Monday, October 8, 2012

The 2012 US presidential campaign: a telling case of complex brand strategy & 21st century marketing

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY:
 (for the lazy or time-challenged)
This election is a fascinating example of all layers & key dynamics of a complex, massive scale 21st century brand strategy exercise that will probably mark a turning point in terms of societal values and ethical marketing








As the US are about to elect a new president, the American people and beyond, the global community at large, have to form an opinion and make a choice between 2 very different brands incumbent Barak Obama & Republican nominee Mitt Romney…
Of course it’s a choice of society, set of values that you believe in…but with all the digital ads, social buzz before / after each appearance, campaign trail quotes or debates , it has also become  a true branding war in which  each candidate attempts to convey the essence of his platform, character & values, towards what Mark Twain once called the "best Congress money can buy”…

The campaign budgets are staggering, expected to hit an all-time record, topping $4.2 Bn by Nov. 2, according to various sources, amounting to what is essentially the biggest product launch /Ad campaign ever conducted (in comparison, the 2010 election in U.K. amounted to just over £30M ($50M) and the 2012 French presidential race -where political campaign expenses are subjected to a maximum ceiling- didn’t exceed the €22 M mark ($30M). Even global advertisers like Procter & Gamble (4.18Bn) or the Coca-Cola Companies (2.5Bn) spend less across their entire portfolio of brands (over 300 for Procter, more than 500 for Coca-Cola)…
On TV alone, total political spending on American broadcast TV (local +national) has crossed the $1 Billion mark, blowing the lid off of the 2008 election record of $ 515 M while investments across ALL MEDIA have reached  1.35Bn for Romney campaign  vs 1.16 Bn for Obama’s, the rest mostly spent on telemarketing, grassroots, events & rallies etc…).
Even beyond the US, international attention  & editorial coverage serve as a model (the 2011 Russian Presidential election strangely resembled the decorum & media format of America’s ) and can reach surprising level of interest in unsuspected places In the past few weeks, hundreds of thousands of Chinese tuned to the US convention speeches as they took place. Volunteer translators rushed to attach Chinese subtitles to online videos and photos of these speeches just hours after their delivery, Web users poured their feelings into discussion threads on Weibo (equivalent of Google)  that ran thousands of posts long… Commentators pointed out how Chinese watchers often find the deeper aspects of American politics, beyond the charisma of individual politicians, most moving. Among them: humanity and humility that American leaders seem to so highly value. Having learned in school about the Communist proletarian principles and the motto "serve the people," many Chinese people also value these concepts as defining qualities for good leaders, but often express disillusionment when party leaders don't seem to follow those same ideals…
When even Venezuela’s president Hugo Chavez entered the conversation & relayed the US presidential election to the Venezuelan people by endorsing Obama, you know that the entire world’s public opinion is exposed and impacted.
Last but not least, the thousands of media articles , billions of impressions from  earned Media (vs paid) and social Buzz probably multiply the Ad value equivalent of the budget by 2 or 3 times…According to Forrester Research in April 2010, people in the U.S. generate more than 500 billion online impressions on each other regarding products and services. And if around 150 people view each of these posts (a conservative estimate), that's another 250 Bn+ impressions. In short, earned media is a powerful channel and social media has made it even stronger…
So no wonder that every day in every of the 50 states, Americans are subjected to dozens of TV ads over prime time , news & talk shows , on radio or outdoor billboards during their morning commute, or online banners every time you watch an online newsflash or a Youtube video on a computer or mobile device…
In that context, yes, the exercise boils down to the highest stakes , multichannel brand strategy & implementation exercise that lasts for months and culminates with the 3  Prez. debates and the Nov. 6 ballot.
The complex set of challenges of this branding battle towards moving the needle are:
  1. clearly define a compelling unique value proposition that embodies your key D.N.A. , values & vision and a solutions-platform,  that answers your buyer’s motivation or speaks to his direct benefit  (“what’s in it for me ?” rather than usual talking points…Romney’s Believe in America plan ”how 4 years of the same Obama’s policies will not get things better for middle income Americans“ or  for Obama “ Give me 4 more years in the same (right) direction for better results…”
  2. Emphasize your character/personality through your demeanor, personal style & ethics  (family/friends, compassion, religious belief, life record, charitable causes/community actions etc..): the “cool” factor from Obama, the “My experience as a business grower can bring America back” Romney
  3. Raise your profile and leadership through experience (communication style, standards, actions in your life that speak to your values: show how you are above the fray, how you were able to work across party lines (Romney’s Governorship in Democrat’s controlled Massachusetts’s legislature…) as the tone of your ads & speech have to be tweaked towards  your unique personality.
