Using the criteria laid out in the Burns & Marchese chapter (posted on Blackboard), how would you describe the image and brand of the candidate you’re following for the Election Eve Project? How important are the visual aspects of their brand? Does your candidate have a clear brand personality and messaging strategy? And has their messaging been consistent? Your response should be based on an analysis of the candidate’s website and recent social media posts and supported with information from the required sources (the Burns & Marchese chapter, a Blackboard article from the 9-20 folder, and an additional article you select on your own).
Jennifer Moglia
ReplyDeleteHershel Walker’s image/brand is very patriotic and conservative. He is similar to former president Donald Trump in his beliefs and branding. In “Political Branding in a Digital Age” by Lisa M. Burns and Courtney Marchese, it is explained that Trump’s “Make America Great Again” slogan worked so well because it “emotionally resonated with a key demographic of the American electorate, the white male working class, invoking a sense of nostalgia, inspiring hope, and eliciting a desire for change among those voters.” I think that Walker’s messaging has a very similar impact. His “just a kid from Georgia living the American dream” image is relatable for many people, especially those in Georgia he is trying to win over.
He is also targeting those who remember him as a famous football player. His slogan of “Run, Fight, Win For Georgia” includes language typically associated with football and also makes potential voters feel united against a common threat, the same way all of the players on a sports team unite against the team they are playing against. When you sign up for the email list, you are urged to do so in order to “never miss a play” - his supporters are even referred to as “Team Herschel.” In terms of visuals, Walker’s logo is in the shape of a football, and he uses red white and blue coloring throughout his website and social media, once again reminding everyone of his past football career and of how patriotic he is. All of this is consistent with the merchandise offered on his website as well. Supporters can purchase mugs, shirts, bracelets, buttons, and more with the “Run Herschel Run” slogan and images of Walker in a football uniform on nearly every piece of merchandise. His pinned tweet on Twitter includes a video with clips of him working with children, speaking to both white people and people of color, and, most interestingly, working out or in athletic settings.
The first thing you see on Walker’s online shop is a red hat with white writing that says “Herschel For Senate” across the front. It is eerily similar to Trump’s infamous “Make America Great Again” hats. Burns and Marchese also pointed out in their chapter that fonts were not important for Trump’s campaign as long as the letters were all capitals. All of this messaging is consistent across his website, merchandise, and social media channels. This certainly isn’t where his similarities with Trump end. In “Backed by Trump, a Troubled Georgia Football Legend Eyes a Senate Seat” by John Rosengren, the author dives into how devoted and passionate Walker’s supporters are. When asked about the candidate’s past violent actions, including reports that he threatened to kill his ex-wife, a supporter said, “He’s probably like every one of us; he’s had his issues and had to grow. All of us have to adjust.” This reminds me of how Trump’s supporters quickly brushed off the lewd comments he made about women in the leaked Access Hollywood Tape.
Candidate image has been a major part of John Fetterman’s campaign. He has described himself as your average working-class man who understands the struggles of average Americans. One look at his campaign website shows Fetterman standing strong in front of steel mills, never wearing a suit, shots of his family, and multiple quotes about how he’s not your average politician. He clearly leans on the image of him being a “tough working-class family man”.
ReplyDeleteAnother part of his image is that he is willing to hear and listen from all voters. Part of his campaign strategy is to visit all 67 counties in Pennsylvania in order to get as many votes as possible. This means even going to deep red to deliver his speeches and give his political platform the largest reach possible. His campaign strategy is described well from an article on Yahoo! Entertainment, they say “It’s a strategy borne of optimism, but it also speaks to the campaign’s belief that Fetterman can appeal to working-class voters that have eluded Democrats for some years now” (Hall, paragraph 4). Fetterman has also been doing his best to appeal to younger voters by using social media to spread his message and take jabs at his opponent Dr. Oz. This is a smart idea because most young voters don’t respond to candidates via letters or phone calls, and instead opt to get texts and social media posts to hear from their candidates. According to the book Campaigns on the Cutting Edge "Millennials are the largest living generation in the United States.22 Their primary means of communication is digital and, in particular, texting. The 2016 Bernie Sanders campaign used a short messaging system (SMS) called Hustle to reach potential supporters by creating excitement" (Nelson, page 87).
Simply put, John Fetterman isn’t trying to get the Democratic vote or the Republican vote, he’s trying to get the working class vote, and appeals to both the old and new generations of voters.
However, as with all political campaigns, there have been stories published to dirty John Fetterman’s image. According to the Meadville Tribune “Public records show — and Fetterman has openly acknowledged — that for a long stretch lasting well into his 40s, his main source of income came from his parents, who gave him and his family $54,000 in 2015 alone” (Tamari, paragraph 4). Apparently, Fetterman had his parents financially aid him for a significant portion of his adult life. This had led to numerous attacks from Republicans saying that he isn’t really working class and the image he presents himself as is just a farce to get elected. This is a kind of story that I find either makes or breaks a candidate. Stories about how a political figure is different from what they present themselves as can cause a lot of issues during an election depending on how they respond. Fetterman has acknowledged this story and has acted like this news doesn’t matter because he has dedicated his career to fight for the working class. This story was published in early August and Fetterman has still been doing well in the polls. So, it seems he’s done a good job in maintaining his working class image.
Works Cited:
Hall, Richard. “John Fetterman Is Searching for Votes in 'Ruby Red' Trump Country. Will His Strategy Pay off?” Yahoo!, Yahoo!, 15 Sept. 2022, https://www.yahoo.com/entertainment/john-fetterman-searching-votes-ruby-142316982.html.
Nelson, Candice. “‘Chapter 6 Voter Mobilization: An Unexpected Future.’” Campaigns on the Cutting Edge, CQ Press, an Imprint of SAGE Publications, Inc., Thousand Oaks, CA, 2021, pp. 80–98.
Tamari, Jonathan. “Fetterman's Parents Gave Him Money into His 40s. Republicans Say That Undercuts His Blue-Collar Image.” Meadville Tribune, 5 Aug. 2022, https://www.meadvilletribune.com/news/fetterman-s-parents-gave-him-money-into-his-40s-republicans-say-that-undercuts-his-blue/article_55a88a06-1432-11ed-bc6a-1348ce288918.html.
If I were to describe the image and brand John Fetterman is trying to create, I think the best description would be unorthodox. I think the aspect of his image and branding that makes him the most “unorthodox “is how he presents himself.
ReplyDeleteHis distinguishing features as a person are that he is extremely tall, completely bald, has several tattoos and often dresses in more casual clothes. His appearance gives off a certain vibe and seems to be almost stereotypical toward a certain group of people. However, his policies and branding go against that. On his official campaign website, he describes himself as “A different kind of Democrat” and that he does not act like a typical politician.
I think this more casual appearance is super important to his brand as he gives off the vibe of a “blue-collar worker”. This is key as the economy and inflation are big issues facing us. We are still recovering from the pandemic, in which the blue-collar workers were affected the most. Dressing in a more casual and relatable manner seems to be a way to subvert expectations and get people talking about this politician who refuses to wear a suit unless necessary (Otterbein).
His slogan, “Every County. Every Vote”, as well as his logo seem to be carefully designed by what makes a political brand successful. While not as iconic as Trump’s “Make America Great Again”, it gets to the point and covers the key aspects a political band should follow. Examples of these aspects are simplifying a candidate’s message, reassuring voters, creating an emotional link, and conveying a candidate’s values (Burns et. al 116). I think Fetterman’s commercial branding is pretty good at establishing who he is and what he stands for.
Despite this strong image he has created of himself, some question if it is as legitimate as he presents it to be. It was discovered that Fetterman has been receiving financial assistance from his parents while he was a mayor. Lots of Republicans say this contradicts the image he’s built. Mehmet Oz, his opponent in the race for Senate, says “He’s a pretend populist” (Tamari). Others describe him as a “sheep in wolf’s clothing”, implying his casual get-up is an act to get more votes. In the face of all this valid criticism from his opponents, Fetterman’s image seems to have been able to deflect these claims. Even though he had a more privileged upbringing and received financial benefits from his parents, he claims to have recognized his privilege and has been adamant about giving back. He seems extensive history of helping disenfranchised communities from volunteering for Big Brothers to being the supportive mayor of a struggling town. Overall, I think Fetterman’s branding has been very consistent, as he keeps to his image, and he does not seem to be a politician whose views and ideas flip-flop based on what would be more beneficial to winning the race.
