John Edwards: Compassion and Connections Might Not Be Enough

Unlike Clinton and Obama, John Edwards has seen erosion in his core brand attribute: his brand relevance or connection with voters. In April, Edwards (27%) led Obama (15%) and Clinton (11%) on average connectivity ratings.  Today his net score has not only fallen to 14 percent, he now trails Obama and Clinton with 24 percent and 20 percent respectively.  Edwards’s biggest strength – being most in-tune with South Carolina voters fell from 40 percent in April to just 23 percent in September.

Edwards’s other relative strength before was his personality, but again he has seen significant declines here.  For example, the South Carolina native son has seen his net likability rating fall from 21 percent to 11 percent.

What We Said in April

• John Edwards is compassionate and likable.
• Edwards is a Prius – comfortable headroom and good for the world.
• While Edwards embodies a bit of the personal connection Obama’s Apple afficianados have with their machines, Edwards is more like a Blackberry or a trusty wireless phone: always there, always keeping you in touch.
• If we had to pick a baseball team for Edwards, it would probably be the pre-2004 Boston Red Sox – a bit of hard luck story with a lot of nostalgic appeal.

Brand Attributes

• Relationships and connections
• Likability
• Warmth and charm
• Losing ground on his core strengths and failing to improve weaknesses