As the march of the penguins continues away from Mar-A-Lago... and by penguins, we mean organizations -- mostly charities, caving under pressure and canceling events at the Pal Beach estate -- an inconvenient truth is being realized.
Aside from the employees at Mar-A-Lago, the only ones these companies (who are canceling) might really be hurting are themselves.
The reason Mar-A-Lago has been a popular destination for endless companies, charities and organizations isn't because those companies like seeing how much money they can blow on a posh party. It's because the estate is a destination that creates a unique experience with the ability to accommodate more people than your average venue.
It's also a historic landmark and, yes, being that it's the second home of the President does add a great deal of added intrigue. Even now.
On Monday, the Palm Beach Post reported that the Flagler Museum appeared to be significantly benefiting from Mar-A-Lago's defections.
The Flagler Museum is a wonderful Museum and a true Palm Beach treasure, but does it have the cache of Mar-A-Lago?
No.
And if it did, all of the defectors would have already been there.
That's just common sense.
Secondly, what the media that's so quick to excitingly report the most recent Mar-A-Lago defection isn't telling you is... Trump branded properties command a significant premium.
Brand Keys, one of the preeminent brand experts in the world, completed it's most recent study of the value of the Trump brand just last week.
The result?
The Trump brand commands a 15 percent premium over a similar, non-Trump option. That is down from the high point of 21 percent in the first few months of his administration but is still a considerable option.
Consider for a moment that you're one of these organizations that's opting to jettison Mar-A-Lago (because a left-wing interest group put your name and number on a list for a bunch of activists who've never patronized your organization to call and harass you)
... Not only might the next destination not be able to hold as many people
... Not only will it potentially not have as much cache
... Even if it were an equitable experience, it'd be an average of 15 percent less valuable.
And for anyone who's so blinded by ideology that they can't see that reality, all you need to do is compare the typical traffic on that stretch of South Ocean Blvd. from five years ago - to today.
There's no comparison.