Burns, Lisa M, and Marchese, Courtney “Political Branding in a Digital Age: The Role of Design-and Image-Based Messaging Strategies in the 2020 Presidential Campaign” Campaigns on the Cutting Edge, 4th ed., edited by Burns, Lisa M, and Marchese, Courtney “Political Branding in a Digital Age: The Role of Design-and Image-Based Messaging Strategies in the 2020 Presidential Campaign” Campaigns on the Cutting Edge, 4th ed., edited by Richard J. Semiatin, CQ Press, 2020, pp. 115-134.
Inquirer, Jonathan TamariThe Philadelphia. “Fetterman's Parents Gave Him Money into His 40s. Republicans Say That Undercuts His Blue-Collar Image.” Meadville Tribune, Philadelphia Inquirer , 5 Aug. 2022, https://www.meadvilletribune.com/news/fetterman-s-parents-gave-him-money-into-his-40s-republicans-say-that-undercuts-his-blue/article_55a88a06-1432-11ed-bc6a-1348ce288918.html.
Otterbein, Holly. “The Democrats' Giant Dilemma.” POLITICO, POLITICO, 16 Apr. 2021, https://www.politico.com/news/magazine/2021/04/16/john-fetterman-profile-2022-senate-politics-pennsylvania-481259.
J. Semiatin, CQ Press, 2020, pp. 115-134.
Val Demings’ campaign image somewhat of a reference to the 2020 Biden-Harris presidential campaign image. Harris (2022) writes that this could be an attempt by the democratic party to link her to her fellow shortlisted vice presidential candidates, Kamala Harris and Keisha Lance Bottoms, all Black women who served in law enforcement. “The Democrats will have the convergence of two separate story lines to thank. The first is the story of Val Demings herself: a centrist Black woman with a background in law enforcement—just the profile the party has placed its bets on in recent years” (para. 5.) The image of a “tough on crime” woman of color has been played up in every aspect of Deming’s campaign, from her social media, to her ads, to her speeches. In one ad, she says “vote for the chief of police, not the politician” (Harris, 2022, para. 24.) This is an attempt at contradicting her opponent Marco Rubio’s claims that Demings will defund the police and not stand up for the law enforcement community (para. 25.)
ReplyDeleteHowever, her “tough on crime” stance is not the only facet of Deming’s political branding. Burns and Marchese (2021) identify the components of the “brand” needed to “sell” a politician: “creativity, a clear purpose, possessing emotional appeal, and the ability to target messaging to key demographics” (pp. 116.) When looking at Deming’s Instagram, one can see many of these components. First, creativity: Demings uses creative methods like Instagram videos (or reels) to communicate her stance on issues, or even just to show her family. She follows social media trends and even does a lot of her videos in Spanish, to appeal to Latinx voters in Florida. Her clear purpose are issues like crime and safety (references to “voting for the chief” is used in many of her social media posts) abortion rights and gun control. Demings’ emotional appeal is in her personal story of struggle and success– what she calls “the American Dream”– growing up poor, helping to integrate her elementary school, going to college and becoming a successful police officer, chief of police and politician (Harris, 2022, para. 8-9.) Lastly, Demings targets specific demographics such as the law enforcement community, Black voters (specifically Black female voters), female voters in general and center-of-the-isle voters who do not subscribe to ultra-progressive or ultra-conservative ideals.
In addition, Demings’ campaign sells her as a more down-to-earth alternative to Rubio; she makes frequent comments on social media about Rubio’s poor attendance record in congress and says that he is uncomfortable going into diverse communities and talking to real people about the issues that concern them. For example, Demings attacked Rubio earlier this month, saying, “as a Police Chief, I didn’t just go into communities and talk to people who looked like me or share the same agenda as me” (Scheckner, 2022, para. 1.) By using this rhetoric against Rubio, Demings is presenting herself as someone who will actually show up for the people of Florida, something she says Rubio doesn’t do.
When it comes to design choices on social media and campaign materials, the Demings 2022 campaign once again references the Biden 2020 campaign. For example, Burns and Marchese (2021) write that Biden’s campaign design differed from Trump’s in the use of color– incorporating more than red, white and blue– and by making social media more personal and less corporate than Trump’s (pp. 125.) Like Biden did, Demings includes many different colors in her social media theme and campaign website, while still incorporating the patriotic red, white and blue. She does not appear corporate in her social media feed, and posts content of her family, supporters and even current memes and trends– perhaps a way to appeal to younger voters and social media users.
Denton, R. E., Lisa, B., & Courtney, M. (2022). Political Branding in a Digital Age: the Role of
DeleteDesign and Image-based Messaging Strategies in the 2020 Presidential Campaign. In
Campaigning in the aftermath of the 2020 elections: A communications perspective.
essay, Rowman & Littlefield Publishers.
Harris, A. (2022, September 6). The Val Demings Gamble. The Atlantic. Retrieved September
12, 2022, from https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2022/09/val-demings-midterms-2022-democratic-party/671327/
Scheckner, J. (2022, September 9). 'he goes into very scripted environments': Val Demings
argues Marco Rubio 'not comfortable' talking with diverse communities. Florida Politics -
Campaigns & Elections. Lobbying & Government. Retrieved September 18, 2022, from
https://floridapolitics.com/archives/554800-he-goes-into-very-scripted-environments-val-
demings-argues-marco-rubio-not-comfortable-talking-with-diverse-communities/
After doing some research on the campaign of Herschel Walker for the Georgia Senate spot, I can only say I am perplexed. Before I mention anything about his branding, I have one thing to say about his messaging. When I began to do my research, the first article I found was from the Savannah Morning News, titled, “'I'm not that smart': Herschel Walker says 'he'll do his best' in debate against Warnock”. When I saw the headline, I did a double-take, and when I read the actual article, I nearly fell out of my chair. The article was a preview for the election’s upcoming debate, and when discussing Walker, the author wrote,
ReplyDelete“The highly anticipated debate is less than a month away, but Walker downplayed himself when asked what he is doing to prepare for the showdown against Warnock. ‘I am getting out talking to people and talking to you (referring to the media),’ said Walker. ‘I'm a country boy. I'm not that smart. He's a preacher. (Warnock) is smart and wears these nice suits. So, he is going to show up and embarrass me at the debate Oct. 14th, and I'm just waiting to show up and I will do my best.’”
Before taking branding and other campaign messaging into consideration, there is no way that anyone in Georgia can be confident in Walker’s abilities as a potential member of the United States Congress. That one quote from him sums up his perspective as a candidate. He is not someone who will make a difference in the name of the state of Georgia, he is just someone who will show up and ‘do his best’.
While I personally want to believe that Walker is making an honest attempt at Congress through his merits, I cannot get the idea out of my head that he is running on a platform based on a football career that ended 25 years ago. Even his campaign logo has an oblong arc at the top that includes five stars that look similar to the laces of a football. When you combine that notoriety with the fact that he was endorsed by Former President Trump, you get a candidate that somehow won the nomination and is only trailing by six points in the latest Quinnipiac poll.
His messaging hasn’t been anywhere near consistent, since the public can barely decipher what his message is. At the moment, he just seems to be repeating the traditional right-leaning rhetoric, just in a way that no one can understand, right or left. At a rally on Sept. 9, Walker said, “Warnock, I remember hearing him say, ‘America need to apologize for it whiteness.’ That’s not in a Bible I ever read. Our Founding Fathers already apologized for its whiteness. Because if you read the Constitution, it talks about every man being treated fair.” This just seems to be one of those moments where I know what he’s trying to say, and it fits with what I believe his goals might be, I just can’t understand him. If he wants to convey a message, it needs to be done more clearly.
From my perspective, I might just not be able to grasp the fact that he just might not need a brand or specific messaging at all. In Walker’s profile for the Washington Post Magazine, it was written, “To understand this race, you have to know the space Walker occupies in the hearts of potential voters. ‘This guy’s a god in Georgia,’ Shelley Wynter, a radio host on Atlanta’s conservative talk station WSB, told me. ‘I don’t think people who don’t live in Georgia understand that’” (Rosengren). I hate to say that his whole campaign might just be a formality. If Walker truly is god-like in Georgia, that might just be enough to keep him within striking distance of Raphael Warnock at the voting booth.
