There is one candidate who gets branding – Bernie Sanders.
Maybe we should call him a brandidate. No matter. Whether you like him, love
him or hate him, you have to give the devil his due – he has established the
Bernie brand.
It doesn’t matter how small or how insignificant the New
Hampshire primary turns out to be, Bernie’s message has resonated. Why? Here’s
the key. It is so obvious that even one of the political talking bobbleheads
got it right – Bernie has made the message about you instead of about him. He
tells the crowds, “This is all about you.” He has engaged people who have felt
left out of the process.
And they love him for it.
Brand builders think they have to build a brand only about
the brand. Successful brands know they have to build the brand about what it
does for its audience.
Sound too simple? It isn’t. If you don’t believe me, look at
the brands that resonate versus the wanna-brands that turn into resin.
In New Hampshire (where is Old Hampshire anyway?), Bernie,
an older guy with rumpled pants, scored with every key demographic group. He
outpolled Hillary with women.
Will Bernie be the next President? There are businesspeople across the
country that are shaking in their Oxford boots dreading the thought. Maybe they
should not fear Brandie, uh, Bernie. He understands branding better than most
businesses.
There’s a special place in heaven for our branding angel,
Bernie.
If you'd like to talk strategy about your brandidate, drop me an e-line at jhenke@henkeinc.com.
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