Barack Needs to Mature His Brand and Expand…

A few weeks ago, I wrote a column as if I were the personal brand manager for Senator McCain, presidential GOP candidate.  This time, I’ll be tackling the challenge of being Barack Obama’s campaign manager – and helping him position his personal brand to win the election.

Obama has been seen as an agent of change – and needs to do four things with that position in the mind of the voters:

1.  Obama needs to continue to rally support from those who lost a candidate when Obama defeated Hillary Clinton for the front runner nominee status.  He will only gain as he pulls any of those voters away from an apathetic non-vote – or a switch vote to the McCain camp.  Although I find this highly unlikely, it is still possible if he ignores the issue.  Obama can fuel this by continuing his online outreach campaigns – and furthering leveraging his control of the medium as a communications and campaigning tool.

2.  Obama as a brand and ticket needs to pick a VP candidate who can help allay the fears of his young age coupled with his potential inexperience.  Obama needs someone who has foreign affairs savvy, a juggernaut who is well versed in the south or southwest – and someone with some battle scars.  Ideally, the person would have strong Hispanic community ties and be able to carry the “change platform” to that demographic.

3.  Obama also needs to begin to shore up the images of “unready” and “incapable” and “lacking substance” that many pundits still try to slap as labels on him.  In order to win in November, he will need support in the states Kerry lost – Ohio, Florida – and then perhaps a few others – such as Virginia, Colorado, and even Arizona or North Carolina.  Truly the underdog, he has shown he can overcome large odds and swing voters.  He needs to carry that idea into the southern states and niche, regional states to win them and show his brand as a mature, well thought out and strong position.  His brand needs to show the younger, more moderate voters that his position is worth supporting, worth the vote and worth the caring.  His efficacy with the internet will continue to propel him with this crowd – and will allow him to push the younger voters more than ever.

4.  Finally, Obama will be positioned to win if his personal brand can be spared any more hits by those seeking to do him well, provide him help and show him as a candidate they support.  Anyone on the fringe of the left can hurt Obama with radical statements, positions or slurs, making McCain a less conservative more moderate choice.

This is how Barack Obama and his camp need to shore up and change his personal brand and that of the ticket.  They need to stay strong on issues, battle back when pushed against (without slinging mud of their own) – and pursue the states where even double digits separated the parties in ‘04.

In the past 3 1/2 years, many people have regretted the decisions they made, have found times much harder and have begun to seek a new path.  If Obama can show how he is the practical, stable and motivated candidate, he will take states by storm who were strongholds in red even 4 years prior.  This is the power of his position.  On the other hand – it is also the curse – if he can not move the needle enough, he will still lose in those states – and the margin is far less important than the result.  In order to win, he needs to target the states where he has a true chance to swing the vote.

Andy “Google Me” Greider is a marketing consultant and new business director with Carroll/White and radio show host of business growth solutions show, Uniqueness is Power. Andy is also Brand Manager with qAlias, plus he is a Self Promotion maven, serial entrepreneur, author, blogger, and inventor of the Gorelephant, first eImpressions and networthing.