Branding Obama

Ellen McGirt of Fast Company wrote an interesting article "The Brand Called Obama” in the April issue of the magazine. It is funny because I wrote  “Why Obama is Connecting” last month that briefly touched on the subject. Nonetheless, I enjoyed this article because it entertained the impact of this approach not only on politics but on business.

There is no secret that Obama has branded himself quite well. "Barack Obama is three things you want in a brand," says Keith Reinhard, chairman emeritus of DDB Worldwide. "New, different, and attractive. That's as good as it gets." It seems to be working since he has mobilized a segment of the population that was deemed apathetic to politics after the 60s. Obama though has not only succeeded in attracting these new voters, he has also transcended various social demographics to gain support for his campaign. That is something new to politics since most campaigns rely on a niche to give them the push for the win. This new approach is common in business marketing campaigns.

As I have mentioned many times, the internet is revolutionizing the way the media handles politics but more importantly the way candidates and voters interact with one another. Candidates become a bit more accountable in this new age. It is no secret that Obama’s greatest strength is his web presence. It  does not surprise me now that his strength with the youth and social networks may be due one young man’s role.

24 –year-old Chris Hughes may be no one to many folks in the political scene, but if you were to be enlightened that he is the co-founder of Facebook then your opinion on his impact changes. Hughes is new to political campaigns but it does not mean that he does not know what he is doing. As a consultant to the campaign he has become priceless, as he has been able to deliver so far. It is evident of his impact since Obama is dominated the web scene and has slick “web 2.0” design and functionality.

Craig Newmark, founder of Craigslist.org, offers his opinion on why Obama is connecting. He claims, “I see him as a leader rather than a boss." A leader, he notes, gets people to do things on their own, through inspiration, respect, and trust. "A boss can order you to do things, sure, but you do them because it's part of the contract." These comments struck a chord with me. I realized that the difference between Obama and Clinton were that clear. Many folks seemed to be picking up on that notion. "Obama and Clinton make an interesting contrast in brands," says Professor John Quelch, senior associate dean at Harvard Business School and coauthor of Greater Good: How Good Marketing Makes for Better Democracy. "Obama communicates that he loves people, and Clinton communicates that she loves policy." It seems that when you side with Obama is for the experience versus Clinton who is the substance and when it comes down to it, people side for the experience over the substance. That’s how you can have successful retailers that offer something unique to the customer-business relationship even though the product is not inherently superior in the marketplace.

At the end of the day what Obama has accomplished in this past year is extraordinary. The viability of an African-American candidate for President was unheard of just 1 year ago that is until Obama threw his hat into the ring. Clinton as female has also done the same, the difference though is that one candidate has accomplished this through new means. Whatever happens in Denver or in November, one thing is for sure . . . Decision 2008 will be a turning point for America.