DeleteIn the book chapter “The Role of Design- and Image-Based Messaging Strategies in the 2020 Presidential Campaign” by Lisa M. Burns and Courtney Marchese, a lot of emphasis is placed on how important merchandise has become in political campaigns when it comes to a campaign’s branding, and Walker’s showings are no exception. The merchandise that Walker offers on his website makes him seem as if he were still an active NFL player, with almost every product making reference to his athletic career. He also has his own copycat red cap that says “Herschel for Senate” similarly to Trump’s “MAGA” hats.
Overall, Walker’s campaign branding and messaging is such an amalgamation of trying to work against his opponent, yet letting his identity speak for itself that it comes up as a whole bunch of nothing. I apologize for the long post, I just needed this time to convey what I saw while doing my research and how perplexing Walker is as a candidate.
Works Cited
Denton, Robert E., et al. “Political Branding in a Digital Age The Role of Design- and Image-Based Messaging Strategies in the 2020 Presidential Campaign.” The 2020 Presidential Campaign: A Communications Perspective, Rowman & Littlefield, an Imprint of The Rowman & Littlefield Publishing Group, Inc., Lanham, MD, 2021, pp. 115–134.
Rosengren, John. “Backed by Trump, a Troubled Georgia Football Legend Eyes a Senate Seat.” The Washington Post, WP Company, 4 May 2022, https://www.washingtonpost.com/magazine/2022/05/04/herschel-walker-georgia-football-senate/.
Williams, Latrice. “'I'm Not That Smart': Herschel Walker Says 'He'll Do His Best' in Debate against Warnock.” Savannah Morning News, Savannah Morning News, 17 Sept. 2022, https://www.savannahnow.com/story/news/politics/elections/state/2022/09/17/herschel-walker-raphael-warnock-debate-savannah-georgia-united-states-senate-candidates/10397540002/.
Political branding is a staple of any campaign. Visual branding, one of the most important forms of advertising in a candidate, is most readily accessible to voters (Burns and Marchese 115). The image strategy of Dr. Oz mirrors that of Biden in the 2020 presidential election.
ReplyDeleteIn the simplest of comparisons, Dr. Oz’s website and posters are built upon our countries three colors- a navy blue, a deep red, and bright white. The chapter notes this lackluster strategy stating that in the 2020 race, “Biden’s red, white, and blue felt decidedly conventional and bland up against Senator Elizabeth Warren’s “liberty green,” Senator Kirsten Gillibrand’s bright pink, and former Representative Beto O’Rourke’s black and white” (Burns and Marchese 118). A lack of creativity is a needle thread throughout Oz’s campaign. He relies heavily on his past as a cardiothoracic surgeon as a campaign tactic. His primary ad pinned on his Twitter page closing with “He hurt us [Fetterman], I’ll heal us…Doctors fix big things. I fixed hearts and fought for every last one” (@DrOz). In a recent shift in approach, Oz contradicted this only definable trait by mocking Fetterman’s health after he suffered a stroke. The campaign took it to a MAGA level, stating “If John Fetterman had ever eaten a vegetable in his life, then maybe he wouldn’t have had a major stroke” (Otterbein and Allison). People on the internet have resultingly shamed Oz for using his opponent’s health as an attack strategy. Across the board, research has shown that the American public has disdain for this strategy, that it “crosses the line” in regard to what should and should not be targeted in political races (Otterbein and Allison). Republican political strategist Doug Heye remarked that “If the campaign makes over-the-top attacks like we saw [Tuesday], that has the effect of making Fetterman more sympathetic to voters, a lot of whom have health issues” (Otterbein and Allison). His own actions are costing him.
And these attacks are detracting from the real issues at hand, a habit Oz can’t break. His campaign is focused on all the wrong things. Paralleled again to Biden, Oz has willingly assumed the role of the anti-Fetterman. His own campaign fails to elevate him as a great candidate, but rather relies on the sole fact that he is a Republican and not a Democrat. We saw this with Biden and Trump- Trump’s campaign politically defined in both the negative and positive while Biden’s was muted and nondescript (Burns and Marchese 116). Oz is a marionet for the Republican party, which doesn’t seem to care about who he is or what he stands for, just that he may have a chance to beat Fetterman. And Oz is letting MAGA influence guide his decision making, having previously avoided attacking Fetterman’s health and making muted political claims about Fetterman’s capabilities. He’s started to mirror trump’s bullying behaviors and has added sprinkles of all-caps in his tweets (@DrOz). Even his Twitter banner right now is not some epic reference to Pennsylvania or him interacting with voters, but a screenshot of a Fetterman tweet discussing the deep importance of political debates (@DrOz). Oz’s social media captions are long and wordy, taking forever to get the main stab. He relies on a multitude of outside sources- articles, photos, and videos, that he shares on his page rather than creating and distributing his own content. He’s even been marked a carpet bagger as a result of his own failures to highlight himself as a candidate and Fetterman’s capitalized on it. His campaign started a petition to nominate Oz for the New Jersey Hall of Fame (Hunt). He’s been inconsistent and shooting himself in the foot.
After researching Herschel Walker’s Senate campaign, it is clear that Walker only has two things going for him. Those two things being a college football career at the University of Georgia and an endorsement from none other than former president Donald Trump. The sad part is, Walker is somehow in what seems to be a 50-50 battle with democrat Raphael Warnock for Senate.
ReplyDeleteHerschel Walker’s campaign is actually very similar to that of Donald Trump. In “Political Branding in a Digital Age” by Lisa M. Burns and Courtney Marchese, it explains what approach Trump’s campaign took, specifically when he ran for re-election in 2020. “In contrast to Biden’s campaign, the Trump team did little in the way of evolving. Rather than creating any brand design strategy, they relied heavily on Trump himself as the brand.” I think this is exactly what Walker’s team has done, by having Walker be the familiar face of your favorite sports team, rather than a republican candidate who actually knows what they’re doing. You can see this on Herschel Walker’s website, where much of the slogans and merchandise revolve around football. The first thing you see on the website is “Run, Fight, Win” as well as his logo in the top left corner that has his name, as well as five stars and two lines, strategically placed to look like a football. Going further, you can see much of his merchandise has “Run Herschel Run,” as well as t–shirts, mugs and pins that literally have him in a football uniform.
The visual aspect of the Herschel Walker brand seems to be heavily Donald Trump inspired, which makes sense. According to “Backed by Trump, Herschel Walker still faces the run of his life” by John Resengren, “at a rally in Perry, Ga., on a Saturday afternoon in September, many in the audience wore red MAGA-knockoff caps with the slogan ‘Run Herschel Run’ and greeted their favorite son with the Bulldog chant ‘woof, woof, woof!’.” Due to the Trump endorsement, it makes sense that the Walker campaign would use the MAGA-knockoff hats and overall branding. Although Trump did not win Georgia in 2020, republicans who did vote for him will also vote for Walker, in partial to the familiarity in the look of his campaign.
In a story by Vanity Fair titled “Raphael Warnock should trouce Herschel Walker. His campaign knows it won’t be that easy” by Chris Smith, it talks on the importance of Walker’s football career and how it could actually push him over Warnock at the polls. A democratic strategist, Doug Heyl, said “Do not underestimate University of Georgia football voters. There's a perception of him as a hero that is hard to shake.” Walker was within six percent of Warnock in the latest Quinnipiac poll. Simply from a Trump endorsement and a football career. That’s it.
I think it is embarrassing that a man this incompetent can somehow, someway be even close to becoming a Senator for Georgia. His blatant lack of knowledge on politics is glaring every time he opens his mouth, yet he is not dropping or slipping in the polls. All he needed to do was make some MAGA-knockoff merchandise and play football for Georgia in the early 1980s and all of the sudden this man is close to becoming a Senator.
Works Cited:
DeleteBurns, Lisa and Marchese, Courtney. “Political Branding in a Digital Age.” In The 2020 Presidential Campaign: A Communication Perspective, edited by Robert E. Denton, Rowman & Littlefield, 2021. Accessed September 17, 2022.
