The Marketing Doctor Says:

Michelle Obama Needs To Think Brandover NOT Makeover

Folks, here we go again –the Marketing Doctor sallies forth once more into the dangerous world of presidential politics and the even more dangerous world of First Lady politics.  But he does it for the sake of branding.

People have been talking a lot about Michelle Obama’s makeover (see here and here).

Here’s a quote from the Times: “the Obama campaign is putting its wife-in-chief through something of an image makeover, designed to highlight Mrs. Obama as a warm, emphatic, inspiring presence, and to banish assertions that she is too angry, too unpatriotic, or simply too much.”

But what Obama should really be thinking is Brandover not makeover. 

A makeover is superficial and represents someone else’s vision being imposed on who you actually are.  The problem with a makeover is that it rarely works for the long haul –and if we know anything about this particular presidential contest it’s all about the long haul.  Not only that, cracks soon appear in the makeover because there’s a basic conflict between the truth of what’s being presented and what’s actually there.   And this is the last thing you want to do, especially in the rough-and-tumble world of politics!

For example, by any measure this graduate of Princeton and Harvard Law is not your everyday housewife.  It’s fine to underscore what she shares with everyone else, but not to the extent that her achievements and nature are shuffled offstage and out of the limelight.  According to various reports, even her friends sometimes call her the Taskmaster for the way she goes about getting things done.  In other words, she is obviously a professional and a driven and determined person.  A trait like this can be positive as long as it is acknowledged and presented with the kind of humor that tells people that you’re not so driven that you’re out of touch.  But from a Brandover perspective it can’t be ignored.   

No brand operates in a vacuum and this is never more obvious than during a political contest.  Anything that can be dug up, uncovered and publicized will be and the closer the image is to the truth the better. 

Remember, Cindy McCain’s big misstep with the recipes.  Here was a clear makeover attempt by someone on her staff (an intern) to make Cindy McCain seem down to earth by putting “family” favorite recipes on the McCain website –the only problem was that they weren’t her recipes at all but had been lifted from Rachel Ray. 

This is a perfect illustration of how a makeover strategy can backfire…  not only do you get caught in a misstep, but people are even more aware now of how Cindy McCain is someone you are more likely to find at Bergdorf’s than baking.  And what is wrong with shopping at Bergdorf’s other than that the makeover coverup seems to say it is something the potential first lady should be uncomfortable with?   My clients hear this one all the time from me, because I say it again and again: you have to be yourself and not the product of some consultant’s wish list (the finest consultant will respect your brand by the way). 

A Brandover is different from a makeover.  Sure a Brandover can involve a change in hairstyle, wardrobe and general presentation, but ultimately it’s about discovering your brand essentials and then deploying them in ways that can be readily grasped by others and that will click with your target market.  And, most important, identifying those things your brand is not so that you don’t overextend or misrepresent your brand in ways that you will pay for later.

I think Michelle Obama is on the right track.  Her appearance on The View yesterday is a good way to start (re-)presenting her brand (Cindy McCain made an appearance in April after the recipe debacle).  But Obama needs to make sure that the “brand rollout” does not become a mere makeover.  She and her staff needs to identify those things about her brand that are central characteristics and rather than ignore them (she didn’t mention her career in law once on The View) show why these characteristics are central, why they matter and, ultimately, why they are positive. 

It’s a mistake to underestimate the consumer (or, in this case, the voter).  Voters will accept first ladies on their own terms as long as those terms are expressed clearly and honestly.  Jackie Kennedy and Eleanor Roosevelt were two of the best-loved and respected first ladies of all time and neither one shared much everyday experience with the bulk of American voters.  But what they did have were personal brands that seemed authentic.    

Perhaps Laura Bush put it best during the 2000 campaign when asked whether she was going to be more like Hillary Clinton or Barbara Bush.  “I think I’ll be more like Laura Bush,” she reportedly said. 

This was the perfect response because it authentically communicated who she was and what her brand was!  Good personal branding is the opposite of being someone else.

And, remember, it’s always easier when you keep branding in mind!