Donald Trump's Real Secret To Riches: Create A Brand And License It
Credit: By Steve Olenski, Forbes contributor
Nov 24, 2015
Last July, The Trump Ocean Club International Hotel and Tower in Panama City was struggling under $2.2 million in unauthorized debts run up by Trump Panama Condominium Management LLC. Additionally, the management company withheld financial information from the building’s owners and paid undisclosed bonuses to its executives.
Trump’s name was on the building, but he didn’t own it. It belonged to Roger Khafif, who owned prime oceanfront real estate but couldn’t get financial backing for his 2011 construction project. He had licensed the Trump name, which costs him more than a third of the $220 million he’d raised to fund the project.
Khafif went bankrupt, but Trump made money both from licensing and managing the property. After a lengthy dispute with condo tenants — who the management company tried to squeeze for its $2.2 million in debts by levying a special assessment — Trump’s companies continue to manage the hotel but no longer manage the residential condos.
Despite the problems, the residents aren’t suing Trump. They don’t want to take Trump’s name off the property. The Trump name attracts buyers, and residents can’t afford to lose it.
The New And Improved Trump Business Model
Donald Trump positions himself as a real estate visionary and developer, and he’s created a remarkable brand. In truth, however, Trump doesn’t own a large number of his properties. He licenses his name to developers and offers property management services. For instance, his name is on 17 properties in Manhattan, but he only owns five of them outright.
Trump Ocean Club isn’t the only property bearing the Trump moniker that’s struggled financially this year. Trump International Golf Club in Puerto Rico filed for bankruptcy in July after accumulating tens of millions of dollars in debt. It wasn’t a bankruptcy for Trump himself; in fact, he made money on the deal. He licensed his name without risking any capital in the property itself.
Money from licensing the Trump name makes up an increasing share of Donald Trump’s wealth, although it’s hard to peg how much he actually has. In 2014, he claimed a net worth of $8.7 billion, $3.3 billion of which came from “real estate deal, brand, and branded developments.” Bloomberg Politics, on the other hand, estimates Trump’s net worth at $2.9 billion, but it primarily takes into account the real estate he actually owns. Bloomberg’s report estimates Trump’s licensing take at between $32 million and $55 million.
Trademarking The Trump Name
In the mid-2000s, when “The Apprentice” became a national sensation, Donald Trump started to file trademark applications to get more mileage from his name. As of 2012, he had over 200 trademark applications containing his own name, from Trump Steaks to Trump’s American Pale Ale to the Trump names on the front of luxury properties.
Many celebrities trademark their names and use them for product placement. Cher’s trademarked name, for example, is licensed for fragrances, cosmetics, and hair products. Celebrities rake in a share of revenue for loaning their names along with compensation for promoting their namesake products, but they don’t participate in the ownership and development of said products.
Trump licenses his name for luxury resorts the way Cher licenses her name for perfume. It’s a low-effort, low-risk, high-reward cash flow proposition when the product matches the quality of the brand. After decades of over-leveraged development deals, Trump figured out how to minimize risk by getting out of the development business. He lets other developers risk their necks and loans them his name, riding his licensing fees to the bank.
When To Trademark A Personal Name
The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office won’t trademark names unless they pass the “acquired distinctiveness” test. In other words, a name must become so closely associated with a particular person that the name immediately makes people think of the person. Donald Trump achieved that level of branding, and he’s reaped the rewards by trademarking his name. Running for president, in the words of Donald’s son Eric, “has had an immensely positive impact” on the brand.
The Trump name is associated with glamour and swashbuckling business dealings, but it’s also associated with overspending, debt, and disappointed investors. The question is whether Trump wants to do more than just put his name on the White House — and whether he’d actually be good at running it.
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