Donald Trump’s Personal Brand extension into steaks
October 2, 2007 at 11:03 am | In Personal Branding, magazine, news | 10 CommentsIntroduction
Donald Trump is a billionaire and world recognized brand. He is an entrepreneur, television personality and author of many books. I have even recognized him as a world class brand in the first issue of Personal Branding Magazine, which debuted on August 1st. He has invested billions of dollars in his brand, so that wherever you journey, you will see one of his many real-estate properties, such as The Trump Plaza. Trump is so successful that he has even established Trump University, with many of his colleagues, in order to teach others how to become successful through various business strategies. Trump not only has his own clothing line, travel agency, perfume, casino resorts, golf clubs, model management, radio program, art collection, but he also owns skating rinks in NYC.
Has Trump gone too far with Trump Steaks?
Recently Trump has announced a new line of signature steaks. This collection includes the classic, resort, connoisseur and country club steaks. You can find cuts of steak such as filet mignon, porterhouse, New York strip and even steak burgers. This Trump brand extension places the quality, professionalism and class into a popular food item. For example, he uses USDA Prime, which is said to be the top of the grading scale for traits that determine beef’s tenderness, juiciness and flavor. The steaks are even packaged with style, with a signature logo box. It seems that people are purchasing these items, even at a cost of $200 a piece! They are sold specifically through The Sharper Image, which tend to be located in most malls around the country.
Opinion
First, I think that the Trump name has been successful no matter where its placed, to a certain extent, so why should steak be any different? Second, I think that The Sharper Image, as their channel partner, relay’s some of the same attributes as both the steak and Trump in that they are all of high quality and distinct. If I were to play devils advocate, I would say that people are getting turned off by Trump branding overload, as well as not wanting to pay a premium price on steaks they can purchase elsewhere at the same quality level. What do you think?
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Dan,
Trump sells CHEESE. Like you said, you can purchase other steaks which are the same quality level elsewhere. The people who buy his products are the people who strive to be like Trump, not necessarily the people who are looking for quality products. As long as people buy his products, I can’t imagine him stopping.
Either way, I can’t wait for the Will Ferrell movie.
Comment by adamsalamon — October 2, 2007 #
I hope they don’t come with his face on them. That’s not very appetizing!
Comment by Andrew Flusche — October 2, 2007 #
I can’t stand that man. He is a celebrity which is why his stuff sells. But I would never do a business deal with him if he acted the way he acts on the apprentice. The man is a puffy baboon and real businessmen wouldn’t want anything to do with him.
But I wouldn’t mind a ride on his jet…
Comment by Angus Gastle — October 2, 2007 #
Hi this is a really interesting article, thanks for sharing!
Limitless | StylishLabs
Comment by Limitless — October 3, 2007 #
As long as he doesn’t imprint his face on the steak…
Kidding aside, too much of something can backfire. But if the product is good and stands out from other products, then there is a possibility that the venture would stay alive for a long long while. In the case of Trump’s steak, unless the steak is outstandingly delicious, I think people will tire of spending $200 for it sooner or later.
Comment by jen_chan, writer SureFireWealth.com — October 4, 2007 #
I was speaking to a fellow author, Joe Nunziata, the other day about personal branding… and he gave an interesting comment, “He’s like a cartoon character!” I couldn’t agree more. His over-the-top ridiculousness is part of his personal brand nowadays… IMHO, Trump jumped the shark with vodka, now he’s jumped the steak!
~ Vikram
PersonalBrandMarketing.com
Comment by vikramrajan — October 4, 2007 #
“The blogs that I’ve seen…” Clearly, my friend hasn’t been frequenting the same blogs I do: The Personal Branding Blog, Relationship Create a New Economy, and several others.
-The communication Factors
onthemarkwriting.wordpress.com
Comment by onthemarkwriting — October 4, 2007 #
I will not be purchasing those steaks. = )
Comment by Shama Hyder — October 5, 2007 #
I would agree with Adam, in that it seems that the people that buy these steaks are the ones who try hard to be like him.
At the end of the day, the value of a product is determined by what people believe about it. Would I buy a Trump steak if I had the money? Probably not. What authority does Trump have about steaks? Hairpieces, maybe. Not steaks. It would be like having Ben Stiller play in a serious thriller film.
Now, if Trump’s hobby was cattle farming, then maybe I would consider his steaks. His hobby is making money, and he’s doing a great job!
Comment by Piotr J — October 9, 2007 #
[...] Of course some bloggers covered this back in May, and others haven’t noticed until this week. Last week, Personal Branding Blog even took the time to analyze this latest business venture, and question if the Trump branding has finally gone to far. [...]
Pingback by Donald Trump Wants You To Eat His Meat | So Good — October 9, 2007 #