It seems everyone is re-branding these days. George Stephanopoulos was talking about the need for the Republican party to re-brand during his show “This Week“. Should the party change its mascot from the elephant to a pig? Probably not. Pigs over-consume and that is not in vogue with the current state of the economy. In addition, the swine flu has harmed the image of the pig. What about a dog? Dogs are man’s (and woman’s) best friend. They are loyal. This might work as a new symbol for the Republican Party.
When re-branding a product, a company is seeking new customers and expanding its market share. The Republican Party will be seeking additional voters. The Republican Party has taken to the road for town meetings with pizza to get in touch with the public. Enticing people with food or other free giveaways is a great way to obtain information for use in re-branding efforts.
One way to tap into a different voting base, the younger voters, would be to take a page from the Democrats and use the Internet. The Republican Party can no longer ignore the Internet. Maybe, twittering would be a new venue that the Republican Party could start its re-branding. Many young voters are American Idol fans (as are older voters). If the Republican Party could hire new idol Kris Allen to sing a theme song, this could boost its membership and ultimately voters.
Part of the re-branding efforts will also include slogans and a platform of issues. It is a big process that could take years. It will be an interesting process to see how the Republican Party has re-branded itself for a run at the presidency in 2012.