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Rising or falling, all companies have a brand, and it’s not the logo, signage, or stationery package. Think of the brand as the company’s personality.

In 2021, Axios Harris polled a sample of nearly 43,000 Americans to find out which 100 companies came to mind. These were the most “visible” companies, whether positive or negative.

The top 100 brands were judged on various aspects such as culture and citizenship, growth and vision for the future. Does a consumer trust the brand in the first place?

The top 10: Patagonia, Honda, Moderna, Chick-fil-A, SpaceX, Chewy, Pfizer, Tesla Motors, Costco and Amazon.

While each one’s appearance on the list could be debated, and consumers’ sentiment will change so the list would be different today, it’s important to note what a brand is not – a funky name, cool logo and digital presence.

With that in mind, we offer our take on three brands that could use some help:

Bottom of the barrel: Last place on the Axios Harris Poll is The Trump Organization. From their official Twitter page: “The most globally recognized brand in luxury real estate, golf, hospitality, and entertainment.” Recognized? Yes. The essence of their brand is much more.

Erase the past: Things not going so well? Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg announced that the company has changed its name to Meta. This is an example of a marketing tactic used to divert attention from an organization that has received negative publicity and is confronting a crisis situation. A name change or a logo change alone does not change a brand, so there’s much more branding work to do.

Hail to the logo?: As of this writing, this brand doesn’t have a name, but a description: the Washington Football Team. Even worse are the stories from inside the front office. Outside at the difficult-to-reach stadium: reports of sewage or icky water pouring onto fans and a recent railing failure causing Eagles fans to topple to the ground. The name and logo seem to be the least of the brand’s troubles. Watch for them to attempt a brand renewal when a name is announced Feb. 2. We’ll be watching to see if they address culture and citizenship, consumer trust, growth and vision for the future.