"When the publication is written on [the US presidential election], it shouldn't be titled The building of a President, but The Marketing of any President," says Harvard Business School Professor John Quelch. "Barack Obama's campaign is actually a case study in marketing excellence."
As Quelch says, for the inexperienced, single-term, African-American senator tagged with more liberal voting record to defeat the heir apparent in her own party and then embark on to hold off the much-vaunted Republican machine "is a remarkable achievement."
Obama's achievement became a triumph of true marketing, in the sense that this was based on substance rather then spin. It demonstrated how carefully marshalling many of the forces available will let you overcome apparently insurmountable odds. That way, it gives signal lessons for business leaders - specifically in the actual recession.
Obama's personal charisma played a serious role in their success. But he used this to get affordable effect, deploying not just for his tremendous presenting skills in rallies and debates, but showing himself to get a superb listener too. His demeanor was consistently positive and composed, while his compelling biography - his background his evident closeness to his immediate and extended family - attracted a person's eye and empathy of voters.
He converted this empathy into tangible support - not least through the grass roots. More citizens volunteered money and time to support the Obama campaign than for any previous presidential candidate. A large proportion of the funds got their start in first-time donors - most of them in traditionally hard-to-reach groups, for example youth and the ones using a criminal records.
His fundraising prowess was aided by his clear knowledge of the power of communications media - specially the internet - to interact with voters of what has become dubbed 'the first YouTube election'. To amass, Republican candidate John McCain's early admission that she didn't use the internet put him with a severe downside to what turned into the critical online battle.
"Obama's campaign indicated that when you have a powerful message to get across, these enabling technologies let you speak with millions of people immediately and very effectively, says Steve Harty, Chairman of advertising agency BBH Nyc. "Many brands available world didn't fully realised the potency of this."
With his fantastic message was very powerful, very consistent as well as clear, and made to attract all citizens, besides traditional or likely Democratic voters. At a time as soon as the populace was terminally aggrieved most abundant in unpopular president in US history, who had led them into an unpopular war including a severe economic crisis, Obama's message of hope and 'change you can believe in' was deeply compelling.
But, as Quelch indicates, "the emotional appeal was buttressed with solid and specific policy details." Because says, a chance to combine emotional with functional benefits as well as consistent positioning of both message and delivery, are core to any or all successful branding campaigns - whether product or corporate.
But though Obama quickly outsmarted him for the presentation front, McCain commenced well, says Howard Belk, Co-President and Chief Creative Officer at Siegel and Gale in New York.
He explains: "McCain took his good name for straight talking throughout the country on his 'Straight Talk Express' campaign bus. But when he soon began to go delinquent from the polls along with embroiled within the financial crisis, shortly fater he began to obtain very reactive and slipped in a different communication mode.
"He switched to 'attack politics' so that they can distract people through the economy. But going 'off brand' lost him
momentum and voter support."
McCain's departure for Washington to supposedly help solve the sub-prime mortgage crisis was interpreted as being a cynical try and rescue his very own reputation as opposed to the economy. By comparison, Obama's thoughtful, calm and nuanced discussion regarding the meltdown reinforced perceptions about his opportunity to lead amid financial turbulence.
Obama also chose a fantastic marketing and campaign team, and managed them well, selecting a noncontroversial experienced senator, with complementary experience, as his running mate. But McCain assembled a smooth-running campaign team relatively late within the day, with the exceptional range of the unknown and untested Sarah Palin as his # 2 proved to be another nail in the coffin.
Belk observes: "Joe Biden played a narrow and incredibly focused role while in the Obama ticket - foreign affairs and maybe the functional class. That it was specific who has been leading and who had previously been supporting. McCain's appointment of Sarah Palin, in contrast, looked like a good move initially - she was young and she or he would be a woman - but she became a much bigger focus of media attention than McCain himself, that has been confusing."
Nevertheless, the appointment did position the Republicans answerable for excellent cycle - albeit temporarily. "It created short-term interest, hype and buzz - the sort of 'new news' that brands really enjoy," says Kristian Sumners, a freelance creative director in New york city.
Negative advertising - historically an accepted feature people politics - also helped generate headlines. But because campaign unfolded voters demonstrated a developing dislike from the tactic, a warning sign, believes Harty, of the increasingly well-informed and savvy electorate: "US citizens less complicated more sophisticated consumers of politics now," he admits that.
It might also reflect a desire for authenticity and integrity each time when once-trusted and 'safe' institutions just like government and banks are proving to be fallible.
In any event, Obama's skill in preempting and defusing criticisms needs to be a salutary lesson for any business leader who efforts to keep their skeletons safely locked up in cupboards.
"He brilliant advisers managed the political chess board brilliantly," says Quelch. "Early on he anticipated and defused negative criticisms by admitting to past indiscretions within his autobiography."
Obama has generated a bond of trust with the United states citizens that almost all business leaders could only anticipate to forge because of interims management their customers. He featuring to supply on his promises. That, as even the best business leaders know, could be the difficult bit. Some quotes made by this article were taken, with permission, from Marketing magazine, 12th November 2008.
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