Let’s Rebrand “Socialism” and “Progressive”

Service & Support

Jan 11, 2026 — 2 min read

Effective branding instantly connects with a target audiences aspirations and the outcome(s) they want to achieve.

Recently I saw a TikTok post with the banner title “Democratic Socialist Is Just A Term For Communist.”

The label “Socialist” literally has decades of negative positioning behind it. It is a term that immediately alienates many voters. The same is true of the label “Progressive.”

“Effective branding connects what you have to offer with people who want it.” - Edward Phelps

Definitions

Let’s look at the definition of four key political terms: 1) Socialist, 2) Progressive, 3) Liberal, 4) Conservative 5) Democrat, 5) Republican.

Socialist: A “Socialist” is defined as a person who promotes or practices socialism.

Socialism: Socialism is defined as a political and economic society which believes that the means of production, distribution, and exchange must be either owned or regulated by the community as a whole.

Progressive: A “Progressive” is defined as: a person advocating or implementing social reform or new, liberal ideas.

A “Liberal” is defined as: a supporter of a political and social philosophy that promotes individual rights, civil liberties, democracy, and free enterprise.

A “Conservative” is defined as: a person who is averse to change; holds traditional values; and favors free enterprise, private ownership, and traditional societal ideas.

What is Branding?

Effective Branding:

Uses a Problem/Solution approach.
Tells a target audience you know about their problem—you understand their pain.
Addresses niché problems to stand-out and differentiate the brands message.
Tells a target audience you have a Solution to their problem.

Branding presents a clear message that connects what you have to offer with what a target audiences needs, and the outcomes they want to achieve.

Branding makes it easy for a target audience to connect their pain with what you have to offer, and to see you as having a solution.

What People Want

People today want:

A more equitable share of the wealth.
They want their work to provide a comfortable lifestyle.
They don’t want to lose their home and their livelihood when a company decides to downsize them, or the economy crashes due to no fault of theirs.
They want the security of having access to their essential needs... housing, food, and medical care.

Bad Branding

Based upon the above definition, the labels “Socialism” and “Progressive” are “bad” branding because:

These labels are vague.
These labels do not relate directly to, or refer to, any political or societal goals.
These labels do not refer to any specific issue.

The labels “Socialism” and “Progressive” are not effective for attracting people to participate in a movement that promises to transform the priorities of our society to address their essential needs.

These labels do not speak to their aspirations. In fact, they refer to political ideas that have been severely criticized and demonized for decades.