At the risk of being stampeded by a paraded of pissed off partisan pachyderms, I’d like to point out the obvious: Mitt Romney’s presidential campaign exemplifies what NOT to do when promoting your brand.
Okay, put the bullhooks down, people. I’m not opposing Mitt Romney for president. In fact, I agree with many of his positions. Or, at least I think I do. Then again, maybe I don’t …
And that ambiguity is exactly his problem.
Where’s the authenticity?
In his book Buying In, business writer Rob Walker discusses at length the need for authenticity in branding. Consumers (and voters) demand authenticity. They want the marketing that surrounds a brand (or politician) to match up with the reality.
But a sincere lack of authenticity is what’s hurting Governor Romney–even among supporters.
A failure in (re)branding
Romney’s problems stem from his failure to re-brand himself as a conservative Republican after serving as a moderate governor in Massachusetts. His attempts to do so have left him looking like the quintessential politician: a man willing to say anything to get elected.
All marketing strategies must to be rooted in truth. Even when reaching out to a new audience (like Iowa Republicans), you still have to provide some believable reason for them to buy in.
Oh, and one of the worst things you can do is treat your audience like simpletons.
Own it
Governor Romney isn’t fooling anyone when he plays “the guy next door.” Nor is he fooling anyone when he pretends to hold Tea Party conservative values (and always has, really).
The Romney campaign would have been far better off owning up to the governor’s moderate record from the start. The “severely conservative” facade they’ve put on is so inauthentic the candidate comes across as unbelievable and untrustworthy.
When marketing your business, don’t make empty claims that you can’t back up. Choose real product features that meet real human wants or needs and build your marketing campaign around those.
If you need help building an authentic marketing campaign, let me know. Communicating your business’s real benefits to your target audience is what I do.
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