| Submit your comments on this article | |
| Israel-Palestine-Jordan | |
| Israel's Image Won't Improve Without Policy Changes | |
| 2011-09-01 | |
The thousands of scantily clothed bikers, skateboarders, walkers, hawkers, gawkers and performers were simply taking advantage of another breezy, crystal clear Southern California day. They had fought their way valiantly through relentless freeway traffic to participate in the year-round weekend ritual of parading down Los Angeles’ bohemian thoroughfare, the Venice Beach boardwalk. This was not a place you would think would inspire deep thoughts about Israel’s increasingly desperate efforts to brand itself – and the wastefulness of all the dollars contributed by American Jewish organizations to mount a defense in the media of the Jewish state. But that’s exactly where my mind went when I came upon a food truck dispensing thousands of little containers of hummus. Along a stretch of Venice Beach, tables were set up, covered with colorful tablecloths and bowls of fresh limes, lemons, red peppers and other fruits and vegetables. Hundreds of young people were seated, giggling and diving into their free samples. Signs were posted that this event was sponsored by Sabra Foods, the makers of “Mediterranean Dips.” Without a day-school education or perhaps a distant memory of Leon Uris’ “Exodus,” one would have no idea that “sabra” meant native-born Israeli. And nowhere on any of the packages did it say that Sabra was anything other than the product of an American distributor. So I pulled out my smart phone and did a quick Google search. I found that Sabra Foods is owned by Pepsico Corporation. But as I searched further, buried under other information, I read that Sabra is a joint partnership between Pepsico and Strauss Foods. The next Google search brought up Strauss Foods of Israel. Why is the national identity of Sabra Hummus not clearly stated right on its label, like the pride with which spicy red tomato sauces are called Mexican Salsa? Or tomato sauces with garlic and oregano are called Italian Tomato Sauce? Or Indian Curry? Or Greek Olives? Or Turkish Delight? Certainly not because other Middle-Eastern nations can also claim hummmus as their own cuisine. The Turks and Greeks claim everything each other cooks. The same with the Indians and Pakistanis, as well as Mexicans and all their Central American neighbors. Is the Israeli-ness of the hummus hidden because of boycott fears, legitimately fueled by the smashing of Israeli wines in Europe and Canada? Perhaps. But isn’t America supposed to be the last bastion in the world of big Israel supporters? I don’t blame Strauss Foods for positioning these product lines in America as “Mediterranean.” They’re in the business of selling food, not selling Zionism. The unfortunate truth, though, is that “Israel,” associated with anything except hi-tech and security products, is proving to be an increasing liability, especially when it is identified with mass consumer goods. Even with all the efforts of Camera, the Israel Project, the Jewish Federations and all the other organizations that blast my email inbox daily with defensive statements, Israel is increasingly emerging as the world’s pariah nation. Yet, as strange as it may sound coming from a marketer with an advertising background, who has represented hundreds of Jewish organizations worldwide, I have arrived at the conclusion that the solution will not be found in branding, marketing, public relations or the writings of political pundits. The problem is that all their concepts, strategies, words and legitimate defenses – no matter how powerful and clever – are not going to elevate Israel’s plummeting image. Hundreds of thousands of dollars from donors and the Israeli government have been poured into this effort, yet the situation only worsens every month. I am as much to blame as anyone for being a supporter of these actions. It has become clear that the world doesn’t care about Israel’s wines, its Bauhaus architecture, its fashion, its alluring women, its sexy gay men, its beaches, its ballet or its hummus. The world, its media and its university campuses are riveted upon Israel’s relationship with the Palestinians as well as the state of its democracy. No, the answer to Israel’s image problems does not depend upon the marketing. It depends first upon the policies. Something is proving wrong with several of the ingredients in Israel as a product. The policies – whether we argue they are right or wrong internally – are spoiling the taste for the world consumer as well as for many in a new generation of young Jews, even those who have been on Birthright. This is not a left- or a right-wing opinion. It is a fact. No matter how Israel markets or defends itself in the media, the policies seep into the equation and kill the success of the image. Do I have the answer for how to fix the policies, or even which policies need fixing? No. But I’m not a politician. I’m an adman and a marketer. And I can tell you, from my years creating ads for products from Coca Cola to Apple Computer, if people keep reading about some bad ingredients in the ketchup, very few people will buy the bottle, no matter how much money and creativity you pack into the marketing. No amount of branding, slogans, viral ideas or clever engagement is going to lead towards the success that supporters of Israel need. What I can say is that Israel, and those who love her, need to take a hard, honest look in the mirror and uncover the deeper problems, the ones that cannot be fixed with a better logo. The loss of “Israeli” hummus might not seem detrimental right now. But that scene on Venice Beach might be a sign of things to come, when it’s more than just the producers of hummus who refuse to identify with Israel. | |
| Posted by:Steve White |
| #8 Hasn't Israel joined NATO + Mediterranean Union [CENTO?] yet??? |
