Defence and Aerospace Marketing in the New Multipolar Arms Bazaar
The B-2 Bomber just flew a PR mission as much as a military one.
Defence marketing has a long but largely undocumented history. Until the 17th century, colonial powers maintained a tacit agreement not to arm their subject states, lest the weapons spark rebellion. While arms were supplied covertly, the lack of formal records-other than the accounts of war enthusiasts-has left the field historically fuzzy and fragmented.
By glorifying the B2 stealth bomber’s precision and majesty, the US reasserted its air dominance. Boeing, reeling from the Dreamliner crash in Ahmedabad, subtly repaired its brand halo through this awe-filled spectacle.
The Defence and Aerospace market is shifting-from five dominant exporters to a multipolar arms bazaar. With it, advocacy and perception-shaping will only grow.
And the branding? Frequently paradoxical. Missile systems are named as “Peacekeepers,” and aircraft like Israel’s KFIR are marketed as “the only lord above and below.” The intent is unmistakable: to reframe instruments of violence as icons of precision, to turn devastation into marvels of design. In this domain, marketing doesn’t just shift market share-it often reshapes the borders of markets (nations) themselves.
Defence marketing has a long but largely undocumented history. Until the 17th century, colonial powers maintained a tacit agreement not to arm their subject states, lest the weapons spark rebellion. While arms were supplied covertly, the lack of formal records-other than the accounts of war enthusiasts-has left the field historically fuzzy and fragmented.
By glorifying the B2 stealth bomber’s precision and majesty, the US reasserted its air dominance. Boeing, reeling from the Dreamliner crash in Ahmedabad, subtly repaired its brand halo through this awe-filled spectacle.
The Defence and Aerospace market is shifting-from five dominant exporters to a multipolar arms bazaar. With it, advocacy and perception-shaping will only grow.
And the branding? Frequently paradoxical. Missile systems are named as “Peacekeepers,” and aircraft like Israel’s KFIR are marketed as “the only lord above and below.” The intent is unmistakable: to reframe instruments of violence as icons of precision, to turn devastation into marvels of design. In this domain, marketing doesn’t just shift market share-it often reshapes the borders of markets (nations) themselves.
The full discussion:
https://lnkd.in/gGeReqFu