Is John McCain.... "New Coke"?

Brands are important. Brands don't just communicate attributes; brands communicate at an emotional, deep, DNA level. Brands include and brands exclude. Products under a brand umbrella have to fit what the brand stands for...otherwise the consumers.... especially the brand loyalists... will reject it. But more than that, they will not just reject the product, they will begin to reject the whole brand.

There are well know BRAND DISASTERS. The best known is "New Coke". For the GOP, I am pretty confident that John McCain is New Coke.

New Coke

To the marketing team in Atlanta, New Coke's goals sounded reasonable. They wanted to:

• Expand the brand base
• Attract a new type of consumer
• Specifically, attract people who like Pepsi

The problem was that to attract new users, they left their hardcore, loyalist base behind. They had done the math. If they lost 9 but attracted 10, the net 1 positive would be great. In a close battle like Coke/Pepsi... any small gain would be huge. WRONG.

Losing a hardcore brand loyalist is not a 1-to-1 transaction. Brand loyalist are not consumers of the brand...they are actually a part of the brand! (As an aside, Starbucks is learning this today with their "Pike Place - All Day" strategy of having mainly milder coffee and less choices. They are quickly reversing course... but the damage is already done.)

John McCain and the GOP Brand
What are we told about the strengths of the John McCain brand?

• He will attract independents... expanding the base.
  
• He will be more liked by the press.
  
• He is a new type of Republican which is what we need since "W" is so loathed.

But the Republican coalition, and the vast majority of the hard core loyalists, are true believer Conservatives. Many of them (me included) think that "W" and the Republican Congress is already a "New Republican" - "A New Coke". The GOP brand has been changing for the past 8 years and is being changed again, but not back to the Reagan - Heritage Foundation - Cato Institute - Family Research Council brand that won in the 1980s.  

Long Term Damage
After 8 years of big spending / government expanding Republicanism, the further brand drift of McCain Republicanism can only damage the brand more. The loyalist, the hardcore users that are a part of the brand will react predictably:

• They will reduce spending on the product: donations, attending events and even voting
• They will lose passion and energy: remember, the brand was a part of them... they loved it... they believed in it at a deep, emotional level... and the brand has left them!
  
• At some point, some will look for a brand alternative: one with the attributes they have at their core... in their DNA (If other parties could win, migration would be much bigger and faster.)
  
• Libertarian Party
• Constitution Party

Keepers of the Brand
So who are the keepers of the brand? Who has the clout and organization to help the GOP find its way? I mentioned them earlier:

1. The Heritage Foundation
2. The Cato Institute
3. The Club for Growth
4. The Family Research Council
5. Campaign for Liberty

While these 5 are all a slightly different part of the Republican Coalition, all 4 are clearly under the brand umbrella.

If you are not donating to the GOP and McCain, don't stop giving.

Give to the keepers of the brand listed above.... and get involved !