) there was very little weeping and wailing. Why? Dairy Farmers understood that being an Australian brand is about what you give, rather than what you ask for.

While Barack Obama again links the idea of patriotism with that of service, brands also ought to ask not what Australia can do for them but what they can do for Australia. That sort of Australianness takes a lot of effort, far more than flag waving ever does.

However, in a time of economic uncertainty, where offshoring production and mergers and acquisitions may become a matter of necessity rather than choice, brands need to look at the security of their assets. The scenario that reinforces this is a simple one; if the only thing that makes me buy their product is them being Australian, what do they think I'll do when they are not? We have a far more subtle and nuanced notion of what being Australian really means than brands, politicians or foreigners are ever privy to. In truth we don't align ourselves with companies because of what passport their chief executive has or what values they espouse. We like brands that are human, that speak to frailties, are like us. That's not necessarily being Australian; it's more widely known as being human.

Considering Bonds, they might just be lucky. Chesty Bonds may remain untarnished and we might remember the evil corporate downsizers at Pacific Brands as the villains of the place. However, if this sad episode does tell us one thing, it is that companies that claim to speak for Australians should expect more than an indifferent shrug when they, so publicly, strike at our collective livelihood.

John Matthews is head of strategy at Blue Marlin Brand Design.

Published in the Sydney Morning Herald 27th February 2009