Obamas Image and Brand - Essay Example

Obama’s Image The process of creating a public image is essentially the process of branding, regardless of whether one is talking about an individual, a particular product or even an entire organization. Brand attractiveness is often determined by the way in which consumers perceive the brand involved. Branding has often been touted as the best means of establishing a loyal customer base and instant worldwide recognition. “Corporate branding emerged as a key concept in the late 1990s” (Burt & Sparks, p. 194). The term itself has undergone an extreme transformation in recent years. Although once identified as simply the swoosh on the side of a Nike athletic shoe or the golden arches soaring over every McDonalds entrance, the term ‘branding’ has grown to encompass many aspects of a company or individual. “Brands are not simply products or services. Brands are the sum totals of all the images that people have in their heads about a particular company and a particular mark. Brands absorb everything around them” (Scott Bedbury, CEO of Brandstream, a Seattle-based marketing consultancy, quoted in Kalin, 2001). Indeed the term has come to refer to not only the images a company produces in order to call their product or services to mind, but also the products sold, the services rendered, the building in which the company is headquartered or even the country in which it originated as well as the methods used to project these ideas and images to the broader public. To remain competitive in the world today, just about anything can be identified with a brand if it is so chosen – companies, museums, hospitals, even individual people. In making his bid for the 2008 Presidential Election, candidate Barak Obama skillfully applied the elements of branding or image-making to himself, successfully presenting himself as the most viable candidate through his general appearance, the ways in which he is identified and the context of his message. Barak Obama seems keenly aware of the importance of appearance in making a good impression on the American public. From our earliest history, it has been through our outward appearances that we project who and what we are to other people. Studies conducted by Dr. John Gottman and Dr. Dacher Keltner have revealed that people most often make snap judgments about the people they meet without even thinking about it that can often prove to be quite accurate (Walker, 2006). Therefore, the physical appeal of an individual often plays a significant role in his (or her) acceptance by the greater public, perhaps particularly in the political arena. This was demonstrated well in the race between John Kennedy and Richard Nixon. Although Nixon won the debate among those audiences who listened to it on the radio, he lost it among those audiences who watched it on television because his physical appeal was less than that of Kennedy. Nixon “was tired, still not fully recovered from an infected knee. He declined CBS’s offer of makeup, but one of his staff dabbed his face with something called LazyShave, which was supposed to hide his five o’clock shadow” (Morton, 2005). This did not compare favorably against Kennedy, who was well rested and rehearsed and “had a California tan, though an aide told Hewitt later that Kennedy wore a little makeup, too” (Morton, 2005). In much the same way, Obama was contrasted against McCain – a good-looking, young and energetic politician contrasted against an old, crusty hunched-over icon of the Washington system. This impression was made not only as a result of the two men’s physical appearance, but also in the careful attention given to the external elements that were attached to them. The elements included the clothes they wore and the people who were perceived as most closely associated with them in the form of their families and their running mates. This focus on the clothing of candidates was the source of much contention for Sarah Palin, McCain’s Vice Presidential nominee, regardless of the truth of the issue. While she was seen as flamboyant, highlighting a spendthrift reputation gained by McCain’s housing gaffe (Walsh, 2008), Obama and his group managed to maintain a low profile. Michelle Obama made several appearances on family and talk shows throughout the campaign wearing vibrant yet modest-seeming outfits and speaking intelligently about the issues of the day while Cindy McCain was seen in ‘elitist’ beiges and pastels silently standing behind her husband or being injured by handshakes (Schuller, 2008; Mehta, 2008). The overall appearance of these ‘exterior elements’ contribute to an image of health, vitality, intellectual understanding and down-to-earth awareness for Obama and one of weakness, age, elitist and out of touch removed existence for McCain. Another form of image-making that Obama proved more capable of than McCain was his ability to identify himself with the honest, hard-working common man through simple yet strategic press appearances. During campaign speeches, both candidates worked to develop this identity by filling in the spaces behind them with a representative example of the types of people who supported them by attending the speech. Acknowledging the commonness of these practices, Ben Smith (2008) explains “building a human backdrop to a political candidate, a set of faces to appear on television and in photographs, is always a delicate exercise in demographics and political correctness. Advance staffers typically pick supporters out of a crowd to reflect the candidate’s message.” Tracing through the campaigns, the use of this technique is revealed. “When Obama won the North Carolina primary amid questions about his ability to connect with white voters, for instance, he stood in front of a group of middle-aged white women waving small American flags” (Smith, 2008). However, through much of his campaign, Obama also struggled against accusations that he was a Muslim causing many of his staffers to refuse to seat women wearing headscarves within the