| Posted by: JosephMendiola 2011-09-01 21:21 |
| #7 'Tis better to be feared than loved. Posted by: Barbara|| 2011-09-01 14:50 | No, Barbara, it's better to be loved. However, it's FAR better to be feared than be treated with contempt. Most anti-Semites treat Israel and Jews with contempt. I have nothing but contempt for anyone who feels that way. They KNOW they're setting the Arabs up for another fall, but hope they'll be able to bring Israel down with them. The next Arab-Israeli war will happen within the next three years, and will most probably result in Israel nuking the sh$$ out of a dozen Arab nations, in pure self-defense. I just hope the Israelis reserve one nuke for Brussels and the EU, which is the source of a lot of the crap they're having to take at the moment. Frankly, I wouldn't go back to Europe right now for all the money in the world, even on a vacation. It's a million pounds of loose black powder, looking for a match. |
| Posted by: Old Patriot 2011-09-01 20:20 |
| #6 One of the biggest reasons that Israel is an outcast is what could be called the "Captain Bligh syndrome". Bligh was torn between wanting to be a top-notch ships captain and disciplinarian, and wanting to be *loved* by his crew. This is a deadly combination. His crew never knew where they stood. One day, he would feel magnanimous, and give the crew extra rum for no reason, and then he would feel guilty about it, and turn into a snarling and abusive monster. And he would feel guilty about that as well, so he would try to be extra nice again. Lather, rinse and repeat. It is no surprise that his crew mutinied. They just couldn't take it anymore. "Following the flogging, there will be cake and ice cream for everyone!" Israel is much the same way. It adamantly refuses to adopt any measure that would eventually end its problems with the Paleos. Half the time it is trying to be nice to them, and the other half it turns on them viciously. Any other country in the world would have just kicked them all out and been done with it, long ago. They would have done it in 1948, 1956, 1967, or 1973. And even if there was international whining, it would have quickly ended and the world would have moved on, forgetting about it. But in the mind of the rest of the world, Israel just wants to toy with the Paleos, keeping them in a perpetual state of chaos and poverty, while at the same time blaming them for all of Israel's problems, and giving them food, water and electricity. Probably the only Israeli leader who understood the truth was Ariel Sharon, because he knew how military commanders have to behave to get respect from their soldiers. He knew that the Bligh syndrome is a recipe for disaster. Even today, were the Israelis to say "enough already", and force the Gazans into Egypt, before bulldozing the entire strip, it would end the calamity, at least on that side of Israel. Certainly the Egyptians would howl bloody murder, but the Israelis could give them a few billion dollars to resettle the Paleos, and everything would again be sweetness and light. |
| Posted by: Anonymoose 2011-09-01 17:49 |
| #5 To be clear, I don't agree with a lot of what Mr. Wexler wrote. I do agree that Israel has not been able to set the terms of the debate for a long time, and that issue is one that better advertising / marketing won't fix. However Israel chooses, it must change policy. I am NOT advocating that they surrender or bare their throats. But they must figure out how they're getting beat in the world opinion front and fix that. |
| Posted by: Steve White 2011-09-01 17:31 |
| #4 Israel should do nothing but endure. In a few years, tranzis will be out of power everywhere in the west, and Dar will be too busy going through a population collapse. |
| Posted by: g(r)omgoru 2011-09-01 15:39 |
| #3 I think there are some steps Israel could take to change their image. They could (a) put a bill before the UN restating the article that formed Israel in the first place and force nations to vote on Israel's right to exist. Make the Arab leaders go against their populations or admit to the world how they feel. (b) Israel should champion Brazilian, South African, and Indian membership in the UN Security Council. This puts them on the friendly side of the biggest economies in the third world and sticks it to any Euros that oppose the move. They could even include Japan if they wanted to upset China although that might not be the best. (c) Israel should stop allowing wealthy Arabs to be treated secretly in Israeli hospitals. If you need emergency medical you should expect lights and cameras. Otherwise tone down the anti-Israeli rhettoric. Not huge things, but when they were initially formed Israel was beloved by the non-Arabic third world. That is where they should start with their image makeover. |
| Posted by: rjschwarz 2011-09-01 14:59 |
| #2 "Israel's Image Won't Improve Without Policy Changes" I agree. They need to quit being nice and start killing their enemies in droves. (Also in Gaza, Syria, Lebanon, ....) 'Tis better to be feared than loved. |
| Posted by: Barbara 2011-09-01 14:50 |
| #1 Sorry this is nothing but BS. There is nothing the Israel could do short of ceasing to exist that would "sell" their image. The only policy that matters is that Israelies are Jewish. Anti-semitism however it tries to hide behind anti-zionist verbiage or "poor innocent Paleos" kvetching, does not care about anything except that Israel is Jewish. If you hate, loathe, detest and fear Jews you cannot be sold an image anymore than you could sell the image of the wonderful New York Yankees to the baseball fans of Boston unless the Yankees are going 0-162 for 5 or 10 seasons; in other words if they ceased to exist. When the masses in Europe and the mideast, particularly, see that Jews are not the devil then, maybe, a new "image" could be sold; until then it's not possible. |
| Posted by: AlanC 2011-09-01 13:29 |