The online marketing of President Barack Obama’s personal brand has been called the “campaign that redefined modern politics.” The masterful implementation of social media by Team Obama campaign is a lesson not only for political candidates, but also for any professional who wants to promote a personal brand.
Candidate Obama built grassroots support through a powerful Web site (www.MyBarackObama.com) and presence on every major social media network--Flickr, Facebook, Youtube, Myspace, LinkedIn, Twitter and more. Looking at statistics before the election, Blogger Jeremiah Owyang pointed out that McCain had far less social media presence than Obama.
Besides social networks, millions of blog postings mentioned Obama. The Obama campaign’s online fund raising methods were particularly effective. Within minutes of donating online, for example, people received e-mails thanking them for their contribution. On Internet forums, people shared personal stories about why they donated. Obama’s Web site at www.change.gov asked for input from citizens about their personal stories and where they thought the country should go. The use of this kind of online tool empowers people, encouraging them to participate in the process of government. The effective use of social media can build passionate communities.
Candidate Obama and his team carefully calculated how to market his personal brand through consistent messages, graphics and the sans serif Gotham font. Initially commissioned by GQ magazine, the Gotham font was chosen by GQ editors because of its “masculine, new and fresh” look. The Obama campaign logo--a blue ring shaped like an “O” with red and white stripes and a rising sun symbol--looked patriotic and inspiring. His “Change You Can Believe In” slogan promised a fresh approach, while at the same time it conveyed a solid trustworthiness.
All this careful branding paid off. Keith Reinhard, chairman emeritus of DDB Worldwide Communications Group, Inc., the largest consolidated advertising and marketing services global network in the world, has said that President Barack Obama is the three things you want in a brand--“new, different and attractive.”
Friday, February 27, 2009
Wednesday, February 11, 2009
The Right of Publicity
First Lady Jacqueline Bouvier Kennedy created a personal brand so striking, we are still captivated by the memory today. Complex and reserved, glamorous and self-possessed, Jackie was known for her sense of style and sophistication. Decades after her death, Jackie’s name still crops up in the media.
The September 2008 issue of Vanity Fair featured an article on France’s first couple, Nicolas Sarkozy and Carla Bruni, comparing them to Jack and Jackie Kennedy. When asked how she liked being compared to Jackie, the First Lady of France responded in a positive way. Her own personal brand—that of an Italian heiress, model and singer, with past liaisons with Mick Jagger and Eric Clapton—is actually quite dissimilar to Jackie’s, but that hardly seemed to matter within the context of the article. To be compared to a legend has great allure, n’est pas?
But we must tread carefully when it comes to comparisons. In Onassis v. Christian Dior-New York, Inc., the court held that the use of a Jackie Onassis look-alike model in a photograph with other live celebrities violated a right known as the “right of publicity.” You cannot use a celebrity’s persona for free. “Persona” comes from Latin and has to do with the mask worn by an actor. The term “public persona” is a legal term which includes the person’s name, likeness, voice, photographs and mannerisms.
Public figures, actors, athletes, writers and musicians all make money from the use of their public persona, which is considered a commodity. The “right of publicity” is a person’s right to control and benefit from the commercial use of his or her identity, and this right is just as important a legal concept as the “right of privacy.” Private people, according to the Society of Professional Journalists’ code of ethics, have a greater right to control information about themselves than do public officials and others who seek power, influence or attention. Only an overriding public need can justify intrusion into anyone’s privacy.
If you create a public persona, you are moving into that group of leaders who deliberately seek and benefit from media attention. Rest assured that the time you invest in developing your personal brand will give you a return on investment (ROI) that can be legally protected from piracy or misappropriation.
The September 2008 issue of Vanity Fair featured an article on France’s first couple, Nicolas Sarkozy and Carla Bruni, comparing them to Jack and Jackie Kennedy. When asked how she liked being compared to Jackie, the First Lady of France responded in a positive way. Her own personal brand—that of an Italian heiress, model and singer, with past liaisons with Mick Jagger and Eric Clapton—is actually quite dissimilar to Jackie’s, but that hardly seemed to matter within the context of the article. To be compared to a legend has great allure, n’est pas?
But we must tread carefully when it comes to comparisons. In Onassis v. Christian Dior-New York, Inc., the court held that the use of a Jackie Onassis look-alike model in a photograph with other live celebrities violated a right known as the “right of publicity.” You cannot use a celebrity’s persona for free. “Persona” comes from Latin and has to do with the mask worn by an actor. The term “public persona” is a legal term which includes the person’s name, likeness, voice, photographs and mannerisms.
Public figures, actors, athletes, writers and musicians all make money from the use of their public persona, which is considered a commodity. The “right of publicity” is a person’s right to control and benefit from the commercial use of his or her identity, and this right is just as important a legal concept as the “right of privacy.” Private people, according to the Society of Professional Journalists’ code of ethics, have a greater right to control information about themselves than do public officials and others who seek power, influence or attention. Only an overriding public need can justify intrusion into anyone’s privacy.
If you create a public persona, you are moving into that group of leaders who deliberately seek and benefit from media attention. Rest assured that the time you invest in developing your personal brand will give you a return on investment (ROI) that can be legally protected from piracy or misappropriation.
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