I am sure you have already read too many postmortems on Barack Obama’s historic win of the Democratic primary nomination this week. Senator Obama’s achievement was so much more impressive because he had to beat Hillary Clinton, a formidable politician and candidate who started the campaign as the anointed leader with virtually all the institutional support, the money, the tested team, the Clinton Brand, everything you need to sail through the Democratic primaries.

But, Brand Obama won anyway. I thought it would be interesting and instructive to take a moment to view Sen. Obama’s win through the lens of effective brand building and management. As I like pointing out often on this blog, we marketers can learn a thing or two from this kind of experience. Brand Obama ultimately triumphed because:

• They/he clearly understood what the Democratic customers/voters really needed, wanted, were thinking, etc., in this volatile election cycle. And they smartly built their brand value proposition around those wants, needs, dreams.
• More than anything, what those Democrats really wanted, needed, dreamed of and obsessed for this year, was CHANGE.
• So, guess what, Brand Obama was built on a Change Platform. Crafty marketing move, that!
• Now that they/he had a strong brand narrative, built from the bottom up, Brand Obama had the courage and consistency to stick to it. They did not zig and zag like the Clinton campaign did as it tried and mostly failed to find a message that stuck (unfortunately for Sen. Clinton, she finally discovered her brand strengths and a winning narrative, but toward the end of her campaign when the game was pretty much over).
• Brand Obama dealt effectively — and for the most part, transparently — with the inevitable challenges and crises that nearly all brands eventually undergo. Good brands get even better when tempered by adversity.
• Brand Obama remained candid and believable. The strongest brands are honest and authentic. They are trustworthy. People want to build a relationship with a brand they can trust. You’ll probably recall that Brand Hillary had some problems in this area. For the most part, those were self inflicted wounds.
• The Obama campaign did a great job of defining an inspiring vision for the future. Great brands are usually aspirational in one way or another. People (especially voters) want to think things will get better for themselves and their children. Indeed, they need to think that. Brand Obama did a brilliant job of pointing to that shining future that we all aspire to.
• Ultimately, Brand Obama did what all great brands must accomplish. It represented a “promise made and a promise kept…consistently over time.”

The question now is, can Brand Obama take its success to the next and final level and win the biggest brand opportunity of them all, the US Presidency? The truth is, no one yet knows. That is brand history that is yet to be written.

Like Brand Obama, Brand McCain has its strengths, and its problems, too. But Senator McCain’s personal story of courage and patriotism is an especially strong foundation on which to build a popular and potentially winning brand.

The 2008 presidential election is already shaping up to be one of the most exciting and significant political brand duels of all time. Stay tuned, brand builders and managers. This is really getting interesting!

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