Selling America
Ad Man Forms Nonprofit Group to Help Restore Our Image World-Wide

By Suzanne Vranica
Staff Reporter of The Wall Street Journal

Keith Reinhard is a legend in advertising circles. Chairman of the DDB Worldwide ad agency, Mr. Reinhard is the one who came up with the timeless jingle for McDonald's Big Mac ("Two all-beef patties…"), a song that's no less popular than the national anthem.

Now he is taking on a new public-relations challenge, one that will take much more than a catchy jingle to achieve. In the twilight of his career, Mr. Reinhard, 69 years old, has formed Business for Diplomatic Action, a nonprofit organization that is trying to combat anti-Americanism abroad. The challenge has grown immensely since photos of abused Iraqi prisoners became public.

Mr. Reinhard is fighting back with a comprehensive program of ideas, including a booklet of dos and don'ts for youngsters traveling abroad; English-language classes for those in other countries; a reality show; and several documentaries highlighting the good that American corporations do. He is even contemplating rap sessions for young people led by hip-hop artists.

He talked with The Wall Street Journal about his organization.

WSJ: While numerous studies show the decline of American brands and the increase in hostility toward American corporations, many CEOs have been touting that their companies' revenues have not been affected. Are American CEOs ignoring a critical issue?

Mr. Reinhard: While a number of U.S. corporations have said their sales overseas have not been affected, the warning signs are there and can't be ignored. I can remember in World War II, first we hated Hitler and Mussolini. It wasn't long, however, until that hatred was transferred to the entire populations of those countries and the products those countries made. And there are still people my age that won't buy a Japanese or German car today.

WSJ: When did you start Business for Diplomatic Action? And why?

Mr. Reinhard: It all began on Oct. 12, 2001, the day after President Bush asked at a press conference why anyone would not like us. [DDB]put together an ad-hoc task force to help me answer President Bush's question. We are a big international firm and we have clients who depend on international markets for a large part of their revenue. If anybody doesn't understand American brands around the world, we as a global agency should be able to guide them.

WSJ: How was America perceived abroad when you first started your organization?

Mr. Reinhard: By the end of 2001 ... we were two months beyond September 11th and there was great sympathy towards the U.S., but the response was alarming because of a number of negative perceptions. In order of offensiveness, we found people believed: 1) American companies are exploiters and they take more than they give back; 2) American companies promoted values that are in conflict with local cultures, mores and religion; 3) Americans are viewed as insensitive and arrogant-Americans assume everyone wants to belike them; 4) American companies only want to sell.

WSJ: Has anti-American sentiment abroad changed post Iraq and Afghanistan?

Mr. Reinhard: Yes, it has changed. The present research yields different root causes for anti-American sentiment. Foreign policy and the behavior of our government are now the No. 1 cause. And given the news of the Iraqi prison abuse, that root cause now outweighs the others.

WSJ: Do you believe that the sporadic violence against.-owned businesses abroad is rooted in anti-American sentiment? Do you believe these incidents will escalate?

Mr. Reinhard:Yes. I do. We already see the warning signs in both quantitative research and anecdotal evidence…. But that is a general statement. It's going to vary by company and industry. Some companies are more trusted abroad and some are seen as more local. For example, in Saudi Arabia, Pepsi is seen as an anti-American symbol because it attacks Coke.

WSJ: The "Shared Values" TV ad campaign, created by the government under Charlotte Beers, onetime undersecretary for public diplomacy and public affairs, was labeled a failure. Why? Do you think it's the government's job to run ads overseas to change how Americans are viewed?

Mr. Reinhard: I had a point of view on those ads from the beginning…. Those ads were not relevant. They were answers to a nonquestion and proved, yet again, that in marketing you have to listen before you speak. I think anything the government does at this point is propaganda ands not credible.

WSJ: Is TV advertising the right way to change how America is being perceived?

Mr. Reinhard: That should be the last thing we should do. One of the projects our interns are working on at BDA is going through all the literature and seeing which advertisers are properly portraying American values abroad, because that could be a great service to American companies.

WSJ: What are some of the things your group has planned to change how Americans are perceived?

Mr. Reinhard: Research shows Americans are viewed as arrogant, impulsive and not well-versed in other cultures. It shows Americans don't listen, they only talk. It also shows that many believe Americans are loud. We produced the World Citizen's Guide for students who study abroad. It contains simple facts and advice such as: don't wear religion on your sleeve, and avoid profanity. STA Travel has agreed to distribute the booklet and a major U.S company has already signed on to fund the program. We are also preparing a general-audience version to distribute on airplanes and in airports.

Do you agree with Mr. Reinhard on the need for marketers to combat anti-American sentiment abroad? Write to letters.classroom@wsj.com.