It’s no secret that Donald Trump’s outrageous behavior is not only dragging down his campaign, but his brand as well. As early as this summer, foot traffic at Trump-branded hotels was already falling through the floor. That decline has continued almost unabated, to the point that Trump is rolling out a new brand of hotels that don’t have his name on them.
Well, it turns out that the Donald isn’t the only one feeling the pinch. His daughter, Ivanka, has seen her own brand take a severe hit as well, particularly since the October 7 release of a tape showing her father bragging about how often he forced himself on women. Ivanka’s line of clothing and accessories was worth as much as $100 million in 2015. Until recently, there weren’t any signs that her father’s outrages were dragging down her business.
That changed with the release of that now-infamous video. When marketing specialist Shannon Coulter saw it, she hit the ceiling. Coulter was dumbfounded that Ivanka could continue to support her father’s campaign in the face of that tape, and decided that she needed to pay a stiff price. She took to Twitter to call for women to boycott both Ivanka, and any retailers that carry her.
Not enough to not buy Ivanka's collection. She campaigns for him. We should avoid stores that carry it. #fashionnotfascism #ivankant
— Shannon Coulter ? (@shannoncoulter) October 12, 2016
Coulter has launched a hashtag campaign, “#GrabYourWallet“–an obvious swipe at Trump’s claim that he could “grab them by the p*ssy,” turning it around into a call for women to “vote with your wallet” and steer clear of any retailers who carry products branded with the names of Trump and his surrogates–including Ivanka.
Everyone! #GrabYourWallet & tell the stores that sell Donald's products and those of his campaign surrogates: we won't shop until they drop. pic.twitter.com/6XK3EAGdlV
— Shannon Coulter ? (@shannoncoulter) October 20, 2016
She told Cosmopolitan that she and other women were outraged that Ivanka bills herself as a feminist when she continues to support “a guy who is an alleged serial sexual assaulter of women.” This is very personal for Coulter. She told The Guardian that several years earlier, one of her male coworkers pressed himself against her and asked, “Why is it you always look so good.”
The campaign struck a responsive chord with a number of women who have been victims of domestic violence, many of whom have actually been triggered by Trump’s behavior at his rallies. For instance, Lindsey Ledford ran out of a T.J. Maxx in College Park, Maryland after seeing an Ivanka blouse triggered flashbacks of numerous instances when she’d been assaulted. She hasn’t set foot in that store again, and doesn’t plan to do so until T.J. Maxx yanks Ivanka’s gear off the racks.
It’s not the first time that Ivanka’s brand has taken a hit this year. Earlier this month, the former chief marketing officer at Ivanka’s clothing company claimed that she and others had to haggle with Ivanka to get minimal maternity leave–even though Ivanka has publicly championed paid family leave. In April, several Ivanka scarves were yanked off the shelves because they were extremely flammable.
Unless something dramatically changes, Trump is poised to lose in a massive landslide to Hillary Clinton. When that happens, Trump’s brand is going to absolutely crater. The way things are going, he may wind up dragging down his own daughter with him.
