Presidential ImagePower Study Compares Bush and Kerry to Well-Known Brands

NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Aug. 30, 2004--

Landor Associates and Penn Schoen and Berland Study Shows That Among Undecided Voters, Bush is Like Ford, Kerry is Like BMW

“Mapping Bush and Kerry to well-known product and corporate brands reveals how each candidate is viewed and suggests brand strategies each can employ to potentially sway the critical undecided voter group”

The Presidential ImagePower(R) study released jointly by branding firm Landor Associates and research firm Penn, Schoen and Berland reveals how Bush and Kerry's respective supporters, as well as how undecided voters, perceive the two candidates.

Between August 6th and 11th 2004, Penn, Schoen and Berland conducted 1,262 Internet interviews among a representative sample of registered voters who plan to vote in the upcoming presidential election and are familiar with both candidates and their respective running mates (Bush, Kerry, Cheney, Edwards). Results are grouped into three categories: likely Bush voters, likely Kerry voters and undecided voters.

"Mapping Bush and Kerry to well-known product and corporate brands reveals how each candidate is viewed and suggests brand strategies each can employ to potentially sway the critical undecided voter group," said Landor New York's Managing Director Allen Adamson.

"Among the three voters groups in the study, both candidates are often associated with certain brands, regardless of the respondents' political leaning," said Mike Berland, Partner at Penn, Schoen and Berland. "So it's less about 'good' versus 'bad' and more about how the candidates - just like brands - offer both pro's and con's."

The study yielded several key findings

Each of the three voters groups tend to agree more on the brands they associate with Bush (IBM, Ford and Bud Light) - albeit for different reasons - while there is more of a divide when it comes to Kerry, with undecided voters sometimes agreeing with Bush supporters, other times with Kerry supporters. This difference in opinion reinforces the idea that Bush's brand is more established while Kerry's brand has a greater ability to shape voters' perceptions.

-- Among their respective supporters: Bush is associated with the positive attributes of established mainstay brands like Bud Light, IBM and Ford ("reliable", "humble", "heritage", "solid"); Kerry is associated with the positive attributes of premium brands like Heineken, Apple, and BMW ("high-quality", "high-performance", "hip", "young")

-- Among their respective detractors: In addition to Dunkin' Donuts, Kmart and McDonald's, Bush is again associated with Bud Light, IBM and Ford - but in this case because of their negative brand attributes ("down-market" and "outdated"); there is less cross-over with Kerry, who is once again associated with Starbuck's (its negative attribute being "expensive"), as well as the negative attributes of brands like BMW ("elite") on one end and Motel 6 ("lacking substance") on the other

-- Among undecided voters: Kerry appears to have the advantage because undecided voters tend to associate him with certain brands based more on their positive than their negative attributes: Apple is "young" and "hip", Target offers "value for everyone", Starbuck's is "young" (but also "elite"), but on the negative side, BMW is "expensive"; among this same group, Bush is associated with certain brands based more on their negative than positive attributes: Kmart is "irrelevant", Dunkin' Donuts is "cheap", McDonald's is "bad for you", but on the positive side, Samuel Adams is "trustworthy" and "patriotic"

Brand strategies for winning the undecided vote

Among all three groups of respondents, both presidential candidates are associated with strong brands. However, the reasons for the candidates' perceived strength differ greatly, meaning both candidates should take different approaches when wooing undecided voters.

"Based on Landor's experience with brand life cycles, we think the data suggests that among undecided voters, Kerry's position is stronger than that of Bush. Among that group, the 'Kerry brands are ones that tend to occupy newer, more solid territory - these brands have a lot of potential and are at or approaching the height of their success. In contrast, the 'Bush brands' are more mature category leaders that, while proven, must guard against being perceived as irrelevant, " said Adamson.

According to Berland, this means that from a political perspective, "To win undecided voters, Kerry must prove that he has substance, that he's not all flash and marketing. Bush, on the other hand, must focus on emphasizing that his strengths - stability and reliability - are more important than being ultra-modern or progressive."

Landor Associates is a leading global brand strategy and design consultancy. Founded by industry pioneer Walter Landor in 1941, we have a rich heritage of brand strategy and design leadership. Partnering with clients, Landor drives business transformation and business performance through strategic branding.

Landor's services include brand positioning, brand equity management, brand architecture, brand research, brand valuation, corporate and consumer branding, brand engagement, branded environments, naming and writing, and digital branding.

Landor has an unrivaled client portfolio that includes Frito-Lay, BP, P&G, FedEx, NYSE, Microsoft, Delta Air Lines, France Telecom, Pfizer, Ford, and the Olympic Games in Atlanta, Nagano and Salt Lake City. Landor is a division of Young & Rubicam Brands, which is part of WPP - one of the world's leading global communications services groups.

For more information, please visit www.landor.com.

Penn, Schoen and Berland Associates has nearly 30 years of experience in leveraging consumer opinion to provide clients with a competitive advantage, or more simply - providing our clients with Winning Knowledge(TM).

PSB brings an extensive network and unique knowledge base to bear on your communications issues. We use our experience and global reach to deliver unrivaled business and political insights.

PSB executes polling and message testing services in over 70 countries for Fortune(R)500 companies and major political campaigns to develop brand positioning, guide successful advertising campaigns, generate favorable publicity, and advise in crisis management decisions.

For more information, please visit www.psbsurveys.com.