  4. Keep on top of the key drivers & interests of the public : stay relevant , set the record straight when the message gets derailed or off point or just renew the message when you get to a dull news  lifecycle position: that’s how Romney campaign's message of the day jumped around quite a bit in Sept., from foreign policy after the embassy attacks on Sept. 11, to China, to labeling Obama a redistributionist, to hitting the president for saying he can't change Washington "from the inside."
  5. Establish a conversation and connect with every one of your key audience segments, not all or anyone & everyone…mass is dead, multi-segment is king (focus on the most important demographics & states where your marketing can make a difference , make or break your win such as swing states , specific groups i.e. women, ethnic or religious groups etc…) throughout the full spectrum of channels & formats,  from town Halls to online forums, from an Ohio trade fair to an army base , a national Black caucus or a Florida retirement home…Cf. how Ryan featured his mother at a Florida retirement home rally to speak to the Republican’s commitment to Medicare or Sandra Fluke as the face of Obama’s dedication to women’s rights…
  6. Have a compact set of consistent platform subjects & objectives  applied in the key areas of interest/buying criteria’s of electors (from the economy to social issues to foreign policy or heath care): even though the economy is the top driver, chance are that over the months, campaign themes will move and the difference can also be made on secondary but also important for some voters like civil rights, security, heath care, immigration etc…the infamous “9-9-9 “of Herman Cain or the relatively recent 5 points economic plan from the Romney campaign
  7. Avoid negative, comparative or divisive rhetoric  as it can only lead you so far or just plain backlash… and doesn’t exactly speaks to your leadership & highest moral commitment in front of the Whole country…even if it can get you some interesting coverage from snippets, they have been shown to not generate a huge impact on voter’s behavior. See Romney’s  “47 %” comment or Obama’s “you didn’t build that business on your own…” or Biden’ chains” comment at an African American rally…
  8. Strike a balanced customer acquisition & retention strategy , between keeping your base energized (loyalty) and attracting undecided or independent voters (acquisition): that’s probably where the Obama campaign has been the most skilled with the Digital strategy…appeal to both new comers (new generations of voters) and keep  your base energized.
In that respect, and without prejudging of the election result, its already seems that each candidate went though a learning curve & had their own mishaps:
Camp Obama win:
As Obama had already led the charge during the game changing , digital -savy 2008 campaign, they pre-empted  Digital media very early in 2011 and outsmarted GOP counterpart for months, starting  with an ever more aggressive  budget allocation  to Digital  (more than $30 M on digital Ads so far- including text messages-according to ClickZ Politics analysis i.e. 3.5 times Romney's $7.6 M…In 2011, Obama's online ad expenditures merely doubled Romney's .
With Nearly 1-in-5 Americans (17%) say they got news yesterday on a mobile device, with (78%) on their cell phone and 19% of the public getting news headlines on social networking sites yesterday (+ 9% vs 2  years ago) with the percentage regularly getting news/ news headlines on these sites has nearly tripled, from 7% to 20%): the news consumption profile has definitively shifted, notwithstanding the fact that more &more young people go just news less.
Targeted digital ads can help the candidates better engage with the key voters they need in what's sure to be a close election: the elusive swing state independents, the coveted Hispanic groups, Catholics or Jewish voters …Digital  allows your brand personality to be a lot more precise with your message whilst, compared with broadcast, cheaper and easier to track… whilst being able to copy test various ads and readapt on the go.
Meanwhile, the Obama invested key social media platforms with success, now boasting more than 29 Millions “Like” on his Facebook page littered with intimate photos of the President in his daily life (only 8 M for Romney) and more than 20 Millions Twitter 1.2 M followers for Romney). In the first 6 months of 2012, the Obama campaign outnumbered the combined effort of the four leading Republican campaigns with any notable online Ad presence by a ratio of 10 to1 !
Camp Obama miss: during the first debate, given several opportunities to counterattack on some of Romney’s points, Obama appeared unwilling to do so, retreating to bland, small-bore, Clintonian talking points. Among the weapons that the president left on the stage was any reference to Romney’s now infamous “47%” comment that could have changed the dynamics of characters in the debate back to Romney’s need to justify & explain… 
More crucially , the President is also facing an unavoidable underlying question that he has not been able/or willing  to address nor deflate, at least indirectly, the  basic defining question infamously spelled by Ronald Reagan in the 1980 debate vs Carter:  “ask yourself : are you better off than you were four years ago? ” Even with the best comprehensive set of references to the economic context in which he took office, it remains the most basic, challenging & legitimate question for any consumer that should consider buying your product again…”there you go again” (!)  for defining a compelling value proposition !
