Candidate Brand Image

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So the results are out. McCain is seen as old and Obama is seen as an outsider/change. This according to a new AP-Yahoo! News poll. (check the link for full results)

John McCain:

1. Old, 19 percent

2. Military service, 9 percent

Barack Obama:

1. Outsider, change, 20 percent

2. Lack of experience, 13 percent

As you can see, Obama is doing better branding himself since his brand image determined by the voters matched his brand identity. However, in second place is "Lack of Experience." McCain and the RNC must capitalize this and continue to push this image of Obama further

McCain is struggling to brand himself and if he doesnt figure it out soon, his demise will be over before the election even begins.

Flip Flopping is so 2004...

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Framing your opponent is the ultimate goal for any candidate running for president. In 2004, the GOP framed Kerry as a flip-flopper. This year however, the public sees both candidates as flip-floppers.

CNN reports:

"Sixty-one percent of voters believe that McCain has changed his mind for political reasons; 37 percent do not. Fifty-nine percent of voters believe that Obama also shifts positions with the political winds; 38 percent do not."

Ever since the successful framing of Kerry as a Flip-Flopper many candidates have used it against their opponents. However, I believe it will become a non-issue this cycle because it will hurt both candidates equally.

Barack Obama is all about change and an era of new politics. Huffington points out,

When Obama kneecaps his own rhetoric and dilutes his positioning as a different kind of politician, he is also giving his opponent a huge opening to reassert the McCain as Maverick brand.

I completely agree that this is going to hurt Barack's brand and his overall relationship with both the liberal left and the independents. Huffington continues and says that McCain has also ruined his Maverick image by changing his position on multiple issues. This also is true. This leads me to the conclusion that this will be an issue that won't be used that frequently within the general election. Seriously, are the candidates going to run ads with the message that they flip-flop less?

I would recommend the candidates to step away from the childish game of exposing "who flip-flops more" and concentrate on reaffirming their image and framing their opponents another way.

Campaign 101 Tip: Develop a message

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The "Campaign Message" is a crucial part of the candidates image and their personal brand. Obama has effectively branded his campaign as that of "Change" through his message "Change we can believe in." This has stayed consistent throughout most of his campaign and has been used with much success.

Now as for McCain, he has been unable to create a message. His "Straight Talk Express" approach has framed his approach to politics; trust, transparency and leadership. However, it does not do enough to meet the consumer (voter) sweetspot.

McCain's campaign slogans have changed frequently in the general election. He once used "A Leader we can believe in" but it was riduculed for being too close to Obama's slogan. In fact he even tried to use the Obama colors on his site...This, of course, could have been a violation of intellectual property but more so I believe the worst decision the McCain campaign could have ever made because when you saw the site, it made you think of Obama.

McCain is now using "Reform. Prosperity. Peace." This is better, but I still don't believe it captures the consumer (voter) sweetspot. I feel that voters want change but with experience. McCain represnts both. He needs to do a better job packaging himself into a campaign message.

Law School En Banc

A few days ago I set up a blog called Law School En Banc that will track the lives of myself and my friend Eugene as we venture into the Law School world. Both of us will be attending two different schools in two different cities and will be blogging about our experiences from two different prospectives. I will definitely urge you to check it out. As of August 11th, I will be blogging daily throughout my first year of law school.

I will continue to blog on Zevitas' Blog, however since class ended I'm still debating on what topic I should begin blogging about. Currently, I am leaning towards creating a blog devoted to Political Branding in the 2008 Presidential Election. I believe not enough is being written about the importance of branding and the strategies currently being implemented by both the McCain and Obama campaigns. What do you think?

Restaurants and Web 2.0?

http://www.thebullsheadinn.co.uk/images/Small%20restaurant.jpg

Restaurants in an economic downturn... We all know that they are not recession proof. So what is a small family owned restaurants to do? The biggest problem is loyalty for these restaurants. With the price of food increasing and wages decreasing, what is going to get customers in the seats...and well not at a chain restaurant like the Olive Garden.

My suggestion: humanization/personalization. A restaurant has to make itself feel like part of the family / network of its customers.

Using my knowledge of social networking, I have compiled a list of small tools that restaurants can use:

1. Blog: there is nothing better than keeping your customers up-to-date with what your chef is doing in the kitchen. The new recipes he is trying. The funny humanizing stories that happen in back. Their personal life. All these things have worked great for Matt, a gourmet chef in Arlington, VA. His blog provides a look at his life as a chef and allows his customers an inside look at what being a chef is like.

2. Social Network Groups: Everyone uses facebook. Why not create a group or allow users to "become a fan..." of your restaurant. This is a great way to increase PR through influential members of networks.

3. Twitter: engage your customers with twitter. Like a direct email campaign, it keeps loyal customers in the loop with updates on new menu items, entertainment and special events.

Of course there are alot more ways you can increase revenue. Internet marketing tools such as virtual marketing and mobile marketing are great as well. Regardless of what you do, small restaurants must remember that its not only important to have an amazing menu, a comfortable environment, and courteous staff...they must make their customers feel at home...so why not become part of their family.

Hmmm...Interesting

http://www.wirelessmoment.com/images/kodak_easyshareone_wifi_camera.jpg

Ok, so this actually isnt that bad of an idea. Dave Winer, on Scripting.com, discusses a new idea he thought of called the social camera. It basically connects all cameras within a certain radius and allows people to share and collect pictures. The idea seems a little weird, but it is definitely possible. We already do it via bluetooth but like he notes, it is currently too slow. Even though a social camera isnt something I would invest in, I definitely could see others doing so. Instead of taking 5 pictures with 5 different cameras, a group can now take one pic and then transfer it to the other 4 cameras.

I do believe however, it is a little stalkerish and creepy. Think about it. Some creepy dude could be within your radius and your picture would automatically be sent to him. A little sketchy, dont you think? I wouldn't want my picture to be sent to everyone in the area especially if i dont know them.

Instant Gratification

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Want coffee? How about a burger? With GPS ready phones, you can find this stuff almost instantly. Marc Cieslak in Rise and rise of the GPS mobile, discusses the many new developments with GPS Phones from being able to locate restaurants, landmarks and even your children.

In my marketing class, we discussed how companies are actually using the GPS to send a text with promotional info to your phone if you are walking by their store. I think the ability for you to find restaurants within the area and restaurants capable of finding you are amazing developments in mobile technologies. This is definitely the wave of the future. I know that when I am walking around in an unknown city, my GPS BlackBerry provides me with info about local spots that I would have only dreamed of a few years ago.