The Marlboro Man, the “Most Influential Person Who Never Lived” helped turn a feminine cigarette brand into an icon of male strength. The ad campaign succeeded not because the cowboy in question was especially articulate or had particularly compelling reasons to smoke – it succeeded because the Marlboro Man was a metaphor. The ad campaign associated Marlboro cigarettes with an ideal of the rugged individual – the ads said, “this guy is strong, he smokes Marlboros; you want to be strong, smoke Marlboros.” Male smokers liked the metaphor and connected with it by buying the smokes.
Political candidates have long used this tactic to attract support. To prove they're tough, Democrats try to get endorsements from law enforcement; to prove they care about the working man, Republicans want to be seen with labor unions.
Senators Clinton and Obama are both working hard to secure the endorsement of African Americans. Black endorsements of Clinton signal to black voters that it’s ok to vote for the white woman – and against the most credible African American candidate for President in American history. Meanwhile black endorsements of Obama remind black voters that they should vote for an African American for President.
On the Republican side, Governor Romney is looking for non-Mormon religious leader endorsements so he can be a Man of Faith rather than a Man of That Faith. McCain needs to prove he is both independent (his strength) and loyal to the Republican Party, making his endorsement chase a bit trickier.
These endorsements are Marlboro Men. The hope is to get voters to associate with the endorser which entails supporting the endorsee. People don’t buy Marlboros because they like the cigarettes better than Camels – they buy Marlboros because they like the Marlboro Man.
As The Washington Post’s Chris Cillizza notes endorsements in themselves are of "marginal” value. Yet as Cillizza writes, Senator Kerry’s endorsement of Senator Obama, "could have powerful symbolic weight as well.” For Cillizza, Kerry’s endorsement shows that Obama is up to the job of being President – the endorsement in itself doesn’t mean much, few voters were waiting for Kerry to weigh in before making up their minds. But the metaphorical impact of the endorsement helps tell the larger story about Obama. Obama himself is a metaphor for the American Dream and an optimistic future – Kerry can help add depth to the story, demonstrating Obama isn’t naïve hope, but rather is a hope that can deliver on its promise.
Campaigns are not collections of competing issues, they are stories. Candidates are the protagonists in the stories the campaigns tell. And we read those stories the same way we read ads and the same way we read books. We use the clues provided – cowboys, senators, community leaders – to tell us who the good guys and bad guys are and whose side we should be on.
