The Selling of Barack Obama
Obama is Classic Coke. He is the Big Mac and iMac. He is the Volkswagen Beetle and the Ford Mustang. He is Air Jordans.
February 2008
Not only is Barack Obama making a historic and unlikely run for the U.S. presidency, he's pulling off one of the most incredible sales jobs you'll ever witness. CEOs and directors of sales and marketing everywhere strive daily to accomplish what Obama has achieved on the campaign trail. That is to not simply sell but to fascinate, enfranchise and, ultimately, indoctrinate a market.
Before looking at how Obama does it, let's point out what he does it with. Like transcendent campaigns of any sort, Obama has successfully involved the elements that most captivate the human imagination: the promise of youth, new hope, the evocation of happier times and their leaders, treasure if you follow his trail, and pride in who you are and where you come from.
In an editorial last year that was reverential toward the junior senator from Illinois, the Boston Globe stated, "Obama's story is America 's story."
Obama is Classic Coke. He is the Big Mac and iMac. He is the Volkswagen Beetle and the Ford Mustang. He is Air Jordans.
Obama is Luke Skywalker. He is Superman. He is Ben Franklin.
Obama is MLK, JFK, RFK and MJ.
Like the sentences above, Obama is also sugar, which is an addictive substance we all enjoy but has few benefits to our bodies. The Democrat has managed to climb to the upper echelon of the political sphere through a dynamic persona that makes people want to aspire to lead better lives. But he's also convinced his followers they can't improve on their own; they need him to be in the Oval Office, too.
It's true, every politician aims to do the same thing. Obama's pulled it off because he's an inspirational speaker who connects to Americans better than anyone else running for office. He does it through words, carefully crafted to hit the right notes, and with a voice that is a piano: an instrument capable of striking solemnity on one end and riotous power on the other.
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