Rosengren, John. “Backed by Trump, a Troubled Georgia Football Legend Eyes a Senate Seat.” Washington Post Magazine. 4 May 2022, https://www.washingtonpost.com/magazine/2022/05/04/herschel-walker-georgia-football-senate/. Accessed September 17, 2022.
Smith, Chris. “Raphael Warnock Should Trounce Herschel Walker. His Campaign Knows It Won't Be That Easy.” Vanity Fair, 19 Sept. 2022, https://www.vanityfair.com/news/2022/09/raphael-warnock-herschel-walker-georgia-senate-race.
Walker, Herschel. Herschel Walker for Senate. https://www.teamherschel.com/. Accessed September 17, 2022.
By Mason Glod
ReplyDeleteWhile John Fetterman's campaign has been strong, his campaign design and messaging have been fairly unconventional. The image and brand of the campaign can be described as simple, but also filled with personality when unique content is created on their multiple channels. In general, John Fetterman's campaign is simple and uninteresting design-wise; however, the personality of the campaign is revealed on its humorous and sociable social media.
Authors Lisa M. Burns and Courtney Marchese describe aspects of a strong campaign saying, "Some of the key components of successful brands are creativity, a clear purpose, possessing emotional appeal, and the ability to target messaging to key demographics," (116). Fetterman's campaign certainly has some of these aspects. His strategy can be best described as direct and simple. The colors he uses are black and yellow, and his slogan is "Every County, Every Vote". Neither of these choices is particularly inspired nor eye-popping (although the black and yellow color choice may be due to Pittsburgh's color scheme). However, they display confidence and do get his message across effectively. These visual aspects are important, however as they tie together the messaging and give everything a unified look. Fetterman even uses these colors for the subtitles on his Instagram and other minor graphics like these.
The brand personality and messaging strategy are where the Fetterman campaign really shines. Fetterman's image is built upon his relatability and his appearance as a common man. Unlike almost all political figures, Fetterman always dresses in shorts and a hoodie and speaks in the most relatable way possible. In the Philadelphia Inquirer article "Fetterman’s Parents Gave Him Money Into His 40s. Republicans Say that Undercuts His Blue-Collar Image" Jonathan Tamari, the author explained Fetterman's image saying "Fetterman’s rugged image and blunt style has underpinned his rise from mayor to lieutenant governor and, now, Democratic nominee in one of the country’s most crucial Senate races. It even got him featured in Rolling Stone (”The Mayor of Hell”) and a Levi’s ad campaign," (2). His appearance gives his campaign a character and relatability that may be attractive to some voters. Additionally, this personality shines on his social media pages, specifically TikTok. On TikTok, the Fetterman campaign posts lots of content (usually attack ads on opponent Mehmet Oz) using trending sounds or relating to trending topics. Again, this makes the campaign have a character and personality that many voters will appreciate.
While their branding is clear, Fetterman's campaign messaging is not always consistent. First, the mix between a very basic and bland visual style and a more personable and relatable brand personality does seem slightly inconsistent when combined. Additionally, Fetterman's personal pages like his Instagram and Twitter do not always use the campaign's chosen colors and style as much as they could. Additionally, the campaign is trying to introduce other aspects to their brand that overall feel slightly inconsistent. For instance, the campaign introduced the term "Fetterwoman" and created a line of pink shirts with the term on them (Glebova). While the wordplay may be clever, this may just dilute the campaign's true targeted goal and make the image less concrete. Overall, Fetterman has a strong base for a campaign and image, he just needs to stick to it and show confidence in his choices.
Caitlyn Piascik
ReplyDeleteUsing the criteria laid out in Burns and Marches, I would describe the image and brand of candidate Raphael Warnock to be more homegrown oriented while running as an activist preacher. His campaign appears to be centered around the pride he holds being a Reverend born and raised in the state of Georgia. According to Michael Kruse, “There is a road that runs through our humanity, and my job as a legislator, and our job as citizens, is to find our way to that road that connects us to one another. And Warnock’s road starts in Savannah, Georgia,” (Kruse) which displays his priority in improving the state of Georgia for its citizens. Some of his political branding includes “Georgia Grown” bags and “The Rev” taglines that are commonly seen amongst his campaign merchandise. He also appears to capitalize on his religious background by commonly being referred to as “The Rev” and using the slogan “Every Vote is Sacred” in order to cohesively carry this political image. According to Political Branding in a Digital Age, “Visual aspects of branding presidential candidates have long been one of the most accessible ways to convince voters to support them,” (Burns and Marchese). The ways in which candidates brand themselves can allow them to remain memorable to voters by using visual aids to stick in voters’ minds and elicit a memorable response. According to Amanda Bowman, “Each political candidate has a brand identity. As part of that identity, design acts as a powerful tool for communication and persuasion, both of which are hugely important to political strategy, tactics and political campaigns,” (Bowman). I believe that Warnock does have a clear brand personality and messaging strategy because he portrays a wholesome family man who cares about issues. His messaging has remained consistent and he has stuck by the issues that he is passionate about across different platforms. For example, his Facebook and various social media platforms allow for ‘multichannel brand integration’ in which he repeats his opinions on issues and communicates with voters. All of his posts on social media align with the issues mentioned on the candidate’s’ website.
Bowman, Amanda. "How Strong Political Branding Can Help You Win Your Next Election."
Crowdsping, 10 Sept. 2018, www.crowdspring.com/blog/political-branding-marketing/. Accessed 19 Sept. 2022.
Burns, Lisa M. and Courtney Marchese. “Political Branding in a Digital Age: The Role of
Design and Image-Based Messaging Strategies in the 2020 Presidential Election.” In The 2020 Presidential Campaign: A Communication Perspective, edited by Robert E. Denton, Rowman & Littlefield, 2021.
Kruse, Michael. "'There's Never Been Anybody Like Him in the United States Senate.'"
Politico, 5 Aug. 2022, www.politico.com/news/magazine/2022/08/05/raphael-warnock-georgia-senate-2022-profile-00049352. Accessed 19 Sept. 2022.
Congresswoman Val Demings, who has represented Florida’s 10th Congressional District since 2017 is running for U.S. Senate in Florida against Marc Rubio. I believe that Val Deming’s campaign and brand are going to help her through this election because, in Chapter 7 of The 2020 Presidential Campaign, Lisa Burns and Courtney Marchese said “Some of the key components of successful brands are creativity, a clear purpose, possessing emotional appeal, and the ability to target messaging to key demographics” (Burns and Marchese 116). Not only is Val Deming’s entire camping page filled with her clear purposes and positions, but Demings only shares positive and powerful messages on her Twitter that share her messages that appeal to different generations, races, and classes. For example, Val Demings tweeted on September 18th, 2022 “I voted for the Inflation Reduction Act because America’s seniors should not be paying half of their retirement on prescription drug cost” and on the 19th she tweeted “Say it with me: my body, my choice”. Val Demings does not use many visual aspects in her brand because she is an older candidate whose words speak much louder. Democratic candidate Val Demings has a very clear brand personality and messaging strategy, we see her brand personality taking effect in the article The Val Demings Gamble by Adam Harris when he said, “Demings says she’s living the American dream. In 1957, when she was born, her family lived in a three-room shack in Mandarin, Florida—a rural part of Duval County, just south of Jacksonville. Her father worked as a janitor, and her mother was a housekeeper” continuing Harris said, “In the sixth grade, Demings helped integrate Loretta Elementary School, which she used to ride past to get to the Black elementary school 15 miles away. Shortly after enrolling, Demings was chosen to serve on the school patrol. She loved it. ‘You had to have good citizenship and good grades—and I was selected. I had my little orange belt, and I just fell in love,’ she told me in July. ‘It was such an honor to be selected because it was a big deal.’ As soon as she was old enough to get a real job, she did” (Harris, 2). Deming’s messaging has been consistent since June when she officially announced she would be running for U.S. Senate. In the article “Val Demings to Run for Senate Against Rubio” posted by Political in May before Deming’s formal announce, Marc Caputo said, “Unlike Gillum, one of the most progressive candidates ever nominated by the state party for governor, Demings is more moderate in tone and policy, James said, “so Republicans can’t call her a socialist.” (Caputo). Val Demings has maintained her moderate tone throughout this campaign being viewed as a controlled and deliberate candidate.
