McCain campaign revamps with a “familiar” look

06 Jun

Posted by Cory Perry as Barack Obama, Election 2008, John McCain, Political Campaigns

Sen. John McCain recently relaunched his website, his message, and his slogans to “better communicate with the American people.”

What I find funny is that his new campaign look strikingly resembles that of another candidate that you may have heard of, Barack Obama.

First, let’s take a look at John McCain’s new slogan and background graphic….

The Slogan: A LEADER WE CAN BELIEVE IN

Hmm, that sounds really familiar to another slogan…..

CHANGE WE CAN BELIEVE IN

Barack Obama has been using that slogan since the very beginning of his campaign as noted on the poster below:

Now, let’s take a look at the same McCain ad posted above and notice the background graphic. Again, very similar to that of the Obama logo, which he has used all throughout the campaign.

The fact that the McCain campaign would use anything even remotely similar to the Obama campaign’s graphics is evidence that Obama’s message and graphics are truly working. I just find it odd that would copy the stuff as closely as they have.

The last thing that the McCain campaign should be doing is associating John McCain, in full senior citizen status, to the sleek, cool, “web 2.0″ trend of graphics and media.

It actually makes him look about 20 years older than he really is.

What are your thoughts on it? Obvious hack job or just a “by chance” similarity of campaigns????

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8 Responses

Adrian Fuhrman

June 6th, 2008 at 11:48 am
1

I like that McCain is FOLLOWING Obama. It shows who the real LEADER is, and it’s OBAMA. Thanks for the vote of confidence John.
Jennifer

June 6th, 2008 at 12:54 pm
2

COPYCAT, COPYCAT, COPYCAT!!

Can’t they at least hire a design graphics person to come up with their OWN design?

This alone shows that the GOP is following Barack Obama. This says it all. Obama is a true leader; a leader must have followers, John McBush is a follower.
Cory Perry

June 6th, 2008 at 1:23 pm
3

A few people have said it looks like a TGI Friday’s ad, which I had not thought of earlier!

Jennifer, you are right, every leader needs followers.

–Cory
FAYE

June 6th, 2008 at 1:33 pm
4

NOTHING BUT A BIG COPYCAT!! BUT WE KNOW WHO IS THE REAL LEADER FOR REAL CHANGE AND IT IS NO ONE BUT OBAMA.AND YES FROM DAY ONE THIS HAS BEEN OBAMA MESSAGE AND IT HAS NEVER CHANGE.SO COPYCAT MCAIN FIND YOUR OWN MESSAGE AND TRY TO STICK WITH IT ALONG WITH YOUR OWN GRAPHIC. YES WE CAN OBAMA 2008 AND YES WE DID.
Charles

June 6th, 2008 at 2:46 pm
5

I’m an Obama supporter, but I’m going to play devil’s advocate here.

As to the slogans, sometimes it’s effective to take the opposition’s words and put a spin on them. “Hope” is an ethereal thing, whereas “a leader” is concrete, and that’s one of the things that the Republicans will be harping on this summer and fall, the theory that Obama is all flash and no substance, and McCain is substance and gravitas, with little flash. So I don’t see the use of the motto to be so much copying as “using his own words against him”.

With the graphics, I don’t see it. In fact, I think they illustrate perfectly the differences between the candidates.

McCain’s graphic is staid, flat, and no different than you can find on any number of political sites all over the place. There’s only so many ways you can arrange a blue field and red and white stripes, and that’s one of them. (We could get into the perspective and the fact that the stripes are retreating over the horizon, much as McCain and his campaign are doing, but I’ll leave that to someone else.)

Obama’s, on the other hand, does do something different with the basic colors. The same “moving stripes” theme is present in both images, creating a theme, as is the “O” circle, but the lines are moving side-to-side instead of backwards, and the designs are crisp, clear, and anything but boring.

Charles
http://pavco.wordpress.com
Indy!

June 6th, 2008 at 3:37 pm
6

No matter how you slice it - McCain just looks old and tired.
Linda

June 6th, 2008 at 4:47 pm
7

I noticed the same thing Tuesday night when Mac gave his speech in Kenner, LA. I made the comment that his Communications(?) Director should be fired. That green background made him look gray and decrepit. It’s almost like a 50 yr old woman dressing like a teenager, it doesn’t work.
LaDina Epstein

June 8th, 2008 at 12:46 pm
8

They say ‘imitation is the sincerest form of flattery,’ or is it?? GO OBAMA.