As angry scores (or, allegedly, millions!) protested against Obama in Washington D.C. and in state capitols this weekend, a pied piper was goading them along: blowhard Fox News Channel host Glenn Beck. The gregarious, incendiary radio and television personality, author, and entrepreneur has been stoking the inchoate fires of Red State resistance on US radio airwaves since 2002, and on Fox since January, just in time for Obama's swearing-in.
At Fox, Beck has found an audience eager for his combative challenge to the new administration. His ratings skyrocketed, along with his book sales and overall recognition. Despite (i.e., because of) all the controversy, ridicule and advertiser fallout, Beck is at the height of his career and his brand value is swelling. But his ability to tap into the culture of resentment has not been a pure business success for Fox -- though it certainly fits the rough, outspoken conservative brand of many Rupert Murdoch media properties.
In August, Beck came under fire for calling the President "racist." Advertisers quickly began to pull out of the program (though not the network), and the Left had discovered its newest punching bag. At the same time Beck's ratings soared past the competition.
In a Forbes interview, Beck claimed that his personal brand is based upon authenticity, but not that stuffy, boring authenticity you already find on cable news in such abundance. Beck offers his audience "the fusion of entertainment and enlightenment." Beck builds his brand using a toolkit that includes unrestrained emotion, wild accusations and failed art history lessons. It's obvious he isn't guided by consumer insight research. Beck goes on instinct. Every fiasco and meltdown is proof of the lack of sophistication and planning in his business model.
Beck rides polarization, which can be helpful to some brands. His runaway success thrives on negative backlash. He mixes in a dose of goofy affability, with a range of vocal impressions that are often offensive but sometimes just silly, like Kermit the Frog. Like a pundit version of George W. Bush, you want to have a beer with Beck -- and mouth off about welfare cheats.
"I don't think you can make an impact in this world without being ubiquitous," Beck explains. It's advice he follows carefully, broadcasting his brand across multiple platforms. Beck has a compelling product to sell, even if it really boils down to a cartoon of his Obama-hating audience.
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