Allen Adamson
2007-02-01 08:00:00.0
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WASHINGTON -

Approximately 22 new brands will be launched within the next two to three months, all in the same category. No, it’s not the wireless phone category or the pharmaceutical category: It’s the presidential candidate category.

Political candidates are brands — some with budgets to rival the hottest MP3 players. As such, I’d like to give these “brand-idates” a bit of advice on what it takes to be a successful brand, political or otherwise. While it’s simple in theory, in practice, it’s tough.

If you want to be a successful brand, you must identify something genuinely different to represent in the minds of consumers. That idea must be something that really matters to people — something relevant.

Equally essential is being able to capture this difference in a way that’s simple to communicate. It must be boiled down to a strong, compelling “handle” people can instantly understand and mentally grab onto. Politicians, like the world’s best brands — Target, Google, iPod — have got to keep it simple to succeed.

Like a company, successful brand-idates are not built on a plethora of detail — that’s political chatter. Successful brand-idates are built on focused ideas that represent something different and relevant to voters — made clearly and cleverly simple for voters to understand.

Franklin Roosevelt, for example, knew he wouldn’t connect with voters by offering up detailed explanations about how he’d fix the country he inherited from his predecessor, the unlucky Herbert Hoover. Roosevelt built his brand on the idea of presenting a beleaguered nation with what was captured and communicated as a “New Deal.” The voters grabbed this phrase and its intent instantly.

Years later, voters didn’t need to hear detailed explanations from Ronald Reagan about how he would fix the moribund America inherited from his predecessor, Jimmy Carter. What grabbed people was “Let’s make America great again.”

Up for re-election, President Reagan countered Mondale’s ambiguous “America needs a change,” with the positive phrase “It’s morning in America.” He didn’t have to say anything about four years of job growth, lower interest rates, or housing starts for voters to understand him.

Al Gore, one of the 22 potential brand launches coming up this year, didn’t understand how to be a brand-idate the first time out. Brimming with worthwhile programs and policies, voters couldn’t relate to Gore’s political brand until it became focused on a single, relevant idea — global warming. The distressing implications of this idea are captured simply and brilliantly as “An Inconvenient Truth.” remarkable handle we can all — most of us, anyway — grasp.

Among some of the hot 2008 brand-idates, Sens. Hillary Clinton, D-N.Y., and John McCain, R-Ariz., seem to have a great many different and relevant points of view; however, they may have a few too many at this point to grab the attention of voters.

Former New York Mayor Rudolph Giuliani appears to be considering an idea based on his leadership during Sept. 11. Sen.Barack Obama, D-Ill., is developing an idea having to do with restoring a government out of touch with the people. Good ideas, without a doubt, but too broad. What’s more, while bountiful campaign budgets can certainly help any brand-idate, the return on investment won’t be nearly enough if voters can’t clearly discern what he or she represents and why it matters.

Complex issues cannot be fully represented in a simply-stated brand idea. However, as many a successful brand-idate has shown, it’s the only way to get voters to pay attention and — more important — turn out to the polls.

As I said earlier, building a brand in any category is easier said than done. It’s tough to come up with something unique to represent in the minds of consumers. And it’s just as tough to capture it in a simple, compelling way once you do.

But, it’s what makes for brand success. And, in the political brand category, if the voters don’t understand what you stand for, some other brand-idate will get to be president. It’s that simple.

Allen Adamson is the author of “BrandSimple: How the Best Brands Keep it Simple and Succeed.”