ReplyDeleteWorks Cited
DeleteBurns, Lisa M. and Courtney Marchese. “Political Branding in a Digital Age: The Role of Design and Image-Based Messaging Strategies in the 2020 Presidential Election.” In The 2020 Presidential Campaign: A Communication Perspective, edited by Robert E. Denton, Rowman & Littlefield, 2021.
Harris, Adam. “The Val Demings Gamble.” The Atlantic, Atlantic Media Company, 12 Sept. 2022, https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2022/09/val-demings-midterms-2022-democratic-party/671327/.
“Val Demings to Run for Senate against Rubio.” POLITICO, https://www.politico.com/news/2021/05/18/demings-running-for-senate-rubio-489137.
After reading Chapter 7 in The 2020 Presidential Campaign: A Communication Perspective, I believe the image of Representative Val Demings is hopeful for Florida and that her branding is in her favor. What I mean by hopeful is that people view her as a positive change for Florida because she is a woman who is a POC. There are currently no Black women in the U.S. Senate and Marco Rubio has been in his chair since 2011 with his conservative values so having Demings take his spot would be something new for not only Florida, but the U.S. Although she is a Democrat and Florida is known as a swing state, she makes a couple of things learned in her branding to prove to Florida she is not a full-blown liberal and will aid to their centrist wants and needs.
ReplyDeleteIt is obvious she wants to make it prevalent for the public to know that she is not in favor of defunding the police, and on the contrary, she was the first female chief of police in Orlando, Florida. She said in a press release from May 2022, “Today’s announcement will have three clear effects: more resources for law enforcement, greater coordinated response to quality-of-life issues, and commitment and accountability for all. As a 27-year law enforcement officer, these are steps in the right direction.” Her image can get tampered with when talking about law enforcement based on her public support of the George Floyd Justice in Policing act and people assuming she is all for “defunding the police”, however, her branding proves that that is simply not the case.
Another issue that affects her image is her support of abortion rights. Once Rubio made it public that he does not personally support abortion rights, Demings consistently told the public that she feels the exact opposite. The overturning of Roe v. Wade has been a controversial topic that has been left up to the states but in Florida, it has been a battle. Demings knew she could make her image positive toward women and get their vote as soon as Rubio claimed, “‘I do not believe that the dignity and the worth of human life is tied to the circumstances of their conception,’” (Herald). The next day, the Demings campaign launched “Demings for Women”.
The visual aspect of Demings’ brand is so important because of the attention span people in 2022 have nowadays. Most people do not read articles past their headlines which can close their minds off of what Demings is advocating for, like how she has gotten accused of being in favor of defunding the police. She has a clear brand personality and messaging strategy by attracting a younger audience and comparing herself to her opponent. A Tweet that she posted a couple of hours ago states, “Calling Millennials & Gen-Z: We need your energy, talents, strength, and creativity to build an America you can be proud of. Our future depends on you.” Her TikTok posts consist of telling her followers about how Rubio is a “no-show” and using popular trends to show how she is better for Florida. In Chapter 7 of The 2020 Presidential Campaign: A Communication Perspective, the authors write, “Political brands offer a “short cut” to what a candidate is about through a combination of visual imagery and pithy messaging, helping voters to distinguish between political entities.” (Burns and Marchese, 116). I feel as if Demings does this the most on her TikTok account to make sure her young viewers know the negative differences Rubio has compared to Demings. One of her captions from a TikTok posted today states, “This race is between Marco Rubio and me, and we all know who’s the most qualified candidate. #valdemings #valdemingsforsenate #tiktokpolitics #senaterace #voting #floridapolitics #runningtowin.” Her messaging has been very consistent. Her Facebook and Instagram are super similar with her posting normal campaign posts but also posting pictures of her Tweets and reels of her TikToks. I believe she has a good standing with her public and as the article from The Atlantic states, “Political moderates could admire her centrism; people of color could identify with her race; women could identify with her gender.” (Harris). She is a candidate for a big majority of people in Florida and I think she can pull through in the upcoming polls.
DeleteReferences
DeleteBurns, Lisa M. and Courtney Marchese. “Political Branding in a Digital Age: The Role of Design and Image-Based Messaging Strategies in the 2020 Presidential Election.” In The 2020 Presidential Campaign: A Communication Perspective, edited by Robert E. Denton, Rowman & Littlefield, 2021.
"REP. DEMINGS ON NEW POLICE ANNOUNCEMENT". Demings House, 2022, https://demings.house.gov/media/press-releases/rep-demings-new-police-announcement.
"Val Demings On Tiktok". Tiktok, 2022, https://www.tiktok.com/@valdemings/video/7145184483795373354?is_copy_url=1&is_from_webapp=v1.
"Val Demings On Twitter". Twitter, 2022, https://twitter.com/valdemings.
Harris, Adam. "The Val Demings Gamble". The Atlantic, 2022, https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2022/09/val-demings-midterms-2022-democratic-party/671327/.
Herald, Miami. "Demings Rallies Women In Doral As She Amps Up Campaign". Tampa Bay Times, 2022, https://www.tampabay.com/news/florida-politics/elections/2022/08/27/demings-rallies-women-in-doral-as-she-amps-up-campaign/.
William Dean
ReplyDeleteThe case of Marco Rubio is a tricky one, as his “image” in politics is defined almost exclusively by his lack of one. Rubio is one of the most recognizable Republican members of the Senate, holding the office for two terms and a very popular candidacy for president in 2016. Yet despite being one of the last four primary candidates in that year’s elections, few can point to moments of outbursts in that or any other campaign. In fact, there are hardly any memorable moments Rubio has had during his twelve years in office, save for the “small hands” card he pulled against Trump in the 2016 campaign.
Because of this, Rubio has been able to fly under the radar in many political circles, which allows him to work on bipartisan legislation while staying in the Republican Party’s good graces. In the words of one Politico columnist, “for the most part, Rubio doesn’t expect anyone to notice what he’s up to” (Everett). Take his recent push to end Chinese slave labor, daylight savings time and toxic burn pits for example. These low-profile issues keep him out of the spotlight and allow him to reach across the aisle on more prominent legislation.
Being one of two Florida Senators, Rubio has to balance the wants of constituents who prize gun ownership rights and those seriously affected by mass shootings like the ones at Parkland HS and Pulse Nightclub. Behind the scenes, Rubio authored proposals for “red flag” laws and standardized school safety. Always the moderate, Rubio endorsed Sen. Lindsey Graham’s 15-week nationwide abortion ban. In one of the rare times he uses social media, Rubio defended the support, saying that “Restricting abortions to the first 4 months is more lenient than virtually every country in Europe” (Rubio). In an even more rare display of partisanship, Rubio pointed his finger at the opposition, saying “You need to be asking Democrats what restrictions they support ... Democrats won’t vote for any restriction of any kind on abortion” (Fineout).
His campaign website is one of an established incumbent: the first two scrolls bring you to an email sign-up list and a “donate” button. His shop is lackluster, featuring only sixteen items, none of which particularly indicate that he is a Republican. For sale are three t-shirts advertising “marcorubio, US SENATE,” available in three colors: red, white and blue. Also available for purchase are a red hat and a blue hat adorned with the same lower-case sans serif branding. A coffee mug, t-shirt and beer koozie sporting the American flag and “USA” are also present. The only merch item featuring Rubio himself is a cartoon sticker of the Senator wearing a purple tie with the caption “not a taco.” This style of branding most closely resembles Biden’s. Rubio opts for “Biden’s calm and cool demeanor” instead of “Trump’s brash and bold style” (Burns and Marchese 126).
Works Cited
DeleteBurns, Lisa M. and Courtney Marchese. “Political Branding in a Digital Age: The Role of Design and Image-Based Messaging Strategies in the 2020 Presidential Election.” In The 2020 Presidential Campaign: A Communication Perspective, edited by Robert E. Denton, Rowman & Littlefield, 2021.
Everett, Burgess. Rubio Embraces His Low-Key Side - POLITICO. 13 June 2022, https://www.politico.com/news/2022/06/13/marco-rubio-demings-00038912.
Fineout, Gary. “Rubio Is Embracing Graham’s Federal Abortion Ban. Florida Dems See an Opening.” POLITICO, https://www.politico.com/news/2022/09/14/rubio-federal-abortion-ban-florida-dems-00056724. Accessed 19 Sept. 2022.
