Valley PR Blog

McCain using AZ firms to rebrand his image

By Linda VandeVrede on March 2nd, 2010 In Agencies

In advance of the Senate race, Arizona’s John McCain is working with local firm OVO to rebrand his political image.    The launch focuses on his brand identity and website.   According to OVO principle Ryan Durant, the new website is designed to encourage a “meaningful conversation between Senator McCain and the people of Arizona.”

The goal of their rebranding initiative was to take McCain’s town halls, for which he is known, and create a virtual interactive town hall on his website.    The initiative also seeks to enlighten Arizonans about McCain’s rigorous energy and unrelenting schedule, dispelling all the chatter we heard in the presidential race that he was too old and out of touch.

OVO is based in Phoenix, Arizona and Portland, Oregon and says they were approached by the Friends of McCain campaign to revitalize the brand.  Working with politicians is similar to branding for companies, Durant says, because the same core principles are involved  — communicating essential attributes of “the brand” through consistent, effective design.  OVO created the McCain Brand Identity  and worked with Forty Agency on the website.

You can view the new website here.  It includes all the de rigeur social media links (twitter, Facebook, Flickr) as well as user-posted videos about why they support John McCain.

I’m glad to see McCain using local talent, instead of trying to hire some high-dollar DC firm.  We don’t want a repeat of the Squaw Peak pots debacle, where two out-of-state artists were hired to create art along what is now the Piestewa freeway.

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