Laura Ries, of the world famous Ries & Ries, wrote today about celeb endorsements for political candidates. She inspired me to write about celeb endorsements, as well as how branding has affected this amazing presidential campaign:
This race truly is a testament to branding, is it not? Obama preempted the word "change" from the field early on. We are seeing The Law of the Word in action on the political front. Hillary has flitted about from "experience" to "change" to "solutions." No, "solutions" does not sound as strong as “change,” nor does it resonate with what consumers (American voters) want.
But what is a candidate to do? Obama already snatched up “change,” and he is hell-bent on defending it. At rallies, signs feature the word “change” in bigger letters than his own name. This is a brilliant move. He acknowledges that this campaign is not about him, it is about change.
Clinton, up until recently, featured her name on most of her rally signs. Now, a lot of the signs have her new branding concept featured in bold letters. That’s a smart move, but she waited for Obama to gain a lot of momentum before she picked her new strategy.
On the under-addressed G.O.P. side, McCain has yet to own a single word or concept. Huckabee became known as the "values" candidate, a concept for which G.W. Bush was known. While Huckabee seems like quite a great guy, the nation is sick and tired of the Bush administration, and that includes anything resembling it.
It just goes to show: if you don't pick your word, people will pick it for you. But one hasn't nearly as much power over their brand as they would think. If Obama didn't truly represent change, then his campaign would not have netted him so much success (to this point). When Hillary claimed to stand for change, two warning lights went off—one for redundancy: two brands can't stand for the same thing; a second for credibility: how can she represent change, when she represents the good 'ol '90s?
But let us get to endorsements.
Reporter: Why Hillary?
50 Cent: I think she could do good job.
Reporter: Really?
50 Cent: Yeah, I mean Obama, ain't nothing bad about Obama in my eyes either. But, I just think Hillary that would be my choice.
If I may, 50 Cent, in his endorsement of Hillary, said about as much as he does on an average album and a half. It surprises me that he didn't mention getting shot nine times (his buzz-worthy claim to fame that helped to establish the authenticity of his brand). 50 Cent is "The Real Deal" in gangsta rap, critics claimed. I believe(d) it (until he started singing over love songs). 50 Cent as a political candidate endorser? Yikes.
Will.I.Am (from Black Eyed Peas) and Jin (of the formerly famous Ruff Ryderz) are not crucial or helpful endorsements for Obama to have. What do a pop-rap artist and a washed-up faux-thug have to do with a politician?
Jin raps:
I don’t know politics, that’s no joke
But I know that you only get one vote
And then continues to chant (over and over):
Go, go, go, Obama
Seriously, somebody sock me. And then punch Jin for penning such a god-awful refrain.
The power of a celebrity/musician endorser is that people look up to them for their views. Sean Penn has no say in political arenas, but he would make a fantastic endorser of a new actor or screenwriter.
Who made a far better endorsement for Obama? Talib Kweli. He claims not to be political, but his lyrics are deeply evocative and thought-provoking—he represents a new ‘hood consciousness. He didn’t go crazy—he mentions Obama casually, like in his single, “Say Something”:
Speak to the people like Barack Obama
They worship like the black Madonna, c'mon
Or how about Chicago, Illinois native, Common, another conscious rapper and thought-leader of the educated hip-hop connoisseur? In his song, “The People,” Common says, “My raps ignite the people like Barack Obama.” In the video, Common flashes an Obama ’08 bumper sticker while the lyric plays.
Obama is authentic with the hip-hop community. He graced the cover of Vibe. He is affluent and successful and young and African-American.
Talib Kweli said, “More than anything his name is a nugget of lyrical gold. It sounds like a gunshot going off. Obama rhymes with a lot of things."
And that brings us back to the Law of the Name: Obama stands for change because everything about him is change. Clinton stands for the perception remaining in each American’s mind from the ‘90s Clinton administration. “Experience” is most likely the strongest word she can own, but that word has proven not to be as powerful a motivator as “change.” Now, John McCain is stealing the word from Clinton’s refuse bin, while she pushes on with her new branding scheme.
The Law of the Name is working in conjunction with the Law of Firsts: the first viable black candidate versus the first viable female candidate.
And what other laws are in play here? How about The Law of the Opposite? Black male vs. white female. How about The Law of the Focus? Obama is focused on change. Hillary is focused on experience, then change, then solutions. How about The Law of Publicity? Democratic primaries and caucuses are recording record-breaking voter turnouts, while the Republican side is going about business as usual. Who has been getting the press coverage? The battle for leadership between Obama and Clinton is interesting and forces people to choose sides. The battle between McCain and Romney was interesting for a short while, and Huckabee doesn’t stand a snowball’s chance in midsummer Phoenix.
(A few weeks ago, the New York Times ran an article titled, “Is Obama a Mac and Clinton a PC?” Brilliant. Read it here: http://www.nytimes.com/2008/02/04/technology/04link.html.)
So, what is one to make of all of this? Branding is alive and well. Embrace it, and you will give yourself your best chance at success. Neglect it, and you are offering an open invitation for systematic dismantling by a smarter, more forward-thinking brand.
No matter your size, you can follow the logic and laws of branding to align yourself with success. Can we brand it? Yes, we can. (En español: ¡sí se puede! Por supuesto.)
Visit Laura Ries' blog at http://ries.typepad.com. If you are feeling the urge to be inspired, grab a copy of The 22 Immutable Laws of Branding and/or The 22 Immutable Laws of Marketing. Both are quintessential reads for any professional, marketing or otherwise.
