THINK ABOUT IT: Learning From Political Marketing and Vice Versa – The Brand Idea

The RNC (Republican National Convention) has been in full swing and will conclude tonight with former President Donald J. Trump accepting his party’s nomination for president.

President Biden is fighting Covid-19 and remaining as the Democrat's nominee for another presidential term.

“So what?” you might ask.

Well, we have a real-time opportunity to observe and dissect the strategies and initiatives of each political party and representative to shed light on marketing our brands.

They, too, can learn from how we market our brands to promote their party and candidacy.

"How can you compare political marketing with marketing pharmaceutical, fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG), medical devices, personal brands, or whatever?" you demand!

“They are very different from each other,” you say.

Not really!

Marketing is marketing. There’s a discipline and art to it. The principles are universal.

The difference is in the playing field—namely, the marketplace, target customers, competition, lifecycle management, and timeframe, among others.

For example, the timeframe is different in each area mentioned above.

FMCGs have the most extended horizons. Brands like Coca-Cola, Campbell’s Soup, John Deere, Yuengling, Colgate, Harley-Davidson, Cadillac, Quaker Oats, Oscar Mayer hot dogs, and many others have been around for more than 100 years and are still going strong.

Pharmaceutical brands, not the compounds but the brands, have about 10 years remaining on their patents following FDA approval. Ditto for many medical devices, where new technology pushes out the old.

Personal brands, like political brands, can have a long or short shelf life depending upon voter satisfaction with performance. Regardless, their campaign frame is limited (at the least highly focused) to a few short months.

However, the principles and practices for each are the same.

I’m not advancing a particular party or candidate in this or future dispatches. Instead, this is about what we can learn from political marketing and how we might apply it to marketing our brands.

Where to begin? At the beginning of brand development.

As Simon Sinek might say, “Start with WHY.”

"Why" is the Brand Idea, the theme of the political party’s and candidate's positioning strategy—their purpose.

Each party must address what they stand for in governing these United States.

I'm inferring that the Democratic Party's "Why" is to promote democracy for all.

President Biden claims he needs to finish the job he started in transforming America.

The Republican Party is about lifting the nation and providing a better future for all.

Former President Trump states his “Why” is to “Make America Great Again.”

Basically, it comes down to this question: “What would the American people miss if your party and candidate did not win the presidency?”

It's the same question we must address when launching a new product—whether it is an FMCG, pharmaceutical, medical device, personal brand, or whatever.

What would the world miss if we didn't launch it or if it was pulled from the market?

Answering the question will help lead you to its “Why,” it’s Brand Idea.

And let's remember that the Brand Idea is the foundation of a Competitive Brand Positioning Strategy.

THINK ABOUT IT

• What would the world miss if you did not launch that new product, compound, or device?

MAKING YOUR MARKETING MATTER MORE

• If you cannot address the question above, you have significant work to do.
• Get on it and identify your brand’s “Why.”

Interested in reading my follow-up articles on this subject? Please follow me on LinkedIn https://www.dhirubhai.net/in/richarddczerniawski/ , where I share my perspectives from more than 50 years of successful worldwide “brand” marketing experience across many business sectors.

Make your marketing matter even more! Please read my most recent book, AVOIDING CRITICAL MARKETING ERRORS. It reveals common, consequential errors of omission and commission to avoid. Importantly, it also provide scores of specific actions to help make your marketing matter (even) more. Order here: https://www.amazon.com/AVOIDING-CRITICAL-MARKETING-ERRORS-Marketing-ebook/dp/B084YXVWFY/ref=sr_1_1?crid=3GK7L6C5ZFK2J&keywords=Avoiding+Critical+Marketing+Errors&qid=1704215761&s=digital-text&sprefix=avoiding+critical+marketing+errors%2Cdigital-text%2C118&sr=1-1 .

Peace and best wishes in making your marketing matter (even) more,

Richard D. Czerniawski