July 30, 2015

2016 is the America's First Branded Election:Brand Trump vs. Brand Bush vs. Brand Clinton

Anyone watching MSNBC's focus group on Donald Trump couldn't possibly mistake that the qualities people were giving to Donald Trump had nothing to with the man, but had everything to do with the brand image that Trump has created in the media over the last 3 decades.

His success as a political is directly tied to his perception as a brand.

It might be useful to review a definition of branding at this point:

...Simply put, your brand is your promise to your customer. It tells them what they can expect from your products and services, and it differentiates your offering from that of your competitors. Your brand is derived from who you are, who you want to be and who people perceive you to be... http://www.entrepreneur.com/encyclopedia/branding

Trump has tapped into just that. However, there are two other candidates that also benefit from this phenomenon as well: brand Bush and Clinton.

The big difference is that in 2016, Trump is shiny new towers and Bush and Clinton are wars lost and won, scandals, and more.

Is Bernie the anti-brand? Only time will tell.

July 28, 2015

Thread for the Undecideds

Am I the only one out there that is truly undecided for the the Primary?

At this point, I just really want to see what policies Hillary proposes and if she can handle/survive the pressures of a General Election campaign... Can her health and focus last on the campaign trail? Can she overcome her perceived 'negatives' and put forward her vision of the future?

For Sen. Sanders, I want to see if he is truly a Democrat... or a Democrat of convenience. Can he forge a message that can get broad appeal across the electorate? I also have questions about his age and health... can he hold-up under a tough campaign?

Even some of the lesser candidates, I could also live with... but they need to show why in the heck are they even running... or are they just jockeying for 2020, or a VP spot.

I also like the two other 500 lb. gorillas sitting it out currently: Biden, and Gore.


So far, no one has shown me that they have what it takes in 2016. Time to get to work folks. In the meantime, I am watching and waiting.