Rubio, Marco [@marcorubio]. “Restricting abortions to the first 4 months….” Twitter, September 14, 2022, https://twitter.com/marcorubio/status/1570101977626853382
Defining political brands, as is done in the Burns and Marchese chapter, as “a ‘short cut’ to what a candidate is about through a combination of visual imagery and pithy messaging, helping voters to distinguish between political entities” (Burns & Marchese 116), John Fetterman’s brand is that of a working-class stiff. Fetterman wears his brand identity on his sleeve. Literally. Fetterman doesn’t dress like a regular politician, often wearing a hoodie and shorts combination or simply a collared short sleeve shirt. Physically, according to Time Magazine, the 6-foot-8 senate candidate is imposing and does not look like the average politician.
ReplyDeleteThese visual aspects are essential to tying his messaging together. It’s easy to say you’re a regular working-class guy, but as Mitt Romney demonstrated in 2012, it does not always come across that way. The visual aspects of his brand, and particularly how he looks authentic in it is key. According to the Meadville Tribune, one ad featured the former Braddock Mayor standing in front of “billowing smokestacks,” (Tamari). To add to his personal working-class look, his ads position himself in blue collar neighborhoods and in front of manufacturing plants and industrial buildings. All these visual cues are meant to tie Fetterman in with the working class to appeal to those voters.
Fetterman has one of the clearest brand personalities and marketing strategies I have seen in a candidate. Aside from the social media takedowns of Oz in different hilarious ways, Fetterman is remarkably on message and in tune with his brand and image. Playing off his “average Joe” shtick, Fetterman will tie that to his concrete policy proposals such as banning stock trading by members of Congress or increasing domestic manufacturing.
Lending to the all-important authenticity, Fetterman’s branding has been consistent throughout his political career. Looking at images from his Twitter account, Fetterman has been wearing the same hoodie and shorts combo since he was mayor of Braddock. Unified across his entire website, Fetterman is dressed in the same way and in similar locations. The working class communities of Pennsylvania are heavily featured as well as its manufacturing capabilities. Not a single Fetterman ad shows wealthy suburbs. Nor should it: its not on brand.
Work Cited
DeleteAlter, Charlotte. “John Fetterman Charts a New Path for Democrats.” Time, Time, 11 May 2022, https://time.com/6175747/john-fetterman-pennsylvania-senate-primary/.
Burns. L and Marchese. C. “Political Branding in a Digital Age.” In The 2020 Presidential Campaign: A Communication Perspective, edited by Robert E. Denton, Rowman & Littlefield, 2021.
“Official Campaign Website.” John Fetterman, 1 Apr. 2021, https://johnfetterman.com/.
Tamari, Jonathan. “Fetterman's Parents Gave Him Money into His 40s. Republicans Say That Undercuts His Blue-Collar Image.” Meadville Tribune, 5 Aug. 2022, https://www.meadvilletribune.com/news/fetterman-s-parents-gave-him-money-into-his-40s-republicans-say-that-undercuts-his-blue/article_55a88a06-1432-11ed-bc6a-1348ce288918.html.
Twitter, Twitter, https://twitter.com/JohnFetterman.
Charlie Windels Part 1
ReplyDeleteAfter reading about branding and candidate image it was clear to me how influential it can be for the campaign process. Developing a brand that catches a voter's attention and shows them a candidate's values and character is extremely important. When reading the textbook Political Branding in a Digital Age: The Role of Design and Image-Based Messaging Strategies in the 2020 Presidential Election it was apparent to me how there are extreme differences in branding and image. One quote that I found to be extremely interesting talked about how Trump and Biden use many different approaches to conveying a message. The reading quotes “Andrea Schneiker describes Trump’s brand as a “superhero anti-politician celebrity.”10 In stark contrast to Trump, Biden’s brand is calm, casual, and cool. He’s familiar, likable, and trustworthy, which conveys competence, sincerity, openness, and empathy” (Burns, Marchese). I think this is a key concept as to how candidates attract a certain audience and is an important part of the campaign process.
The Candidate for my Elections Eve Project is Marco Rubio. After reading about him and seeing some of the ways he interacts with the media I found that he sells his brand much differently than most candidates. Rather than being what Trump is compared to as this “superhero” figure, Rubio takes a much more laid-back approach. In an article I was reading titled Rubio Embraces His Low-Key Side it is clear to see how Rubio, for the most part, stays away from these big-name issues, and although representing the republican party does not lean significantly towards one set of ideals. The article quotes “where potential rivals slug it out to take the hardest right-wing line. Instead, Rubio is quietly focused on lower-profile issues that range from slave labor in China to stopping the United States from changing its clocks twice a year, even as he remains a foil for the left and maintains a generally conservative voting record” (Everett). I think it is interesting to see this approach, however, Rubio has made it work as he has held his seat in Florida since 2011. In addition to this Rubio’s website also has a very basic and relaxed feel to it. For the most part, his page has an even distribution of red and blue colors and the text doesn’t jump out at the reader.
Charlie Windels Part 2
ReplyDeleteDespite Rubio’s relaxed and easygoing image, recently he has taken action regarding abortion laws. An article I read titled Rubio is embracing Graham's federal abortion ban. Florida Dems see an opening talks about Rubio signing a bill that would ban abortions after 15 weeks of pregnancy nationwide. The article explains that this could be “giving critics another opening to attack him ahead of the November election on an issue that has energized Democrats” (Fineout). After reading about this I found this a little surprising and I wonder if it will hurt or help him in the long run. I think based on Rubio’s current brand and target audience he could potentially receive quite a bit of criticism for getting involved in such a controversial current issue. Overall I think branding and developing an image is extremely important, especially with the use of social media in this current digital day and age. This is something that candidates need to be paying attention to while also making slight adjustments to their brand based on trending political topics.
Burns, Lisa M. and Courtney Marchese. “Political Branding in a Digital Age: The Role of Design and Image-Based Messaging Strategies in the 2020 Presidential Election.” In The 2020 Presidential Campaign: A Communication Perspective, edited by Robert E. Denton, Rowman & Littlefield, 2021.
Everett, Burgess. Rubio Embraces His Low-Key Side - POLITICO. 13 June 2022, https://www.politico.com/news/2022/06/13/marco-rubio-demings-00038912.
Fineout, Gary. “Rubio Is Embracing Graham’s Federal Abortion Ban. Florida Dems See an Opening.” POLITICO, https://www.politico.com/news/2022/09/14/rubio-federal-abortion-ban-florida-dems-00056724. Accessed 19 Sept. 2022.
Cj Benedetti
ReplyDeleteAs mentioned in my last blog, I feel that Senator Rubio’s messaging is currently weak, but his brand seems to be more solidified. As with many politicians, his brand is trying to connect with the average Floridian. A lot of the pictures of him on his Instagram and Twitter see him without his suit jacket on, and some of them have his button-up shirt sleeves rolled up. His two biggest slogans, which can be seen on his Instagram and Twitter for his campaign (@TeamMarco) are “Fighting for Florida First” and “Gets things done for Florida.” These slogans fit into some of what is described by Burns and Marchese when they talked about attributes which are “they act as simplifiers highlighting a few key pieces of information about the candidate, they are unique and clearly differentiated from competitors, they reassure voters and minimize perceptions of risk, they are aspirational and offer an emotional link to a desired way of life, they symbolize the internal values of the candidate and offer voters reasons to choose them over others, and they are perceived as credible and able to deliver on their campaign promises” (Burns and Marchese 116). I feel as if these slogans lack the unique aspect and don't clearly differentiate from Val Demings as her goal is obviously to put her state and constituents first, too. Though I think Rubio's “Florida First” idea is playing on Trump's “America First” slogan, as he is hoping to pull votes or keep votes from Trump's voting bloc.
