Brand Power-Elect

Yesterday I was on lunch at Wegman’s and People magazine sucked me in. “Anything is Possible” read the headline. And there was Obama’s big, smiling face. The pages went on to tell the victorious candidate’s empowering story. That headline rang in my ears.

Regardless of political affiliations, there’s no denying Obama’s campaign was a homerun. From a brander’s standpoint, it was like watching a well-oiled machine, the launch of a super-powered, new-age, high-end consumer brand strategy.

While both candidates leveraged technology, Obama took it to the nth degree: regular, personalized eblast updates – waiting in my inbox. Downloadable video messages from the candidate himself. Viral YouTube clips. Online donation mechanisms – just one click, and you’re a part of it all. An interactive website with a merchandise gift shop so you can live the brand on the streets everyday. And if that wasn’t enough, how about a half-hour, primetime informercial? It was a pretty impressive spread.

The face, the message, the logo and a ripe, tuned-in audience…a brander’s delight. It was simple. It was consistent. It was current. It was likable. Obama’s team was able to build a virtually unknown brand from the bottom up and feed it to millions and millions of hungry consumers. It’s a great testament to the power of a well-managed brand strategy. I mean, if making politics “cool” is possible, then anything IS possible.

The true test will now be whether the brand can deliver on its promise. With more political hype and hope for change running through USA veins than I’ve ever seen in my lifetime, the cards are stacked against our president-elect.

Working in the branding business, I’ve learned fast that if you overpromise, you run the risk of underdelivering. Politicians are no exception. In fact, it would seem the opposite. With the world watching, waiting to point fingers, waiting to nay-say, it will be very interesting to watch the most important brand campaign I’ve ever seen unfold.

- Heather (see my page here)