Brand called Obama, and What We Can Learn from It.
Did you watch his “Weekly Address” yet? Our new president is a “brand” — this is something that’s been tooted often during Obama’s successful run for the world’s most powerful office.
Countless publications, from FastCompany to Advertising Age, LA Times to New Yorker, did specific feature articles on the subject, and graphic designers everywhere talked about how the “O” logo was something that was “different… from all other Presidential candidate logos. Ever”(Speak Up, “The Hardest Working Presidential Candidate Logo”).
But the Obama brand goes way further than just the logo, or his ubiquitous “Hope” mug created by a graffiti artist.
His campaign was as finely calibrated and impressively managed as anything that has ever been marketed. (For a particularly geeky breakdown of his brand finesse, see Newsweek interview of Michael Bierut, a partner at design firm Pentagram and media’s go-to guy for design critiques).
What are we, then, as entrepreneurs and small business owners, to learn from his example? Here’s a few points:
- Be different.
Obama was different by default in many ways. But he not only didn’t shy away from being and doing things differently from others, but he also realized that his biggest strengths came from being different. He exploited this. It is exactly the same for your brand, too. What do you do, or can you change in the ways you do things, that makes you stand out? - Have many channels.
Obama had facebook, MySpace, and YouTube all covered. Even now, the new administration has a podcast available through iTunes, RSS feed from the White House Blog, and regular video updates. These are all options that are available to us, at minimum cost. Let’s take advantage of them. - Use others.
Of course, Obama didn’t do it all alone. An A-team of activists, business people and fellow politicians worked in concert to help him win the election, and Obama continues to reach out to opposite side of the table to recruit help. Who in your field of expertise can give you a leg up? Do you know anyone who’s trusted, that you can get a testimonial from? - Have a short, catchy tagline.
“Yes, We Can.” Need I say more? - Be flexible.
Having a strong, consistent theme is important, but you also have to be flexible in your application. A brand isn’t all about repeating the same message over and over again. You want to adapt to where you stand, the crowd you are in, and the channel you are using. Obama and his team had a keen sense of balance in executing his messages. - Think of your brand’s visuals in terms of a “theme,” not a logo.
Here’s a spread of Obama campaign’s brand visuals. As you can see, they did a great job of adapting the look to different messages and audiences, keeping to a unified theme. Compare this to any rising brand (Apple, Target, K2) and you see how new brands are built much more flexibly than in the past.
Do you have more to add? I think the White House is doing some interesting things that might possibly be changing our very perception (=brand) of government. I would love to hear your observations and how you might be applying it to your business!
