Many of you have asked me if I consider Obama to be a brand. As some of you know, I have been working on the topic of political candidates as brands for some time now. Traditional political marketing has argued that the political parties are the brands while the candidates are only the products. I completely disagree, and believe that candidates have become the brands while their parties have become an important brand association. I did some research back in Mexico before the 2006 elections and analyzed the brand image for the 3 presidential candidates that were running for office. My research concluded that candidates are in fact viewed as brands and that the image of the candidate is an important component of the voter's decision. I have written a paper that is currently under review, so please keep your fingers crossed so it gets accepted.
Al Ries, published a very interesting article about Obama the brand and the reasons for his success. If you haven't read it, I think it's worth it.
http://adage.com/columns/article?article_id=132237
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That's fantastic. Consistency is something that Mr. Ries pounded down and something you drilled into our heads. Nice. Interestingly, I looked at Obama's and McCain's websites just before the election. Obama's was quite consistent, while McCain's was not. Very reflective of their campaigns. It's amazing how one little concept can completely change the outcome of an election.
As soon as I heard he was officially elected, I realized something strange. While I did not vote for Obama, I was excited about him. I wanted to be his friend. The consumer in me wanted to vote for him, but the thinker in me kept me from doing so. His campaign was so "cool" and "different" that you couldn't help but be amazed by it. Marketing truly is a powerful thing.
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