As Sens. Obama and McCain contemplate their choices for VP, speculation abounds to who will be the eventual picks. Even as the role of the VP becomes a more prominent one, the person chosen still has to paint a picture that voters can relate to and balance the potential negatives of the presidential candidate. So the marketing choices that these two campaigns face are obvious. Senator Obama faces skepticism on multiple fronts including his age, lack of experience, and his race. We, as marketing observers, can be assured that the his top VP candidates are most likely experienced, white males with some gray hair. Senator McCain must overcome ageism and all the stereotypes it evokes. Those stereotypes include lack of vigor, being out of touch, and not seeming as ‘cool’ as the new kid on the block. Assuredly his top VP choices include someone younger, charismatic, and potentially a minority (in race or gender). And as we have seen marketers increasingly utilize more ‘diverse’ actors and models in the mass market to paint a picture, now we will be able to see that ‘diversity’ play out in the national political arena as well.

Article Tags: Diversity | McCain | Multicultural | Obama | Political Marketing | Quantas Ginn
Filed under: Campaign Critiques, Political Marketing, Quantas Ginn