RK ARCHIVE - Progressivism Learns the First Law of Branding

Here at the end of 30 years of nearly unabated conservative hegemony, you'd think that progressives would have learned at least some of those lessons. But you'd be wrong.

In marketing there is a rule that "Rebranding only moves Downstream". What does that mean? Well, essentially, you can take an upscale product brand and use that brand to sell into down-scale channels, but you can't take a down-scale product and sell it up. Thus, an upscale car manufacturer like Porsche can compete in the Sport Utilty Market, or Prada can sell into JC Penny's or even Wal-Mart, but you're never going to sell an upscale sport luxury Buick, and you're never going to see that $5 child, slave-labor produced T-Shirt from Wal-Mart selling in the front window of Barney's.

The metaphor here should not be lost in the translation to politics. The metaphor for our current candidates is clear. McCain is the old luxury sedan, with bad, bad transmission trouble: a real lemon. Hillary is a great car, built to last and get the job done, but with no style. Obama, is that once in a lifetime, affordable, luxury sport sedan with plenty of room for everyone that's built to last.
Essentially, there is a quality heirarchy in political discussion. From upscale to downscale, it goes like this:

Those who have stuck with me thus far will feel that old dread of Democratic Party failure closing in. Vision is the Rolls Royce of political discourse, and Policy is the Yugo. Whenever I talk to non-partisan people about why Conservatives and Republcians have had such a great string of victories over the past 30 years, despite their minority status on nearly every issue. They always look at me and say, "why is that?"

Well, the answer is right here. Ever since LBJ, Democrats have been selling the Yugo, and wondering why America has been buying the Republican Porsche. Bill Clinton was the exception to this rule. Al Gore, John Kerry, and now Hillary have all committed this egregious error.

In this moment of profound political transformation, only Barack Obama is championing a vision for America, where it can go, and how we can get there together.

The naysayers like his chief yugo-slingin' Democratic opponent, Hillary Clinton, and his shiftless, used Mercedes salesman Republican opponent John McCain, are doing everything they can to undermine the power of Obama's vision for America. They're trying to say that he's got no substance, no policies, no issues. This of course is bunk, Obama has proffered positions easily as detailed as his competitors. He is the experiential equal to either of these candidates, and twice as talented, but because he started out branding his campaign at the level of the highest form of political discourse, that is how he is introduced and initially viewed by the electorate.

Obama, by leading with vision has identified himeself as the top-shelf candidate for American political consumption.

Thus, when his supporters and other voters take the time, to learn discover that his positions are as strong as Hillary's and much more in line with the current needs of the nation than McCain, Americans will feel like they're getting one hell of a bargain. It'll be like paying the price of an Aztec, and getting a Land Rover.

Unfortunately, the same cannot be said for either the Clinton or McCain campaigns.

Clinton has followed in the footsteps of the progressives who came before her, she lists her litany of poll-tested positions and thus defines herself as a political Buick. Sure it runs fine, but you're not going to impress the neighbors, and your repair bills are gonna be high, and you'll probably have buyer's remorse as soon as you drive it off the lot. Most importnatly, once you're a Buick, you can't suddenly sell yourself as a Porsche. It just ain't gonna happen.

McCain's campaign is different. Essentially, McCain is trying to sell into the top tier, but the brand has been tarnished. The vision of America proffered by conservatives has been destroyed by the failures, greed, hatred, and ignorance of Bush Republicans like the shiftless McCain himself. The vision of Small Government, Family Values, and Strong Military, have all proven excuses to cheat America of her moral integrity. The best metaphor has got to be the 2001 Jaguar X-Type, widely regarded as one of the worst cars ever made. The X-Type sported a pretty hood ornament, but under the hood it was just a poorly constructed Ford.

So, when I see videos like this one, which is, I have to admit extremely painful to watch, I know that the current attacks against Obama's inspirational vision for the future can't stick. Hapless dopes like this state senator from Texas, will discover Obama's leadership on Ethics Reform and Non Proliferation. They'll explore the countless lives he's helped by championing over 800 bills in the Illinois legislature. A top shelf Democrat like Obama can easily sell into discount arena of issue politics, but the reverse is not the case.

On a final note, I believe that Hillary Clinton is capable of being every bit the inspirational figure in American politics that Obama has become. I am proud to be a member of the party that has the vision and values to offer this incredible, charming, and brilliant woman as a leader for the ages. If her campaign has under served her, I find that truly tragic. This moment in history clearly belongs to Barack Obama, and Hillary will be a powerful ally for years to come as the nation moves towards his vision.

Comments

This is the way to do it! (AnonymousIsAWoman - 2/20/2008 2:42:42 PM)

This is the best post I've seen in the Virginia progressive blogosphere bar none.

I loved the car metaphors and I think you are absolutely right that progressives have been concentrating far too often on providing laundry lists of policies and initiatives and have ignored imparting a vision of where they want to take this country.

It's not just good marketing.

"Where there's no vision the people will perish," comes from Proverbs. They knew!

Anyway, keep up the very good work here. This is how we'll win voters :)

Yes, it was a pitiful sight (KathyinBlacksburg - 2/20/2008 5:17:56 PM)

Enough to almost make me sick(er). It is inconceivable to me that he could not pull out one. And now the emtpy suits at msnbc are all over themselves with this and they've picked up the mantra. Even we bloggers could have done way better. Sne this guy the talking points (and details)!

But the way Chris Matthews savaged him was also pitiful (KathyinBlacksburg - 2/20/2008 5:23:57 PM)

Chris Matthews is nothing but an attack dog. And he would never have done this (suggest that a presidential candidate doesn't even have a single legislative accomplishment) to any other candidate. He knows full well what the legislative history is and putting this guy on the spot and then acting as if it were the last word on Obama's legislative history is despicable.

If the media were doing they're job they would honestly inform voters of ALL the legislative accomplishments of ALL the candidates. But not msnbc. And, not any other network for that matter. If Olbermann doesn't tell us, no one will. Pitiful.