From the very beginning there was something different. Talking points and a crafted message are politics as usual in America. But in 2008 candidate Barack Obama brought something more. His campaign had a visual component, consistent use of recognizable images. This branding effort was similar to retail packaging, with less focus on content, and more attention to image and the it feeling conveyed. Although little was known about the man, Barack Obama, his candidacy carried the look and feel of his well-designed cereal box -- crisp, vital, forward-looking.
As the images became familiar their messages were implanted. Hope and change were the watchwords, although their precise meaning wasn't clearly defined. Through consistent repetition the impressions were made without the need to articulate specific policies or plans.
"The medium is the message." - Marshall McLuhan
Transitioning from campaigning to governance, the communication style remained consistent. Faced with economic crisis a federal stimulus program is put into action with accompanying artwork. This image soon started showing up across the country wherever stimulus dollars were being spent.
Our ongoing housing crisis, addressed with a bailout initiative developed by the FDIC under the Bush Administration, is now repackaged under the Obama Administration and relabeled.
One of the major squawks of the Republican opposition to Obama-care was that the proposed legislation was not available for review prior to voting. A memorable quote from Nancy Pelosi, "We have to pass the bill so you can find out what is in it." Not to worry, the packaging is ready to go. In spite of overwhelming popular disfavor for the not yet fully implemented program the image is out there proclaiming it as reality.
Recently President Obama took to the road to garner support for his latest stimulus proposal. Maintaining faithful reliance on the medium, the President promotes the program with a fresh logo in hand, admonishing Congress to "pass it and pass it now."
Is this something altogether new, utilizing images to promote public policy? Is it simply a natural progression into the digital age of Internet marketing, adjusting to the graphic-based environment of the Web? Or is it governance by marketing initiative?
Don't worry about what's inside the box, just read the label.
Don't worry about what's inside the box, just read the label.
Consumer beware.