The meaning of brand 999

Herman Cain's 9-9-9 tax plan (with or without the dashes) has already succeeded in getting him attention in a crowded Republican field. A former pizza chain CEO, Cain knows enough about marketing to see the appeal of a tax policy which, whatever its merits or demerits, people can actually understand. The New York Times  reports the triple digits "have acquired the catchy power of a brand."

Any naming consultant could point out the negatives of 999 as a brand name: it's an area code favored by telemarketers; summons police in the UK; and opens the door (at Halloween time yet) to Michelle Bachmann's spooky 666 quip.

As I noted here, we've gone from the 1960s, when candidates learned Madison Avenue media and marketing practices, to 2008, when Obama taught marketers about the power of online branding. Now we've reached the perfect synthesis: a marketer running for president.

Now the brand is the candidate

Familiar meme: "a brand is a story." But that doesn't mean a fiction: it means a narrative shaped by real qualities and events, even those that mar an ideal image. It's not as simple (or as complex) as making up the perfect story from scratch and then imposing it on a passive public.

Is this what political branding can teach corporate branding today? Admit you are a personality, with acceptable flaws, in the interest of the larger good you can do (Kennedy). Be willing to shape brand messages more quickly, like a political campaign with a war room mentality, always primed to respond to events (Clinton). Use the web to build your own constituency (Obama).

The 1960s and 70s saw the effective application of corporate media and marketing principles to political candidates and campaigns. Now the ideas are flowing in the opposite direction.