While we watch today as America sets out to cast their vote for candidates seeking office for senate, congress, sheriff, governor and President, we reflect back on this year’s race and examples from the past, to compare how the contenders marketed their campaign, platforms and personal brand.

How a politician markets him or herself is an amazing thing to watch.  Marketing in politics is a complex topic, but one of its most well-known clichés is ‘spin.’ Not just for politics, how you spin a competitive edge, product or service to the public in an effort to better your brand and offering.

Appropriately, the term was born of ‘America’s past-time’ for the three years between Presidential elections, baseball. It refers to the ‘spin’ a pitcher would put on a curveball to deceive the batter. If you’ve ever swung for a curve, you know what it means to be taken by the illusion.

Used politically, the term ‘spin doctor’ popped up in an article in the New York Times during the Reagan administration, but the history of politicians putting a new twist on information is nothing new.

In 1800, Thomas Jefferson hired a writer to besmirch the good name of incumbent John Adams as “mentally deranged.” Jefferson won the election.

Today, attack ads seem to be more common than self-promotional ads, and there’s no shortage of funding for both sides. Reports indicate that both President Barack Obama and Governor Mitt Romney have spent upwards of $800M in campaign promotion.

(Editorial note: Counting the entirety of the party, Republicans are reported to have outspent Democrats for the Presidential race.)

Of these huge marketing budgets, about 40% was spent on television ads. Of those television ads, 85% to 91% were reported to be negative/attack ads.

Despite the hundreds of millions of dollars spent on political advertising, the mass public hates the idea. Generally, the public is frustrated and, most importantly, has become confused to the issues.  Marketing fails when you continue to hype and make big promises that you simply cannot keep.  Then you spin more on how your failed ventures did indeed follow what you said.  It is an endless cycle.

Fear-based selling does work in some cases, but ultimately people catch on and get frustrated.  Sadly, we live in a time where both sides are focused on fear because they’ve lost touch with marketing their true beliefs.  They’ve lost faith in their own personal brand and resorted to a more dire need of capturing the vote.

Maybe someday, a candidate will come out with something incredible.  Market their goals and vision.  Have solid plans in place and not worry about the other person.  Just market who they are.  People will listen and make an intelligent choice.  Not one based on fear or lies.

Historical Campaign Fun Facts

To take a look back on some fun aspects of political elections you can visit http://www.4president.org/ to see the campaign letters, posters, and buttons from 1960 – today.  Some additional fun election facts on spending:

• In 1758, George Washington spent approximately $40 on booze to “treat” voters on election day for the Virginia House of Burgesses.
• 1832 was the first time a third party was entered into the final election.  Andrew Jackson vs. Henry Clay vs. William Wirt.  It was the Anti-Masons party.
• In 1867 the first federal campaign finance reform law goes into effect making it illegal to pressure workers at naval yards for political contributions.
• In 1872 Railroader Jay Cooke gave $50,000 to the Republican Party.  First major contribution that led Ulysses S. Grant under great obligation to men of wealth.
• In 1911 Congress introduced individual spending limits on federal campaigns.
• In 1997 the Clinton Administration released a list of over 900 overnight guests at the White House.  Many received gifts and meetings with the president while donating over 10 million to the Democratic party.
• In 2012 over 50% of donors donated online.  10% donated by sending a text message.  Over 57% of online donations were from Democrats.

Some General campaign and presidential facts you might not know:

• Twelve of the fifty-six signers of the Declaration of Independence were thirty-five years or younger.
• Victoria Woodhull became the first woman to run for President in 1872.
• Martin Van Buren was the first natural-born American to become president in 1837. Each of the seven previous presidents were born as British subjects.
• Ronald Reagan is the only divorced man to be elected president.
• James Buchanan is the only bachelor to be elected president.
• The only President and Vice President to never be elected to the office was Gerald Ford. He became vice president when Spiro Agnew resigned and became president when Nixon resigned.
• Barack Obama is the nation’s 44th president but in reality there have only been 43 presidents. Grover Cleveland is counted twice as our 22nd and 24th president because he was elected for two nonconsecutive terms.
• The first presidential election was held on the first Wednesday of January in 1789. No one contested the election of George Washington.