Branding. The term itself is only about 15 years old, but it seems that we
hear it everywhere now. And not just with respect to products. Branding
it seems is now as common in the lexicon as any marketing term since "TV
commercial" first appeared in the 1950s. Well, if branding is going to be a part of our everyday lives, we should know how to use it. Unfortunately, most do not. And that has serious consequences, not just for what products you might
end-up with in your cabinet.
Today, branding is applied to politicians, countries, celebrities and even
real estate -- have you seen Martha Stewart homes? The world has become much
more complex, and with that complexity comes the need to organize
information, which is what branding does so well.
Which candidate is the favorite to win the next presidential election? That depends on who can create a concise brand that everyone understands and relates to without much effort.
What the candidates really need today are elevator speeches. No one has done it yet because no one has created the same focus that Bill Clinton and his advisors had in 92, when they repeated incessantly to themselves the
mantra of "its the economy stupid." Simplistic? Yes. But simplicity is at
the core of branding because it serves up solutions for an over-communicated
world.
Clearly, the area of focus this time around should be "its the war
stupid." If only someone could articulate a clear, insightful point of
view about what we should do about the war, then all they would have to do
is brand that POV (the Clinton plan?) and repeat it over and over for the
next year and they will be in the White House by next fall.
Sounds too easy? That is why it may not happen. People tend to overcomplicate things and play too much to the industry insiders rather than the average consumer. Smart journalists love the nuances and complexity of political issues, but they are not America.
The televised debates go on for hours it seems, but candidates should
prepare as if they were only 30 seconds long. Give me the elevator speech
and go home.