Brand Mapping the Presidential Candidates

Landor Associates (branding firm) and Penn, Schoen and Berland (research firm) released a joint study comparing the attributes of both George Bush and John Kerry to well-known brands.

According to Landor's Managing Director Allen Adamson,

"Mapping Bush and Kerry to well-known product and corporate brands reveals how each candidate is viewed and suggests brand strategies each can employ to potentially sway the critical undecided voter group."

The study reveals Bush supporters associate the brand called Bush with brands that evoke attributes such as ... “reliable, humble, heritage, and solid.” [SEE CHART BELOW]

Kerry supporters associate the brand called Kerry with brands that convey attributes of “high-quality, high-performance, hip, and young.” [SEE CHART BELOW]

Undecided voters associate more trendy and upscale brands with Kerry and attach more common and mainstay brands with Bush. [SEE CHART BELOW]

To win over the undecided voters, Landor's Managing Director Allen Adamson recommends the candidates do the following,

"... Kerry must prove that he has substance, that he's not all flash and marketing. Bush, on the other hand, must focus on emphasizing that his strengths – stability and reliability – are more important than being ultra-modern or progressive."

Noticeably absent from this blog is any Brand Autopsy commentary. I’ll leave the HMOs (hot marketing opinions) and HPOs (hot political opinions) to your MO (modus operandi). Dig?

Comments

[W.O. Olori]

Bush!s brand strength is his toughness oratory and charisma-qualities critical for presedential electoral victory in the US.

[johnmoore (from Brand Autopsy)]

Given your perspective W.O., do the brands Bush supporters identify him with exude the qualities of toughness, verbal eloquence, and charisma?

Or is this not a fair question?

[Martin Calle]

Eisenhower and Truman were the first Presidential candidates to use the new mass media of television effectively. The utilization of media has matured to the point that you now need to BE a celebrity to get elected. The difference between Regan and Bush is that Regan could speak well. Most candidates today are not only unable to impress when on stage, they can't think on their feet. As Dale Carnegie said, "If you've lived through it you've earned the right to talk about it." To me, it appears that Bush "slept" through it. When I was a child the word "competent," as a standard, was used to denote "one step above moron." Now things have gotten so watered down that the word "competent" means you're pretty good. "Average" has become so horrible in America that you can practically go to the head of the class just by showing up. No wonder gas prices are so high. The world is scared to death! So you be the judge. Is Bush competent, or average?

[Martin Calle]

To continue, the type of research employed to compare Bush to Kerry here is the type of work that perpetuates the commoditization of knowledge in consumer packaged goods - transforming rapid growth businesses into mature earnings businesses. This is the type of work that commoditizes positioning strategies and consumer perceptions - that bankers at Washington Mutual wear jeans and flannel shirts while those Wells Fargo wear suits. Similarly, that smoked sausage manufacturers at Kahn's/Hillshire Farm wear blue jeans and flannel shirts while competitors at Swift-Eckrich wear (what else) suits! When will marketers and strategists wake up and realize that branding firms such as Landor take them for a ride? Excellent con men one and all! I can forgive the young MBA, they are still learning everything all over again for the very first time. But the politicians are supposed to be our representatives. We are their leaders. And they, and their strategists actually digest this ... stuff! What's worse, they pay for it with our tax dollars.
MADISON AVENUE (The Blog) http://advertising-age.blogspot.com
Calle & Company
www.callecompany.com

[Cara Fletcher]

this brand mapping of the candidates is a new and very interesting way to attract people's attention.And this may help them to decide who of the two to vote for.Who knows.

[bayrak]

thank you so much