The campaign does not present Marco Rubio as a bully or someone angry normally, but just when people are turning Florida in the wrong direction. This is followed in his logo. None of the letters is uppercase, and the font is not sharp around the edges. It gives a soft but meaningful appearance. So I will say that Rubio has a clear branding strategy, but I still feel the messaging is more anti-democratic, like “don't vote for the democrats” and less “here is why you should vote for me.” This idea was perfectly encapsulated in “Rubio embraces low-key side” as they discussed how is keeping out of the limelight since his run for president. They said he “quietly focused on lower-profile issues that range from slave labor in China to stopping the United States from changing its clocks twice a year, even as he remains a foil for the left and maintains a generally conservative voting record” and “Rubio’s betting that his work with Democrats on targeted policies balances his overall right-leaning voting record in a perennial swing state that’s trending GOP” (Everett). These two ideas perfectly encapsulate the message he is pushing with his branding. Fight for Floridians, but not a bully or someone who brags about everything. A down to earth person.
Another note mentioned by Burns and Marchese was the idea of merchandising the candidate and campaign. Rubio’s campaign is already on top of this, as in his Senate campaign store, you can find a sticker of Marco Rubio that says “Not a Taco”. This stems from when Jill Biden “likened diversity among Latino communities to 'breakfast tacos'” (Gancarski). His campaign also changed his profile picture after this happened: “Rubio had made sport of the Biden taco trouble on Twitter earlier this week, changing his profile picture to what appeared to be stock art of a fast food taco” (Gancarski). His race in Florida has yet to have any debates, so its still to be seen if his campaign will stay on top of this aspect.
Works Cited
Burns, Lisa M., and Courtney Marchese. “Political Branding in a Digital Age.” Campaigning in the Aftermath of the 2020 Elections: A Communications Perspective, edited by Robert E. Denton, Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, 2022, pp. 115–134.
Everett, Burgess. “Rubio Embraces His Low-Key Side.” POLITICO, www.politico.com/news/2022/06/13/marco-rubio-demings-00038912.
Gancarski, A.G. “'I Identify as a Cuban Sandwich': Marco Rubio Riffs on Jill Biden Taco Trouble.” Florida Politics - Campaigns & Elections. Lobbying & Government., 14 July 2022, floridapolitics.com/archives/538947-cuban-sandwich/.
For my election eve project I would describe my candidate, Marco Rubio as low-key, passionate, and motivated. As mentioned in the blackboard reading it states that “ Marco Rubio’s work has mostly faded from the headlines” ( Everett) and “ Rubio doesn’t expect anyone to notice what he is up to.” ( Everett) Although he may be keeping a lower profile this year, there are talks of him running for the 2024 presidential election. The second word I used to describe Rubio’s image and brand was passionate. I used this word because he does stand firmly on issues he believes very strongly in for example he hold a strong position when it comes to gun safety laws, the blackboard article shows this when saying “ He’s the author of several proposals that senators considered for a bipartisan gun safety package: promoting so-called “red flag” laws in states, standardizing school safety and expanding threat assessments.”( Everett) Rubio is also very passionate about abortion. In florida it is illegal to obtain an abortion after 15 weeks with very few exceptions. In an article entitled Rubio spells out his position on abortion, he makes it very clear that “I am in favor of laws that protect human life. I do not believe that the dignity and the worth of human life is tied to the circumstances of their conception, but I recognize that’s not a majority position,”( Fineout) Rubio also would like to focus his attention on the economy, immigration, and helping veterans. The final word I used to describe Rubios image and brand was motivated. Even though Rubio is staying lowkey, he is still extremely passionate about what he does. His passion is shown through his speeches when he goes and visits states and his interviews. He is frequently on Fox News sharing his opinions often and tries to gain more media coverage. I think these three words sum up Rubio’s image and brand perfectly.
ReplyDeleteDiving more into the idea of image, how important are visual aspects of a brand? When looking at Trump's campaign in 2016 the textbook mentioned “ Trump’s brand can be summed up as BIG, BOLD, and DEFIANT. The capital letters are inten- tional, mimicking Trump’s tweets and typeface. He positions himself as an “outlaw who doesn’t have time for politeness or political correctness.”
Delete( Burns, Marchese 116) We all know that when we saw the big bold MAGA letters that it was for former president Trump. Rubio on the other hand does not have a bold campaign visually. In fact, his logo was poked fun at when first appearing in 2015 for his run for president claims were that it did not make sense and was not visually appealing. Visually I think Rubio could use some help when it comes to his campaigning. In the textbook it talks about how important campaigning is especially making it visually appealing to promote your brand. “While in-person campaigning will always be important, design- and image-based messaging strategies will con- tinue to increase in significance as political branding adapts to the digital age.” ( Burns, Marchese 134) Rubio’s website is very bland. You are able to find lots of information on where he stands for political issues which is good if you would like to do some digging. As for his instagram, it also poses a bland look. He posts for national holidays and tragedies and acknowledges all people from all backgrounds which is a great way for him to boost voters. In one of his recent posts for hispanic heritage month, Rubio posted a video of himself speaking Spanish to promote the month. This helped his image, and it was also nice to see his face on his instagram. Rubio is very active on twitter and is often posting his thoughts on breaking news or issues. For all the twitter followers, he certainly makes his presence known. This is one of the social media platforms where I think he stands out. The textbook made it clear that “While Facebook and Twitter reach the largest audiences, the campaigns also used Instagram, YouTube, Snapchat, TikTok, and Reddit to target younger voters.” ( Burns Marchese 121) Rubio does not have a tiktok or snapchat and in fact tried to get Biden to ban tik tok in the united states, which did not go over well for many young voters. Visual aspects are important for a campaign especially this day in age however, with Rubio keeping a low profile his social media platforms do reflect that. He also is very verbal so voters should know where the candidate stands on certain issues. I would say that Marco Rubio does have a clear brand personality and messaging strategy. Brand personality, and messaging is essential to any campaign. Your political brand is what voters will remember when they are in the polling booth. The textbook states that “ Political brands offer a “short cut” to what a candidate is about through a combination of visual imagery and pithy messaging, helping voters to distin- guish between political entities. Some of the key components of successful brands are creativity, a clear purpose, possessing emotional appeal, and the ability to target messaging to key demographics.” ( Burns, Marchese 116) Marco Rubio’s brand personality is very simple. He does post a good amount on twitter and instagram and does host rallies in many states. Rubio is also very good at letting voters know where he stands on certain issues and does not back down from a fight, this is where his motivation and initiative shine. His strategy is simply to show voters that he is listening and working on creating a better Florida one issue at a time. Marco Rubio tends to be known as a people pleaser, he does swing right however, for some issues he is willing to meet in the middle to try and gain more votes. This is not to say that Rubio is not always consistent however, he sometimes does tend to shift his view from far right to middle ground which does not always make voters, especially far right conservatives happy. Let's look at gun laws for example.
The candidate I chose to follow for the Election Eve Project is Raphael Warnock. After viewing Warnock’s website, social media profiles, and reading a few articles about him; I was able to develop a better understanding of what his image is. Within the Burns & Marchese article titled, “Political Branding in a Digital Age” the authors do a great job of detailing the intricacies involved in portraying a politician’s image. I never knew how much thought and detail went into simply choosing the fonts for the politician’s logo. I thought it was interesting how choosing the font Gotham is making a statement but after reading more the thought process started to make more sense to me. If I were to encapsulate Warnock’s image with three attributes I would say: kind smile, reverend, calming. To answer the second question, I would say that the visual aspects of my candidate’s brand are very important especially after reading the Burns & Marchese article. It’s interesting to compare Warnock image to his competitors Hershel Walker’s image. At the top of Warnock’s Twitter page is a picture of him with a mask on talking to children with masks on with bold letter spelling “your vote is sacred” over them. Compared to Walker’s website that details on the front page in large bold, red letters “run, fight, win”. Regarding whether Warnock has a clear brand personality, I believe he does. In Michael Kruse’s article, “There’s Never Been Anybody Like Him in the United States Senate” he places emphasis on the fact that Warnock is a pastor at the same Baptist church Martin Luther King Jr. attended. When choosing an additional article, I found an interesting one from The Atlantic titled “How Raphael Warnock Came to Be an Abortion-Rights Outlier”. Many considered Warnock to be this “radical” type after he tweeter he was a “pro-choice paster”. However, the author, Mary Ziegler states, “when people equate religious faith with opposition to abortion, they focus on a subset of mostly conservative, white, Christian believers-and miss out on a much more complex story”. To conclude, political branding and image is incredibly important for any politician, and I believe that Raphael Warnock has a clear and conscience image that can resonate with not only the left but also the voters in the middle. Is Raphael Warnock’s image perfect? No. However, I think that a person’s imperfections can make them more relatable and more human to this generation.