Camp Romney win: when he seemed under tremendous pressure to regain leadership & demonstrate his ability to be aggressive rather than defensive in the 2 weeks leading to the first Prez. debate, Romney was able to deliver  a stronger performance  and reenergize his campaign  just 30 days before the election, generating $12 M in online contributions as well as a surge in volunteers and bigger crowds at his events. This was sheer illustration of successful profile raising and  asserting leadership while respecting the office of the President…
Camp Romney miss: obviously, beyond the “ I bet you  $10 000…  “ or “47%... “ unfortunate blunders, one of the biggest hurdle that candidate Romney has had to overcome has been to look approachable, seeming able to connect with the average American , making them feel that he understands their plight and everyday challenges…that’s where the character needs to come across through personal style, words, facial & non verbal language…elements of packaging, graphic design codes or personality that make a brand warm & loved as opposed to just considered, respected or remembered…
So, if anything , this campaign can teach  a few valuable lessons/cornerstones of complex brand strategy that every marketer should remember:
  • A) Illustrate your essence /vision with your track record & pragmatic commitments…rather than a succession of technical points (brand essence rather than succession of ad campaigns): that’s how a brand inspires trust and substance: laying out a vision or a program without applying it to people real life or your own actions doesn’t allow it to reach consumers’ hearts and minds. That’s the spirit of such successful brand strategies such as new Ally bank’s “no non-sense, just people sense” or Dove’s “Real beauty” campaigns that resonate so deeply with the consumer’s needs & state of mind of the era…
  • B) Lead the conversation, don’t let  your competitor or his allies define you: spell out your unique value proposition & unique style, don’t get caught reacting or playing defense, just lead your own music…too many brands respond to other players initiatives and forget to change the game with sheer innovation  i.e. The  new Doritos taco shell from Taco Bell !
  • C) Be opportunist, keep the pulse of the buzz , air du temps and readjust quickly: how Romney seized the Sept. 11 attack on the Lybia consulate to relaunch a new (albeit inarticulate) offensive on Obama’s failed Foreign policy…
  • D) The consistent story is what really matters but renew the narrative (lights on different facets) … In the age of the nonstop news cycle, every new development is the most important thing that has ever happened, meriting breathless coverage -- until the next, more important development inevitably overtakes it in a day or two. i.e. Romney campaign aiming to continue to talk about the failures of the president's policies, but in a forward frame, in a forward-looking discussion about how 4 more years of the last is not going to be good for the American people…
  • E) Stay on a simple & strong message, a consistent & clearly defining one: the one that will have the voter believe that they will get exactly what they mean to buy when they cast their vote, and not something around it…so any strategy that calls for various building blocks & phasing might work in the Ad executive circles but not in the general public arena: That’s how Geico “ 15 mn phone call could save you hundreds …” or “More Saving. More Doing”Home Depot have encapsulated a unique, concise set of benefits
  • F) leverage the conversation through your tribes & allies in the new media ecosystem: media, community support network, citizen journalists or customer forums are the new levers of the most permeable media of all: the daily, approachable one from seemingly peers: social media campaign engineering such as Old Spice ‘s ”The man your man could smell like”, the  fastest-growing and most popular interactive campaign in history that reached 1.4 billion impressions and 40 million video views  in a week, is an extreme capsule of that tribal marketing.
Now, for the moral value , one could ask how acceptable it is that a choice of candidate or society in one of the most advanced democracies in the world could be depending so much on marketing, the size of war chest or consultants: at a time when everybody recognizes the need to cut spending and address the budget deficit of a country, isn’t the necessity/benefit of a $5 Bn image war over the course of 12 months worth  questioning ?  
How would the democratic process work if Ad spending that the US Supreme Court decided to leave Unlimited in their 2010 landmark ruling in “Citizens United v. FEC” was reduced to “organic” social buzz & editorial coverage from media organizations ?
But then again how would you ensure that this coverage is fair, unbiased & balanced so that the voting public can make the most informed decision ?It’s hardly disputed that the Media are mostly skewed towards a Liberal bias and except for Fox News, few high profile /big audience outlets stand out  on the other side…
Maybe after all, this is like the Democracy it stems from, the worst model at the exception of all others…
However, I believe that in 20 years from now, this paroxystic point of political marketing will have found a more mature & reasonable framework of the election process whilst marketers will further refine the exemplary nature of this complex and exciting case of brand management.
  One thing is sure, whatever the eventual result of this US election: we now live in a global conversation where iconic figures fight hard & dirty for a universal model of society in which we want to live…quite a return from the multiculturalism  or laissez-faire & free-form / multi-local social experiments from the 70 and 80’s stem from the fragmentation & eventual explosion of a bipolar world that had given birth to many colors of politics both in terms of style, nation leaders and models…

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