television frame with Obama. When McCain struggled with claims that he was out of touch with the common man, campaign staffers attempted to encourage greater diversity of the crowd in response (Smith, 2006). Obama’s crowds seemed more reasonable, were of significantly greater size, were obviously of greater diversity and yet The crowds that gather to hear the candidates speak at their campaign speeches are aware of the skill of media personalities, including candidates, in using branding techniques to sway public opinion and therefore look to other elements of the candidates’ behavior to determine sincerity. When a candidate’s message is delivered within a context that reinforces his ideas, audiences tend to believe him. At formal appearances on TV and in action, Obama was always seen active, working to gain greater understanding of what was truly concerning the people who came out to talk with him or as presidential, standing on a stage with a backdrop of U.S. flags or iconic figures. “The recent photo op of Obama standing next to former Treasury Secretary Robert Rubin, former chairman of the Federal Reserch Paul Volcker, former Treasury Secretary Lawrence Summers, and Laura Tyson, former chair of President Clinton’s Council of Economic Advisers, has done as much as anything to project the sense that, if elected, an Obama administration would put the economy in battle-tested hands” (Feldmann, 2008). In contrast, McCain was often seen in states bordering on confusion, appearing in front of green screens with ineffective graphics and erratically jetting around the country in response to the economic collapse. Finally, the personal behavior of the candidates when the cameras aren’t necessarily on them is also a source of information to potential voters regarding how they think of their candidates. When Obama was on his campaign, he took time out to go visit his sick grandmother during some of the most crucial last days of the campaign period. While he was somewhat criticized for this at the time, the nation had already been made aware of the tremendous gratitude and devotion Obama had for his grandmother and this move was seen as a sincerely human reaction to impending death. This impression was reinforced the day before Election Day when his grandmother died. Obama’s risk was a wise one as it both answered his very real need to see his grandmother before she died and reinforced the public belief in him as a sincere family man dedicated to traditional family values and becoming a new and decent ‘father’ to the nation itself. Reinforcing the concept of Obama as a vibrant and energetic new leader for the future was his well-known past-time to help blow off some of the stress of the campaign. “On some of the most momentous days on the election calendar, Obama has defused the tension by hitting the basketball court” (Nicholas, 2008). This highly energetic sport is most commonly associated with the games of the street, being something played by individuals from all walks of life and economic class. By allowing himself to be filmed in these ‘sessions’, Obama enabled the public to see him as a ‘real’ man, active and healthy and ready to take on the very significant challenges of the future. From the initial first impression, Obama had the advantage of McCain in terms of creating a positive image within the public mind, but there were many other factors that contributed to this image. Obama’s physical charms and youth as compared to McCain were helped by wise decisions regarding the portrayal of external elements, from as simple as grooming and clothing to as complex as the images portrayed by those closest to them in the form of running mates or family members. Obama’s image was further defined as young, energetic and in touch with the middle class through the careful yet natural-seeming selection of the crowds that were seen around him and the settings in which he was placed. At all formal events, he was shown in a presidential aspect, with stately columns behind him, U.S. flags around him or key figures in American political and economic systems, giving him an official air of competence and willingness to gather the best and brightest in trying to work through the tough issues currently facing the nation. These ideas were further reinforced by the informal settings that the public was permitted to see of Obama’s days. His activities were seen to be such common concerns as rushing to the bedside of a beloved and dying member of the family or engaging in a friendly competitive game of basketball with his friends. Not only was Obama capable of surrounding himself with competent people, but he was himself intelligent, fair-minded, competitive, energetic, youthful and capable in his own right to handle the challenges ahead with the kind of calm reasoning required. Through these seemingly trivial elements of image-building, Obama emerges as the most obvious choice for the nation’s next president without a single word of either campaign message being examined. Works Cited Burt, Steve L. & Sparks, Leigh. “Corporate Branding, Retailing and Retail Internationalization.” Corporate Reputation Review. Vol. 5, (Fall 2002). Feldmann, Linda. “Obama, McCain and the financial crisis.” The Christian Science Monitor. (September 22, 2008). November 17, 2008 Kalin, Sari. “Brand New Branding.” Darwin Magazine. CXO Media, (July 2001). Mehta, Seema. “Cindy McCain is injured by ‘enthusiastic supporter’.” Los Angeles Times. (August 14, 2008): A-11. November 17, 2008 Morton, Bruce. “Kennedy-Nixon Debate Changed Politics for Good.” CNN. (September 26, 2005). November 17, 2008 Nicholas, Peter. “Obama’s Other Running Mate: A Basketball.” Los Angeles Times. (October 4, 2008). November 17, 2008 Schuller, Jason. Michelle Obama Watch. (2008). November 17, 2008 Walker, Suzanne. “The Power of the Glance.” (2006). Auspac Media. November 17, 2008 Walsh, Kenneth T. “Obama Campaign Presses the Attack over McCain’s Houses Gaffe.” US News and World Report. (August 22, 2008). November 17, 2008 Read More