In all the explanations of voter behavior that have been floated over the past few months, the one that I can’t quite get out of my mind is a recent comment from Tony Travers, a professor of government at the London School of Economics, who told The New York Times that “people are switching loyalties, not tribally, but like consumers.”

He was talking about the British election last month and the defection of so many presumed Conservative voters to the rumpled promise of Jeremy Corbyn, but he could just as easily have been talking about the French election and rise of that shiny new brand otherwise known as Emmanuel Macron. Or even the 2016 election in the United States. After all, on each occasion, voters shopped around before committing — or deciding to stay home.

In the United States, both Republicans and Democrats saw their historic marques (Bush, Clinton) eschewed in favor of the candidate who ran on the clarion call of ending the establishment. President Trump may nominally be a Republican, but he is his own brand — complete with shiny gold logo — above all.

Consider the following statement: “People’s allegiance to traditional brands has been deteriorating, so now we see the rise of new brands” — and consider that it is not from a retail consultant but from Bennet Ratcliff, founder of Thaw Strategies and a former international political consultant.