Do We Elect a Person or a Brand?
A long time ago in a galaxy far far away, a sharp young black Democratic candidate from Chicago ran a popular campaign based on "hope" and "change."He set up a snazzy, tech-savvy website that focused on fundraising from low dollar donors and his campaign rhetoric included soaring lines like:
Together we can.I am not asking you to take a chance on me, I am asking you to take a chance on your own aspirations.All I have to offer is words, just words, 'We have nothing to fear, but fear itself,' … just words. 'Ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country.' Just words. … 'I have a dream' … just words.
The candidate won by a comfortable 7 point margin and the campaign consultants, David Axelrod and David Plouffe, beamed with pleasure. Candidate Deval Patrick had just been elected Governor of Massachusetts.Two short years later, Barak Obama ran a very successful campaign based on "hope" and "change." He set records for online fundraising from small political donors and used equally soaring campaign rhetoric such as:
Yes we can.I am not just asking you to take a chance on me, I am also asking you to take a chance on your own aspirations.Don’t tell me words don’t matter ’I have a dream’ ...just words. ‘We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal’ ...just words. ‘We have nothing to fear but fear itself’ ...just words.
(Listen to Patrick's and Obama's speeches side by side, example 1 and example 2)Did voters simply buy into the brand that was originally created and test marketed in Massachusetts or did they vote for the candidate?If you ask your typical political insider, all candidates are really brands to be promoted. This may be news to your average voter. Anecdotally, most enthusiastic Obama supporters are completely unaware that the "Obama Brand" was created and tested with Deval Patrick before being rolled out nationally.What does this mean for November 2012?Back in 2010, Governor Patrick was challenged by Republican Charlie Baker. Mr Baker is a very successful business man who took a large Massachusetts healthcare system that was loosing almost $60 million a year and turned it into the National Committee for Quality Assurance's top choice for America's Best Health Plan for five straight years. His turnaround brought 24 straight quarters of profitability during his tenure.Wow, this story is begining to sound familiar.Patrick was able to narrowly defeat Baker even though he was hamstrung by a very weak Massachusetts economy. His political strategy focused on:
- Telling the "hard truth" about unpopular decisions.
- Question Baker’s competence in both public and private spheres, despite Bakers sterling record.
- Positioning Baker as not being transparent, despite Baker's track record of shining the light on problems.
Hmmmm... this is sounding very familiar too.You can't fault the Obama team for using a strategy this year that worked for Governor Patrick in 2010.When you pull back the branding and media strategies, do the voters really know the candidate or are they simply buying a brand?