Wow. Think of all the trash left behind after the Obama inauguration.

Brand expert John Tantillo published a fairly scathing marketing/branding critique of the so-called Tea Party on Fox Forum. (And this is coming from someone who is friend's with O'Reilly..) It got so many hits that he just published it on his blog, too, in the context of his weekly brand winner/loser post. John Tantillo's Brand Winners and Losers: The Auto Industry and The Tea Party. Tantillo makes the case that 1) tea was a poor choice of symbol for this movement, which really has no meaning in this context. We're not being taxed on tea..and we're not lacking in representation for the taxes that we do pay. 2) the movement doesn't have much momentum, because it's not FOR anything--only against something. And, by extension, this is another blow to the Republican party: "The tea party will be seen as the Republican party delivering another resounding 'no' without offering any solutions." 3) the movement poses as grassroots...but was jump-started by a television rant by a media personality..(Rick Santelli) 4) the merchandising in this case serves to further detract from the seriousness of the concerns behind the protest: "get the mug, skip the revolution." The full post is worth reading. Whatever your political position, it seems pretty clear that this movement could have been better planned.. John Tantillo's Brand Winners and Losers: The Auto Industry and The Tea Party.