One of the images that has played out on American TV all week is that of Hillary Clinton reintroducing herself to the public.
And, this post isn’t meant as a political statement…but it does provide a good opportunity for me to talk about how you can reinvent your brand, even if you are extremely well known.
1. Be Open: One of the messes that Hilary found herself stepping in early on was the email mess with the State Department. Her press conference on the subject left even supporters scratching their heads about what in the world was going on. But as she has kicked off her campaign, she has made the effort to come off as open and engaging with voters. So the first thing is to be open…if you are trying to change perception and image, people need to be able to engage the new reality.
2. Be Honest: This goes back to the email scenario and how it reinforced many negative stereotypes of the Clintons. And, we all have to be honest…the not wanting to carry multiple devices argument was pretty weak, but for a reinvention of your brand, it is essential to be honest about what the brand stands for and what the change in position is all about. The policy platform that Secretary Clinton is rolling out has the potential to help with this, but it is still too early to say with certainty how honest this messaging will feel over time.
3. Be Authentic: Since I am writing about Hilary Clinton, I will use her as an example…but the lesson is applicable everywhere. You don’t have to have shared the same burdens that your target audience has or have the same experience to be authentic. Authenticity comes out of a shared vision and a shared mission. Going back to Secretary Clinton’s platform, she can be successful in being authentic by focusing on how she has engaged these issues throughout her life and how she shares in the vision of helping others achieve their mission. Through a shared ideal, she can be authentic.
This is something that will be interesting to see play out over the next few months.