As government thugs murder Americans in the streets and our president’s mental decline dictates foreign policy, a growing number of Democrats are getting excited about the elections this fall.
“We’re looking good in the midterms” is a refrain heard everywhere from playgroup to the Rayburn Building.
But I think we’re missing something very important when we assume that we can rely on the despicable actions of Trump and his one-day-to-be-imprisoned minions to swing the day to us.
Our national culture is awash with every manner of bile and bombast right now and if a candidate can’t make herself stand out in the avalanche of slop, her candidacy is much less likely to succeed this fall.
Which brings us to the concept of “brand.”
A misunderstood and usually misused term, “branding” refers to crafting a strategic identity that shows voters why you’re asking for their vote, illustrates the benefit of your plans to voters’ lives, and is powerful enough to extend throughout any situation your candidate or your organization may encounter in the future.
Successful branding is a lot more than hitching a ride on the zeitgeist of the moment.
A good brand is…
Instant. Attention spans ain’t what they used to be. Your brand needs to immediately communicate the essence of your campaign. If voters have to figure out what you’re all about, then you’ve already lost.
Inherent. “Affordability” isn’t a brand. Base your brand on the foundational traits of your candidate or organization. Is your candidate uniquely innovative? Does she have a proven record of standing up for people in her community? Can you point to a life story full of confronting special interests?
Memorable. The way you visually represent your brand must be compelling and stand out among all the other things trying to grab your voters’ attention. The imagery, the colors, the way the brand makes your voters feel — all of these must communicate what’s different about you. If your logo doesn’t immediately show voters why you’re different and the best choice, then start over.
Valuable. “What’s in it for me” still rules when it comes to connecting with voters. What specific things does your candidate or organization deliver to your members that makes a difference in their lives?
Unique. Your brand should set you apart from all the others in your space. It should instantly show voters why you’re different. Again, everybody and their third cousin will be saying the word “Affordability” about a billion times this year. What makes you unique?
Lasting. Whether you’re developing a brand for a candidate or an organization, you need to focus on unique traits and qualities that differentiate you from the opposition. We’ve developed brands for state legislative candidates that have carried through to their congressional campaigns because the brand showcased a unique and valuable characteristic from their life that carried a long-term benefit for voters.
Adaptable. Your brand needs to be solid enough to be used in digital ads, fundraising scripts, Facebook posts, door knocking scripts, and every other venue where you’ll be communicating with your targeted voters. Again, this points to the importance of focusing on unique, inherent traits of your organization or candidate — not the flavor of the moment.
As you can see, a successful brand is a lot more than a buzzword or catchy slogan.
It takes A LOT of time to develop a winning brand. You have to learn everything there is to learn about the candidate, organization, district, state, whatever. You need to spend time in the district, interview locals, and understand what successes and challenges the candidate has encountered in her life.
That’s why we always prefer to begin our candidate engagements as early as possible in the election cycle. The kind of strategic and creative thinking necessary for brand development is best done long before the demands of a fractured media environment and quarterly fundraising goals come to dominate campaign life.
Which explains why most political consulting firms don’t engage in effective branding: It doesn’t fit with the prevailing model of working with as many clients as possible and standardizing everything so that you can churn out lookalike TV ads, mail pieces, etc. to maximize your revenue. Sometimes, if you outspend your opponent and the cultural winds are at your back, cookie-cutter ads might actually be enough.
But do we really have the luxury of assuming that in 2026?
Developing a winning brand early in your campaign will pay massive dividends down the road.
Having a powerful brand will allow you to talk about any issue you’re concerned about under the umbrella of your brand. In a world that’s far past the point of information overload, a good brand means that voters will pay attention when you talk about making things more affordable while your opponent — and the other campaigns and candidates vying for their attention — fade into background noise.