Are America's Political Parties Brands?

This isn't exactly PR news, but it came from AdAge.com, so I figure I'll give it a go.

I saw two different article titles on the website today: "After the Victory of Brand Obama, Now What?" and "To Rebuild, GOP Must Tear Down Its Brand and Return to Core Values." So my question is, have our political parties been reduced simply to brands?

To call out the "GOP brand" and "Brand Obama" seems to me to say that the Democratic and Republican Parties are just brands that the American public subscribe to. Call me naive, but I like to think that people follow a certain candidate because the agree with their ideas and policies, and not because they like the way their respective party brands itself.

Maybe I'm not politically active enough, but I've always thought that campaigning and all the commercial and propaganda that come with it are part of the election process. That's all well and good, but after the election is over, should we really be considering our President-Elect the face of a brand or as a man who won because of his ideals and message?

Tweet! Tweet! Twitter lands in PR Week

Who knew that everyone knows about Twitter? Before this class I had never heard of it, but now I've begun to notice it everywhere. In a PR week article "Tweeting Your Way to the Top" it is noted that Twitter is being talked about on CNN and in the Wall Street Journal and the New York Times.

So apparently Twitter isn't as unknown as I thought it was. I've probably been too caught up on Facebook to notice other social media sites. Twitter is being used to launch viral marketing campaigns, to initiate and maintain relationships with reports, and to create different media opportunities.

But therein lies my dilemma: how many social media and networking sites do I have to monitor in order to stay on top of everything that is going on in the public relations and other media communications fieldS? Am I going to turn in to Dwight and be myself in a Second Life? What is Flickr? Do I have to have both MySpace and Facebook accounts? I'm already clearly on Blogger and Twitter for class, and Facebook of my own accord. Where does it end?

However, as the PR field and the world in general becomes more technologically savvy, it is even more important to stay on top of this social media and networking trend. So while I may not create a Second Life avatar or join every social media site out there, when CNN, WSJ and the Times start talking about it, it might be time to take a closer look.

Starbucks: Free Coffee Equals Free PR

On election day, Starbucks offered a free tall cup of coffee to any customer who voted. Using only one paid spot and an online spot, Starbucks advertised their offer.

So was the free coffee worth the free PR for Starbucks? According to AdAge.com article on November 10, Starbucks' buzz rating increased from 25 percent to 51 percent on November 5. Starbucks isn't disclosing the cost of the promotion or how many cups of coffee were given away.

Starbucks is clearly already a very well-known and well-liked brand, but what I found interesting is the actual spot that ran. It puts Starbucks in a very positive light because they are promoting the give away as a reward rather than as a bribe. It was not "We'll give you a free cup only if you vote," but more of "Thank you for voting, here's your free coffee." It shows Starbucks as being a very socially responsible company because it acknowledged the right and privilege we have as Americans to vote.

While we as a public don't necessarily know the monetary ramifications that this promotion had on the company, I think it put Starbucks in a good light and also acknowledged those who exercised their right to vote. The free PR that Starbucks received from word of mouth and customer satisfaction seems to outweigh what the loss that it may have incurred from the give away. I thought it was refreshing to see a company that received free PR for doing something good for people and beneficial toward society rather than some sort of negative attention that ultimately results in publicity.