Lessons from the Brand Called Obama

Two years in the U.S. Senate and then a seemingly effortless vault into the position of the most powerful person in the world? If nothing else, President Barrack Obama and his team have clearly demonstrated the power of brand development and execution at numerous levels: personal and macro.
How does Obama do it? David Plouffe, Obama's campaign manager, outlined key steps at the recent Cannes Advertising festival (as reported by ADWEEK's Brian Morrissey). Here's a summary and a few analytical thoughts:
1) Small is the new big. As the McKinsey Quarterly recently pointed out, technology has given the little person a digital voice. Obama validated that voice and paid attention to it, which rewarded him both with 4 million new donors and grassroots support on a magnitude not seen for decades.
2) Word of mouth rules. Obama's campaign energized and used local volunteers to reach out to their communities instead of hired guns and telemarketers. The result? A perception of real authenticity. At a time when trust was crumbling in traditional institutions, neighbors and friends brought a real believability to the campaign at a critical level. How's that working for your company?
3) Conventional paths are dangerous. Obama eschewed the baby-kissing and did different things: acceptance speech in a sports stadium. Took down the issue of Rev. Jeremiah Wright in a high-profile speech (instead of deferring to aides to plant answers and undermine). Travelled abroad to sell top leaders on his leadership promises.
4) Integration and ubiquity. As they say, "coordinate, coordinate, coordinate." Obama's staff synchronized the heavy artillery to drop in firepower to deeply reinforce the message of the day. That meant coordination with volunteers as much as it did ad production and media buys.
5) Traditional Media is still king. With all of the buzz about Obama's social media savvy, traditional TV still played a huge role. With his lack of experience in the U.S. Senate, Obama needed the familiar media to position and introduce his ideas. The 90-minute infomercial two weeks before the election was a masterstroke.