American Brands Suddenly Have a Trump Card: Here's How To Take Advantage
Whether you love Trump or hate him, he's given American brands a trump card they need to start playing right away. It's in the interest of the American brands, but also in the interest of the American economy. And for some even patriotic, but that isn’t required. The “trump card” is the tariffs and I have three ways for American brands to take full advantage and to accelerate our economy through the tariff pain.
The Tariff Reality: A Brief Look
The numbers tell the story: a 10% universal tariff hits all U.S. imports, but China faces an additional 135% reciprocal duty. By May 2, 2025, the de minimis exemption for Chinese goods ends, ensuring every shipment faces steep costs. Economists predict an 80% drop in Chinese exports to the U.S. within two years and a 0.9% hit to GDP growth in 2025. As Chinese exports plummet, American brands producing domestically can capture this shifting demand—if they act wisely.
Even if they do nothing, American brands will see a bump vs foreign alternatives simply due to consumer choices at POP made by price. But here’s how brands can accelerate American product adoption.
One, The Minimum: Tell Everyone You’re Tariff-Free
This is obvious, but at the very least make it crystal clear in your advertising that your products are Made in America. Add “Tariff-Free” or “Proudly American-Made” to your website, social media, and ads. But also be transparent: if you import materials, acknowledge potential minor price hikes but emphasize your domestic production keeps costs lower than all foreign competitors. This baseline “infomercial” approach ensures shoppers know your brand is the smarter buy. At LEAST do this.
Two, The Better Way: Express Americanness Through Your Brand Idea
To really stand out while at the same time building equity in your existing brand, communicate your Americanness through your brand’s core idea—the essence that defines you. In fact, ask it: How would our brand, as we’ve built it, proclaim its American roots? Would it be patriotically? Would it be pragmatically? Would it be subtle or in your face? See if the brand answers you (if not, you need to back up and call Ideasicle X and get a brand idea).
Brands are already leaning in with varying degrees of brand-idea connection. For example, Ford’s 2025 “From America, For America” campaign literally highlights its U.S. factories and offers employee pricing to all consumers, reinforcing affordability. Nice. American Giant’s 2025 email campaign reminded customers its clothing, made in the U.S. since 2011, sidesteps tariffs. Levi’s launched “Made in USA” denim lines, labeling origins clearly for transparency.
The messaging doesn’t have to riff off American ideals. You don’t have to touch politics. The American-made message just has to make sense coming from your brand and feel like further proof of your brand idea.
But there’s an even better way to take advantage of the tariffs.
The Ultimate Play: Form the American Brand Stand
Imagine a campaign like “Got Milk?”—where milk producers pooled resources into a single ad campaign to grow demand for milk, the category, and not just one brand of milk. American brands can do the same, uniting for a collective advertising push we might call the “American Brand Stand.”
The message? American-made means tariff-free. Picture TV spots, social campaigns, and billboards showcasing diverse American brands—clothing, cars, tech, sports, foods, anything—all driving to a single call to action: visit AmericanBrandStand.com (the url is available as of this writing).
This website would be a dynamic repository for consumers to use, searchable by category (e.g., apparel, electronics, etc.), with links to brand sites, local store locators to buy, and exclusive promotions as a reward for shopping American. Like a digital lemonade “stand” for U.S. brands, American Brand Stand would be consumer-friendly and practical.
Two ways I could see this happening:
Brands pool their funding (like “Got Milk?”). American Brands organize themselves into a nation of brands. Elect a board of directors to make marketing decisions, have the member brands contribute some % of their sales to the effort, hire an advertising agency to develop the work (I know one), and go.
The government could fund it. Trump has admitted these tariffs would cause short-term pain. Funding this kind of campaign would accelerate the economy through the pain more quickly. Brand USA already exists to encourage tourism in the USA, so maybe add this campaign to their purview?
The name American Brand Stand—a nod to taking a stand, a lemonade stand, and a riff on American Bandstand—captures the movement’s energy. No such collective exists today (that I could find), making this a chance to lead. In fact, brands, someone take the lead and secure AmericanBrandStand.com and start building this coalition today.
Lightning doesn’t strike twice
These Trump tariffs are a lightning bolt, once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for marketers of American Brands. Many of your competitors won’t be able to compete. The time is now to take full advantage. Be it flat announcements of being American brands, richer branded messaging, or the collective “Got Milk?” effort.
Assign your agency the task (just send them this blog post). Or call Ideasicle X and we’ll come up with campaign ideas.
It’s all in order to form a more perfect union.
Will Burns is the Founder & CEO of the revolutionary virtual-idea-generating company, Ideasicle X. He’s an advertising veteran from such agencies as Wieden & Kennedy, Goodby Silverstein, Arnold Worldwide, and Mullen. He was a Forbes Contributor for nine years writing about creativity in modern branding. Sign up for the Ideasicle Newsletter and never miss a post like this. Will’s bio.