Marketing Kucinich

by poputonian

You know, when I watched this video of Dennis Kucinich, I felt a bond develop with someone who speaks in direct terms, from the heart, and with proper regulation from the mind. I saw someone Lincolnesque in appearance, slightly disheveled, but articulate and somber. Watch and see if you agree.

Unfortunately, as some commenters noted in the thread to this post, there is a perception ‘out there’ that Kucinich ain’t cool. George Bush is cool. Barack and Hillary, and Bill Richardson are cool. Nancy Pelosi is cool. America only elects cool candidates, or kewl kids, as digby so often describes them.

So, if you’re ‘not cool’, how do you challenge the conventional wisdom?

One way is by linking to the accepted reality, but positioning yourself as different from it, in this case as “Uncool.”

“Strategies in an overcrowded marketplace suggest that to be successful, the “thing” being marketed must be correlated with what the target audience already knows and accepts as “truth.” For example, a popular commercial slogan in the 1980s was “Seven-Up®: The Uncola.” The marketing team, in this case, recognized that the competition cola products were better sellers and therefore perceived as better products. Rather than directly challenging this “accepted reality,” the marketing slogan for Seven-Up® provided an alternative for those who might be ready to try something different, thereby “re-positioning” how people think about the products.” (Ries & Trout, 2001)

Are you ready to try something different, say, something without the political ‘caffeine’? Check out this awesome 30 second retro-spot for the Uncola.
Clean, refreshing, different.
Dennis Kucinich ~ the Uncool candidate ~ Serious about America.