Trump is offering Boeing branding advice. His history of aircraft branding isn't encouraging.
Boeing, one of the largest companies in the world, has its own marketing department, which is presumably working overtime to figure out how to revive the 737 MAX line, grounded worldwide after two crashes in five months. Nonetheless, President Trump offered his own two cents on Monday morning.
Trump has been very successful at branding certain things, his biggest success probably being himself and his family name, but there are certain areas where companies might view Trump's business advice with skepticism — like meat products, higher education, and aircraft, as the famously unimpressed husband of one of his top advisers reminded him.
So, everyone has strengths and weaknesses. Boeing's strengths include marketing aircraft. Trump's? To paraphrase the president, maybe he knows nothing.
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Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.
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