What Would Don Draper Do?: Rebranding the Occupy Movement

Before there were tents in Zuccotti Park, before there were demonstrations, the creative minds at the Canadian magazine Adbusters had already made the name “Occupy Wall Street” –  a Twitter hash tag that was creating buzz.  And then they had a slogan: We are the 99 percent.  Unsurprising for a group that has specialized in activism through subversive advertising, or subvertising, as they call it. Occupy: the word has become a synonym for a movement. But as the months wear on and groups around the country have been evicted from their camps. A national poll released earlier this month found that less than one in four young people say they support the Occupy movement. It seems the brand “Occupy” may have lost its edge.  Is it time for re-branding?
WGBH senior reporter Phillip Martin recently asked advertising executives, “What would Don Draper do?” Don Draper, of course, is the advertising creative director in the hit AMC series “Mad Men.”  Also joining the program for his reaction is small business owner and Occupy Boston protester Nadeem Mazen.