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?

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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

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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.

Talking down to constituents???

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That is how Sunny on Pickled Politics describes the old school way of using the web for politics. I actually tend to agree. With the creation of Web 2.0 features, politics online are more than just a website that acts like a virtual brochure. It has become a vehicle for interaction between the campaign and its supporters. She mentions how with Facebook, supporters can give donations and volunteer hours. This has revolutionized the way campaigns communicate with its supporters.

Being a political wonk myself that has worked on many campaigns, I can not agree more about how much social networks / Web 2.0 have changed politics. Much of what I did for the Romney campaign was grassroots mobilization on college campuses nationwide. I once helped set up a nationwide grassroots effort of phonebanking during the day and celebrating with a live webcast with the Governor at night. I was the Regional Director of the Mid-Atlantic and Southern States. Without the ability to communicate with volunteers throughout the nation via facebook, there was no way for me to effective and efficiently perform my job. In the end, the nationwide event was a huge success and our efforts made a huge difference going into the primaries.

Blogs expressing past work experience??

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In "The Blog is the New Resume," Joshua Porter states that 5 reasons why blogs are becoming the new resumes in the 21st century. Even though I think that it can definitely help an employer learn about you, I see it more as a supplement to a Resume. One commenter on his post stated that a blog doesn't provide relevant information to a employer. I absolutely agree with that. It does not include your past work experience or the actual skills you possess. Instead it gives a candid look at who your are and your opinions on different topics.

It allows the employer to learn a little more about your personality rather than your qualifications for a job. I don't want someone to judge me based on what I write in a post. The style of writing I use in blog posts are completely different then my academic writing. The way I act online is completely different than I do in the workplace. I'm definitely opinionated in my blog posts and speak out when I feel necessary but in the work environment I respect the hierarchy and act accordingly.

So to reiterate once again, the blog will never become the Resume of the 21st century but rather a useful supplement to learn more about an individual.

Niche Nation

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"Niche Nation" refers to what Chris Anderson, the author of "The Long Tail" believes is happening to our country as a result of a focus on consumer choice and consumer choice. It is happening in the business world, the political world, and has also infiltrated the media.

The EPIC 2014 documentary predicts that the news will be tailored to the individual reader through algorithms that combine through Google Grid, everything about the consumer. As a result, news will become a collection of trivia, much of it untrue.

Even though I disagree with the conclusion that much of the news will be untrue and trivial, I do believe that large media organizations like the New York Times will go under because they will be unable to compete with Google. Through RSS feeds, readers already are beginning to choose what they read and where they get their information. It becomes very easy for any individual to find their new niche and limit the type of news they read about. However, the idea that everyone is so shallow that all news will become trivia in the future seems absurd. But I do believe that individuals will not be as well rounded in the news they read in the future. Most people read only the stories that they care about the most and thus are never exposed to the full array of issues that affect the world today. But I guess, having individuals rather than Big Media decide whats the most important issues affecting the world is definitely better.

1 is a lonely number?

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Doesn't matter if its lonely or not, one person will get more done. What do you mean, you might say? Well, statistics have shown that when brainstorming, individuals working by themselves produce more ideas than groups. On NetAge's Blog post "Brainstorming? Try doing it virtually", they state that real groups have never outperformed individuals who worked by themselves [virtual groups].

This seems to be contrary to everything we have learned as a child. But I completely understand why this occurs. I was in a group last weekend that needed to come up with a mock plan on how to ID voters during a surrogate event for the congressman. We were limited in time so we begin coming up with ideas immediately. What happened was that every time an idea was brought up, there was at least a minute of discussion that sometimes turned into a tangent or brought us back a few steps. It was a form of chaos that ate up alot of our time. I definitely think we could have got alot more done if we broke the project up into 5 sections and each group member took a section and worked on it by themselves

Getting sidetracked or causing group think always occurs in when working with others. When an individual is brainstorming by themselves, everything is more linear without any distractions. So I have to agree with the study since I have experienced the problems with groups many times myself.

The 4 P's to networking

www.fair-pr.com/meet-aae/bunsen2005/index.php

Preparation, Preparation, Preparation, Preparation...

That is what i got from Chris Brogan's blog post "Get more out of Conference and Networking Events." I have done alot of networking myself but never really thought about what I need to do before the event to maximize what i get out of it. Chris says:

"If you find others who are attending via social media sites or by using a service like Technorati or Google Blogsearch, drop them a comment on their blog mentioning that you’re attending as well. It might make for a good early ice-breaker to know others coming to the event."

When I first read this, I thought he was a genius. Who would ever think to begin a conversation before the networking event so that when you get there, you already have an "in." It might sound a little "stalker"ish, but honestly, you do what you need to do to increase your personal brand.

I remember one time at a function I recognized someone from a facebook group that I ran. It was a great way to begin the conversation and helped me broaden my network. In fact, that conversation helped me gain a trustworthy supporter of the Governor in Florida and she became a great help for me in the future.

Know thy self...

Being a political science major and active in the political process, I have learned the importance of personal branding. Mike Myatt wrote in The Power of Personal Branding that

"It is a true win-win scenario in that the executive who knows how to manage his/her brand equity in turn increases the brand equity of the enterprise."

Campaigns are only as successful as the candidate who is running. I have seen so many campaigns that have been ran efficiently and effectively that had a hard time getting off the ground because the candidate himself wasn't able to brand himself appropriately.

Mitt Romney mastered the art of personal branding. He knew from the beginning that with a name ID of less than 5% that it was crucial to brand himself as the conservative candidate in the race amongst moderates like McCain and Giuliani. Once that was established, he was able to add that he was the right guy for the job because of his 25 years in the private sector.