ReplyDeleteCitations:
DeleteZiegler, M. (2020, December 31). How Raphael Warnock came to be an abortion-rights outlier. The Atlantic. Retrieved September 20, 2022, from https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2020/12/liberal-religion-abortion/617491/
Scott, E. (2021, January 6). Analysis | what you need to know about Raphael Warnock. The Washington Post. Retrieved September 20, 2022, from https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2021/01/06/who-is-raphael-warnock/
Bender, B., Schaffer, M., Ward, I., & Malo, S. (n.d.). 'there's never been anybody like him in the United States Senate'. POLITICO. Retrieved September 20, 2022, from https://www.politico.com/news/magazine/2022/08/05/raphael-warnock-georgia-senate-2022-profile-00049352
Burns, Lisa M. and Courtney Marchese. “Political Branding in a Digital Age: The Role of
Design and Image-Based Messaging Strategies in the 2020 Presidential Election.” In The 2020 Presidential Campaign: A Communication Perspective, edited by Robert E. Denton, Rowman & Littlefield, 2021.
Herschel Walker is one of the more interesting candidates running for senate this year. Yes, he is cut from the celebrity-turned politician cloth like multiple other candidates, but he is a unique case even in that realm. He has struggled to create a strong brand that voters would like to see in a senator by saying things off the cuff, without a clear communications strategy.
ReplyDeleteIn Political Branding in a Digital Age, Lisa Burns and Courtney Marchese write about how important it is to have a strong brand, especially in an age where online presence is more important than ever. They write, “candidates need to have a consistent, memorable brand to connect with voters online” (Burns, Marchese). By having the same messaging and branding on their website, social media platforms, and in person, voters will associate different colors and shapes and slogans with specific candidates. In the case of Walker, his twitter cover photo and the main tease on his website are the same, but his twitter profile picture is him with boxing gloves on. Despite the fact this is the only place this is his profile picture, he is also known for playing football, not fighting, so it is even more confusing to me.
Switching gears to the messaging while at events, Walker has struggled. An interesting comparison is between him and Beto O’Rourke. Recently, Walker was talking about his upcoming debate with Sen. Warnock and said, “I’m this country boy, you know, I’m not that smart. And he’s that preacher. He’s a smart man, wears these nice suits. So he going to show up there, embarrass me at the debate” (The Hill). This isn’t even a case where the quote was taken out of context, he just gave Warnock a free piece of marketing to use, and brought down his own image. While democrats and the media have been quick to jump on Walker’s misstep, they were far more silent when O’Rourke called a heckler a “motherfucker” for laughing at his comments about gun violence. At the event, “The crowd immediately began cheering in support of O'Rourke's snappy interjection” (Jones). Some see O’Rourke’s comments as authentic, that he isn’t being pulled in a certain direction by dark money or a forceful PR team, but rather says what is on his mind. “According [Sic.] Cal Jillson, professor of Political Science at Southern Methodist University, O'Rourke's kneejerk reaction shows he's passionate, which is good, but dropping an f-bomb in a room with elderly attendees and kids, not so much” (Jones).
These comments came at a sensitive time in Texas after the Uvalde shooting, where O’Rourke has been a strong advocate for gun safety reforms for years. Although both Walker and O’Rourke were both being authentic, O’Rourke was speaking from the heart, and Walker was up playing his own stupidity, which is not great for branding.
DeleteOverall, Walker’s brand has been very inconsistent across online platforms, and his speaking engagements. This has shown to be detrimental to his campaign as he is now 6 points behind Warnock (QU Poll) in a recent Quinnipiac poll.
Denton, Robert E., et al. “Chapter 7.” The 2020 Presidential Campaign: A Communications Perspective, Rowman & Littlefield, an Imprint of The Rowman & Littlefield Publishing Group, Inc., Lanham, MD, 2021.
“Georgia Governor's Race: Too Close to Call, Quinnipiac University Georgia Poll Finds; Georgia Senate Race: Warnock Leads Walker 52% - 46%: Quinnipiac University Poll.” 9/14/22 - Georgia Governor's Race: Too Close To Call, Quinnipiac University Georgia Poll Finds; Georgia Senate Race: Warnock Leads Walker 52% - 46% | Quinnipiac University Poll, 14 Sept. 2022, https://poll.qu.edu/poll-release?releaseid=3855.
Jones, Dustin. “Weighing the Pros and Cons of Beto O'Rourke Dropping an F-Bomb on a Heckler.” NPR, NPR, 11 Aug. 2022, https://www.npr.org/2022/08/11/1117026657/beto-f-bomb-heckler-pros-cons-political-future-texas-governor?utm_source=twitter.com&utm_term=nprnews&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=npr.
Vakil, Caroline. “Walker Downplays Debate with Warnock: 'I'm Not That Smart'.” The Hill, The Hill, 19 Sept. 2022, https://thehill.com/homenews/campaign/3650306-walker-downplays-debate-with-warnock-im-not-that-smart/.
Through articles, social media, and Sen. Raphael Warnock’s website, his image and branding are clear. Warnock leans heavily on his support of minority voters and his pastor image. Warnock having been the pastor at the church made famous by Dr. Martin Luther King, the Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta, GA, has become a great speaker, knows how to talk to his supporters and has done many things he said he would in office. Recently on his social media, he has focused heavily on discussing the small towns in Georgia and how a Senator needs to represent an entire state not just the cities. It is obvious what he is trying to do here, since Herschel Walker is more popular in rural areas than that of Warnock. But besides what bases he is trying to get votes from in order to win the election, Warnock has a clear brand and image that he is trying to convey with Georgia voters. The image that won him the special election in 2021 is still what seems to be his focus when talking to his supporters. As Michael Kruse put it in his article for Politico titled “There’s Never Been Anybody Like Him in the United States Senate,” “In 2020 and (in the run-off that extended into the first week of) 2021, Warnock won with the mantra to “remain the reverend” — a campaign that combined a faith-based social-justice heart with a careful prebutting of Republicans’ race-laced attempts to cast Warnock as radical by calibrating a benign look and vibe.” This is the same image that he wants to portray to his supporters this election, a religious man who is trying to fight for social justice and represent all of Georgia in the senate. Warnock has been consistent in terms of saying what he wants to do and doing it and keeping up his image throughout his time in the Senate. This is extremely important in today’s day in age, as a single misstep in your image will be pointed out by those online. This was repeatedly said in the excerpt “Political Branding in the Digital Age” by Lisa Burns and Courtney Marchese. But while Warnock has been consistent with his image and branding, this is exactly why many republican voters are so against him as the Senator in Georgia. “Warnock, the state’s first Black U.S. senator, has supported issues such as coronavirus stimulus checks, federal voting laws and Medicaid expansion that have won him praise from supporters but also created a record that Republicans wasted no time in attacking.” This was said in Tia Mitchell’s article for the Atlanta Journal-Constitution titled “As Warnock builds Senate record, Republicans plan their attack.” Warnock has been consistent in everything he has done as a Senator but with Herschel Walker being backed by Trump and many in the state seeing him as the football star instead of the political candidate, many voters are going to stick with Walker almost no matter what. If Warnock does lose this upcoming mid-term election, his branding and image may have something to do with it. He has done a great job with his supporters, but his big problem is going to be swinging Republicans over to his side, which may be possible with the upcoming debate between Walker and Warnock. But with many Republicans seemingly already decided on their vote, it is going to be a big if.
ReplyDeleteSchaffer, Michael. “'There's Never Been Anybody like Him in the United States Senate'.” POLITICO, 5 Aug. 2022, https://www.politico.com/news/magazine/2022/08/05/raphael-warnock-georgia-senate-2022-profile-00049352.
Mitchell, Tia. “As Warnock Builds Senate Record, Republicans Plan Their Attack.” Ajc, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, 2 Aug. 2021, https://www.ajc.com/politics/as-warnock-builds-senate-record-republicans-plan-their-attack/ZACQZOGSJBEXFI3L7YTBTRY5CQ/.
Burns. L and Marchese. C. “Political Branding in a Digital Age.” In The 2020 Presidential Campaign: A Communication Perspective, edited by Robert E. Denton, Rowman & Littlefield, 2021.