Posted on 08/30/2004 3:05:24 PM PDT by presidio9
It's no startling insight to point out that presidential candidates sell themselves as if they were breakfast cereal or laundry detergent. So it was perhaps inevitable that this would be taken a step further by studying consumers ... er, voters ... along these same lines.
Accordingly, a new survey asked respondents to define the candidates in terms of popular advertising brands.
Bush supporters, for example, think Mr. Bush is Bud Light and Mr. Kerry is Heineken. Kerry backers see Mr. Bush as IBM and Mr. Kerry as Dell.
The study, conducted jointly by WPP Group's Landor branding consultancy and Penn, Schoen & Berland Associates, a market-research company that works for political -- usually Democratic -- campaigns, seems to reflect the obvious attributes of the president's incumbency: Mr. Bush is like a "well-known leadership brand" and Mr. Kerry a "lesser-known challenger brand." Winning over undecided voters could depend on managing these two "critical points of differentiation," according to the survey's findings.
It also depends on where you like to go for breakfast. Undecided voters see Mr. Bush as Dunkin' Donuts and Mr. Kerry as Starbucks. Lunch? Mr. Bush is McDonald's; Mr. Kerry is Subway to the undecideds. Reading material? Undecided voters link Mr. Bush to Business Week and Mr. Kerry with People.
These undecideds, like the Bush supporters, see Mr. Bush as a Ford, Mr. Kerry as a BMW. They also think Mr. Bush is IBM while Mr. Kerry is Apple Computer. Oddly, Mr. Bush is linked by undecideds to Sam Adams from Boston Beer, in Mr. Kerry's backyard.
Mr. Bush's brands are seen as "ol' reliables" that some voters may associate with being outdated or unwilling to change, according to the survey. At the same time, those brands are eminently dependable.
(Excerpt) Read more at online.wsj.com ...
(now if only I could learn to SPELL > dependable! lol)
I take exception. The Hummer should be Clinton's vehicle.
Kerry is a cardboard cut-out of a car.
And Reagan's a 1953 Chevy 3100 5 window pickup.
Classic styling that's head and shoulders above the rest.
HE IS ALSO A RENAULT AND A PUGEOT. THESE CARS DO NOT EXIST IN AMERICA.
I can see Teraaayza now, "Subway?, I don't want to eat underground"
I drive a BMW with a Bush/Cheney bumper sticker on it. And Heineken is light years ahead of Bud Light in my book.
*dirty sniggering ensues*
That's the best Clinton joke I've heard in ages.
Kerry is a Renault or a Puegot.
Damn you, you beat me!
He'd be an H2.
All pomp built on a weak chassis.
I drive a BMW and a Ford.
Kerry is neither.
See my #33.
With wiring and lights by Lucas Electronics. Lucas - The Prince of Darkness.
yes, you hit the mark
Okay, that's enough.
Can see President Bush as a SUV Ford but I see Ketchupman as an Edsel.
Okay, now I like Krispy Kreme, pre-Daimler Chryslers, Wendy's/White Castle, and Sears.
(By the way, Target and K-Mart are Discount houses, not Retail Stores per se.)
Does that mean I have to vote Third Party?
Moreover, in autos: I would liken Kerry to a Triumph, Fiat or a Peugeot Dauphin: underpowered, poorly designed, high maintenance, and still used by rich people, and looks most at home in foreign countries.
Coffee: Kerry is definitely Burger King coffee (drink too much and you will find out why)
Technology: Kerry is a Sol computer. (Over priced, using '70s technology, and despite a lot of hype, got nowhere).
Retail: If this counts I would say, "Bed Bath Beyond/Linens and Things" for this Metrosexual. A lot of frilly over-priced, poorly built doodads from the PRC.
Fast Food: Nathans', home of the best known liberal weiners!
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