Exciting 2008 Brands: Barack Obama and the 3G iPhone

On Saturday night my wife and I bought an Obama stand-up photo and walked around the mall with the Democratic Nominee. The effect was stunning. Entire stores turned around and applauded us, people stopped to get their photos taken, and the Apple store turned into something like the FAO Schwartz scene from “Big.” Barack Obama has superseded your average candidate to become an uber-hip brand, partly because of his intelligent communications strategy and partly a product of the time.

It’s hard to argue how powerful the Barack brand has become. A Democratic nominee who struggled to get non-urban, lower-middle class white party members to support him has stormed the nomination. He has struck a chord, igniting a wave of fervor surrounding the need to Change. The strong fervor caused the opposition to try and co-opt the candidate of change meme with moves like the Sarah Palin nomination.

At the heart of the Barack Effect is a deep seated dissatisfaction with the current administration and the state of the nation. Obama’s young, exciting style, minority voice, and message of change serves as a lightening rod for the left and those most down affected by current policies.

But great brands rarely fly without brilliant marketing and communications. And Obama’s campaign gets word of mouth. From the traditional community meetings to cutting-edge social media, Obama’s campaign utilizes viral principles to create change evangelists and a resulting pop appeal… The Barack Effect.

For those of us on Communications Edge, perhaps the most remarkable aspect of this phenomena has been the first successful mass usage of 2.0 tools. As the Wall Street Journal notes, the Obama campaign has used social networking technology to ignite his supporters. The resulting wav of support and micro-donations has created a powerhouse campaign that triggers word of mouth with direct messages, RSS feeds, text messages and emails. Conversely, McCain has suffered through stops and starts.

A presidential campaign has many dynamics that cannot be oversimplified: Religious right versus the liberally educated, conservative radio versus free social networks, female veep candidate versus minority presidential candidate, mavericks versus agents of change, support versus ending the Iraqi war, etc., etc. It’s a wide open battle that will shape the United States’ future.

Yet one must wonder if intangibles like the Barack Effect will carry the day. In his monograph, “Good to Great for Social Sectors,” Jim Collins said:

…a key link in the social sectors is brand reputation — built upon tangible results and emotional share of heart — so that potential supporters believe not only in your mission, but in your capacity to deliver on that mission.

One candidate has long-term legislative experience, the other emotional mindshare. Neither has delivered a turn-around. Inspiring faith in the ability to deliver that change we so desperately desire may be the secret sauce to attain the White House.

P.S. As a company, Livingston Communications will not openly endorse either Obama or McCain. Individually, I felt compelled to endorse Obama on my personal blog. This is an important election, and we all need to openly discuss the issues that matter to us. Don’t turn a blind eye in 2008!