As first year anniversaries go, this milestone for President Barack Obama is one he no doubt would like to forget. Too bad because the year started off with such promise.

But, having to make corrections in your marketing strategy and plan is not unusual, especially early on in the process. That’s true whether you are the president of the United States, or a brand of automobile. As a former boss used to say to me, "There is nothing shameful in failing. Just fail fast, correct and move on."

In that spirit, I herewith offer my totally unsolicited advice directly to you, President Obama, to help you get your presidential "brand" back on track in year two:

• Address REAL Needs — Make sure you are addressing exactly what your customers (the American voters) want and TRULY need, not what you’d like them to need. Healthcare reform was and is a noble calling. But, that does not mean that middle class voters actually care all that much about it. If they already have healthcare, then it’s just not that urgent an issue for them.
• Focus, Focus, Focus — Once you figure out what voters really care about, focus on fixing that — and put everything else on the back burner. If consumers really want their shampoo to make their hair feel silky and smell great, then positioning your shampoo around its unusual blue color is probably not going to be a winning strategy. Meet true needs and solve urgent problems and people will love you.
• Be Aggressive — If Quiznos runs a really negative comparison ad against Subway, you better believe Subway is going to respond in kind. Fight back, take no prisoners and make sure your competitors (and your supporters) know that crossing you has consequences. Some are questioning whether your new "angry populist" persona will work. I’m not sure you can or should do "angry." Tough, yes. You should be the #1 tough, results-driven progressive, but with a heart.
• Forget the Bi-Partisan Strategy — It’s not working for you. Again, if a marketing/branding/communications strategy is not having the desired effect, change it quickly. Here’s the deal: Your opposition has no interest in "meeting you in the middle," as so many talking heads are noting quite disingenuously these days. That is just a lot of competitive misinformation and strategic misdirection (Sun Tzu talked a lot about that in "The Art of War"). Equally important, voters don’t really care about your acting in a bi-partisan way. They just want you to get results around the issues and needs that really matter to them (e.g., the economy and jobs).
• Dance With the One That Brung Ya‘ — Of course, that doesn’t mean you can’t dance with anyone else. Yes, you need to keep your base involved, inspired and mostly happy. They also need to know that there are bigger fish to fry and they need to get on board, too. More than anything, they want yo to lead (e.g., setting a direction and then achieving results against the goal).
• Enforce Accountability – Every successful marketer holds her/his people and marketing partners accountable to their promises. If you don’t deliver, you get one chance to fix it. The second time you fail to deliver, you’re out. Don’t be afraid to fire people. That goes for your political staff (many of whom have not served you well), and your generals and security "experts," who have also made huge mistakes (e.g., the Fort Hood massacre and the Christmas Eve terrorist attack on the Northwestern flight). Accountability is vital to a successful marketing campaign just as it is to a successful presidency.
• Simplify Your Message — Once you’ve got one that effectively addresses what voters really care about, then stick with it. Your messages have been vague, overly intellectual and inconsistent. You also need to make sure your message connects with people emotionally — in the gut. A brand positioning that lacks the emotional dimension is destined to fail. People have emotional relationships with brands; they don’t with generic products. You need those emotional connections for the American people to follow you in the difficult things you need to do.
• Get Some Better Brand Spokespeople — With all due respect, your current crop of spokespeople is looking a bit ragged. Not that they are not trying, but you need some savvy politicians speaking for you and your policies. People who have been in the trenches and really get what middle class voters want and care about (people like Penn. Governor Ed Rendell).
• Take Heart, Things Could be Worse — President Reagan had a crappy first year, too. And then he ran into something called "Iran Contra" Look how his presidency turned out. And, President Clinton’s stumbles were epic. You are just getting started, but now is the time for you to get your game face back on and be a winner again. You have plenty of time to get back on the winning track. (But, not that much!)
• Make "Change" Work For You Again — When you were running for president, you famously and effectively used "change" as your brand and communications strategy. Needless to say, you should have NEVER given it up. Now the Tea Baggers have co-opted change. It’s not too late for you to take back change on your own terms. You start off by being a presidential game changer, so you still have the credibility to fight for changing the dreaded status quo. Just make sure you are espousing the "right" change for America at this critical and contentious time in her history (back to my first point about addressing REAL needs).

From a marketing standpoint, Mr. President, your Brand Obama has had a decent launch. But, the competition has regained its footing and is now doing a decent job of reading the consumer mood and adjusting its marketing strategy against you. That does not mean that you will not prevail. You just need to go back and focus on what really matters — for your customers (the voters), yourself, and your country.

Remember, the definition of a product is that it’s whatever the customer wants it to be. Your U.S. "customers" (the voters of America) want their president to be strong, capable, fair and consistent. They want to know you got their back. They want to feel proud about you.

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