Hate your first life...

Second Life is becoming a necessity in the Integrated Brand Promotion of the 21st century. What began as a second life for people with no lives has become a marketers dream. Duncan Riley on TechCrunch said that Second Life is "a hip and trendy place from which to target brand wary members of Generation Y." Even though I disagree on the hip and trendiness of Second Life, I do believe that it is a great way to microtarget a niche withing Generation Y.

In my advertising class, we spent some time discussing Second Life and it was remarkable how many ways marketers can utilize this interface. From buying hotdog stands to buying your own island, many companies are able to advertise their products without making a huge investment.

When Mercedes-Benz introduced the C-Class, they gave secondlifers the ability to test drive it digitally on the Mercedes Island.


Even though secondlife is pretty nerdy these days, it definitely has the potential to become a necessity in any college students daily internet repertoire.

Mr. Lockbox's Current Endeavor

St. Al Gore is at it again. Not only has he invented the internet but now he found a way to get young people politically involved via interactive TV. Current TV has become the outlet that allows young people to express their views on the current topics that are facing our world.

In Brian Stelter's Al Gore's other cause: Current TV, Current TV has brought a new way to interact with young people via the most powerful medium: the TV. Many people believe that this is the wave of the future, but I disagree. I honestly believe that Current TV will never get off the ground. First off, I am baffled by their decision not to be rated by Nielsen Media Research. What are they trying to hide?

Second, Current TV is basically Youtube without the option to view any video you want. Instead the channel decides what you should see and hear. In a time where people want the freedom to see whatever they want, I believe that this channel wont increase in viewership. They are competing with other outlets like Youtube.

What Current TV is trying to do is bring the internet and TV together. However, I feel that it is definitely a lost cause especially since the Internet is so more convenient and consumer friendly than is TV.

The problem of Mass Customization

Nike, Inc has created NikeID with the purpose to allow its customers, especially brand loyalists, to customize their shoe by changing the colors or material.

DROD's blog of wonders discusses the problems with customization in regards to online returns. I completely agree that because of this, NikeID is not a brand that Nike is utilizing to bring in profits but rather a linchpin brand or a silver bullet brand used to increase brand loyalty or sustain its brand image.

Trust me, the NikeID concept will never become the future of buying shoes for the reason that with the current technology we have, it will never be cost-effective and Nike would never be able to make a sustainable profit.

Beware--Big Brother is Watching!

I don't think I would ever be comfortable knowing that a computer program is looking at every single form of communication I send out on my business computer. Don't get me wrong, I love this concept especially for its efficiency in streamlining everyday business. But the way I look at it is, I have some friends in my personal life that I really do not want to bring into my career life.

Ephraim Schwartz says in "Social Networking Targets the Enterprise" that you can

search for companies by region and revenue; you can ask for the names of all C-level executives at those companies; and you can match those names to people in your own company who know them.

To me, that is great and all but what if your job depended on you being compliant when your boss asks you to contact "your friend" at that other firm? What if you say no, I rather not disrupt that relationship and the boss says if you don't then you're fired?

There needs to be some way to opt your personal life out of the program. Maybe the program can only check your work email or your work Instant Messenger. But as long as the program allows "users to tap into group functionality to form associations outside their own companies" without some form of privacy measures, this type of social network will not become the future of the business world.

Are you in the "Relationship Business"?

As Robert Scoble and Shel Israel mention in Naked Conversations, all great sales people are in the relationship business. When I hear this, naturally as a Political Science major, I automatically think political candidates and their campaigns. In order to become a viable candidate you need to know how to form and retain trusting relationships. Yes kissing hands and shaking babies (I mean shaking hands and kissing babies) is all well and good, but in this era of technology, it is not the candidate that shakes the most hands that wins the election. A candidate must be able to transfer that relationship he just created with a "potential" supporter in person and foster it through the internet.

Mitt Romney, in my eyes, understands this the most. Being in the private sector for 25+ years, he learned and mastered this. His campaign is one of the most effectively and efficiently organized operation I have ever seen. His ability to get out his message via a rigorous campaign schedule followed by a massive word of mouth operation through customer evangelists, such as bloggers, coalitions, steering committees, political heavy weights and most importantly his advertising strategy that encompasses every single element a business needs to succeed, is why this once little known candidate has become one of the most viable people for the Republican nomination.

Bringing in the Calvary...

You always hear about companies bringing in new executives to turnaround a company. However, Rob Cross states in "Connecting to Collaborate",

"Experienced hires at the executive level aren't that successful in most organizations. They have to prove themselves at the new organization before they're listened to...[and] that takes one to two years. Many aren't willing to invest that much time, or simply quit when they can't crack the network."

To me, this claim seems rather false for most organizations when you look at the many turnarounds that have occurred throughout both the private and public sectors in America.

In cases such as the Salt Lake City Olympics, J.Crew, and even at my job at the Department of the Interior, outsiders that were brought in at the executive level where able to form the networks necessary to efficiently fulfill their jobs and became valuable assets to the companies. In my opinion, if this practice was actually hurting companies nationwide, it would not be as prevalent as it is today.

I don't want to say that I disagree with the quote completely, but I do believe if you are truly an "experienced hire," one of the skills that you must possess is the ability and the skills to invest the time in forming both informal and formal networks with your colleagues...if not, well you don't deserve the executive position in the first place.

My First Blog Post

My name is John Zevitas and I am a Student at American University majoring in Political Science with a minor in Marketing...

I am blogging for a class called Social Networking and Business.

On my honor, all posts on this blog are my own.

- John Zevitas