Hillary Clinton’s Rebranding Effort Works as She Takes the New Hampshire Primary
January 9, 2008 by Susan Gunelius
Filed under Marketing
Hillary Clinton is often criticized for her unfeeling brand image. Unlike her husband, former President Bill Clinton, who is known for his ability to charm any audience, Hillary has failed in this area, so it came as quite a shock when she was nearly brought to tears as she answered a question during a Q&A session before the New Hampshire Primary vote yesterday.
At the end of the hour-long question and answer session, Hillary Clinton was asked how she, “pulled herself together each day to go out and face the rigours of the campaign,” to which Hillary responded with tears in her eyes saying:
“I have so many opportunities for this country. I just don’t want to see us fall backwards.” She went on to say, “This is very personal for me. “It’s not just political. It’s not just public. I see what’s happening, and we have to reverse it. Some people think that elections are a game – it’s about who’s up or who’s down.” She countered this thought by saying, “It’s about our country, and it’s about our kids’ future. Some of us put ourselves out there and do this against some pretty difficult odds.”
Follow the link to watch the full Hillary Clinton response on video.
It’s not often you see a political candidate show some emotion and show that they really care. I think Hillary’s moment of humanism will boost her brand image in the 2008 Presidential campaign. What do you think?
Tags: Hillary Clinton, Bill Clinton, New Hampshire primary, Democratic election, 2008 Presidential Election, political branding, political marketing, 2008 presidential campaign
I am skeptical about this being called a new brand — I think it was more of an opportunistic short term decision to appeal to a broader audience base. This new humanism is more to appeal to voters then genuine — the problem with this is it will be hard to maintain — people tend to go back to their preferred or dominant style.
I’d like to think of this as an honest moment instead of a manipulative technique – I know people tell me I’m naive and that all politicians are actors – but it sure looked sincere to me. She honestly wants to help the country and believes that she is the one to do it.
I can see where her campaign managers are telling her to let more of her true self show as a branding change – but do you really think this moment was staged?