David Ocamb

As, I’ve previously stated, a strong political brand is priceless for candidates running for elected office.  The same techniques for creating a brand, however, also apply to public affairs campaigns for both issue advocacy groups and corporations.  When employed properly, this political brand can help an issue advocacy group bring in more money in donations, expand its volunteer base, gain credibility in the eyes of legislators and decision makers, make political alliances and even boost earned media exposure.  For a corporation, this brand directly impacts how the public will react during a crisis and will significantly aid their crisis communications. Read the rest of this entry →

Far too often, Democratic campaigns focus solely on “issues.”  They poll test exactly what has the electorate fired up and what they want to hear and then recite that back verbatim.  Republicans, conversely, focus solely on “values,” usually the three G’s (God, Guns and Gays).  Candidates repeat over and over again that they share the voters’ values. Neither side is necessarily “wrong,” but both Democrats and Republicans are failing to effectively create a brand that transcends the sum of its parts and builds an effective positive message that cuts through the political clutter, connects with voters and ultimately wins elections.

An effective political brand is composed of three equally important parts: experience, values and policy.  These three components do not exist separate from each other; in fact, they must work in concert to effectively build an effective brand.  That is why cookie cutter campaigns that we see far too often, where consultants will build essentially the same commercials and give candidates essentially the same talking points, are not the most effective, since no two candidates are exactly the same.   Read the rest of this entry →