Learning positioning from politics…

Whether you’re a Republican, Democrat, or independent, all marketers can learn from the Barack Obama campaign about how to deliver a message that states, “I am the right choice.” Even better, Obama is learning from us, too, about how to deliver that message in a post-media marketplace.

First, the message. Watch this.

Obama’s positioning, as an outsider, fighting the cynicism prevelant in modern politics has been done before. Up until now, John McCain tried to hold that line and had done a reasonable job. But McCain, for his many accomplishments as a Senator and statesman, has never seemed to connect beyond his core audience. Obama, by talking about his experiences in small towns and big cities, in local government and national, and with Republicans and Democrats, cast a wide net with a focused position. He even managed to address his lack of tenure and turn it from a negative to at least a neutral. Copywriters and Aaron Sorkin alike can learn a lot from that speech.

Better still, the Obama campaign is learning quickly how to do the job better. Fred Wilson wrote an excellent critique – and a later follow-up – of the campaign’s mis-steps on their first day. It looks like they’ve corrected some of them already – notably, the ability to embed video. And while they still need to correct others – the ability to include offsite blogs within a member’s profile is a gaping hole – the progress is impressive.

I don’t know if Obama will win. I don’t know enough about him yet to suggest he should win. But what he’s doing so well is creating a demand for his product, solely on the basis of his positioning as someone above the fray. And he’s finding the right ways to deliver that message to an audience looking for something different. It may turn out as nothing more than style over substance. But you’ve got to admire the style.