Barack Obama, the President, the Brand.
Can Barack Obama be a brand and the president at the same time?
In my last blog post I wrote about how important branding is to a company. When companies employ effective branding techniques their marks, logos, ads, etc. can become instantly associated with their products or services. So the other day, another staffer - art director, Cori and I were viewing a landing page that offers free Obama healthcare stickers to thosewho wish to enter their information. On it, they placed the Obama campaign logo in several places. While looking at this, Cori posed an interesting question: now that Barack Obama is president, should his campaign logo still be used?
Now before you get all bejittity, remember, this question has nothing to do with Obama's healthcare plan or the fact that he is a democrat. It should also be noted that this landing page did not come from the White House administration, it was paid for Organizing for America, a project of the Democratic National Committee. But regardless of the page’s political topic or position, the question remains the same – should Barack Obama’s campaign logo still be used now that he is president?
An innovative logo, an innovative campaign.
On the one hand, the mark has become very recognizable. During the ’08 campaign, many argued that it is one of the most innovative campaign logos ever created. I would venture a guess that even if you saw it without “Obama” next to it you would identify it with him. So as far as effective brand association, score one for Obama peeps and for Sender, the firm that created it.
On the other hand, this was something used when he was a candidate, when he stood only for himself or his party. Now that he is president, he stands for the White House and America. Does using this mark still make sense? Should this landing page have the presidential seal on it? Will the continued use of the mark alienate those Americans who did not vote for him because it brings “Obama” to the forefront rather than “The President of the United States?”
On the third hand, (third hand?) does it even matter since the mark is not being used in official White House correspondence but rather on things like bumperstickers?
Personally, I think it’s okay for groups like Organizing for America to use the mark. I think the ability to have it quickly recognized makes their promotion stronger. But I know many will disagree with me, which I’d love to hear. After all, freedom of expression is one of things that makes America great, no matter who’s president.
About the Author: Holly Ringerud
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1 comment so far
James Archer says:
What is any president beyond, fundamentally, a brand?
I think having a personal logo is a great idea -- not much different than having a personal speaking style, relationship style, political style, etc.