Here's a post from one of the greatest marketing minds around today, talking about Hillary's dilemma, and makiing it clear, in a non-political context what is at stake, and the foolishness of her apparent choice.
Hillary is faced with the basic marketing question - should I quit, since I have sunk so much into this, or should I keep going? Here's how Seth talks about it....
And in The Dip, I talk about the powerful benefits of quitting.
Which leads to an interesting marketing question that doesn't have a lot to do with your political views and a lot to do with your take on sunk costs and brand quality: Should Hillary Clinton quit?
Certainly, there are a lot of sunk costs. Years of effort, dues paid, heartaches endured. This might be her best window of opportunity, after all. And yet, all of these sunk costs should be completely irrelevant to the decision. For every brand and for every person, yesterday is irretrievably gone and tomorrow is worth a great deal.
Hillary as 'brand' is somewhat less charged, and maybe if she would just give this some thought from a basic marketing perspective she might reconsider:
Here's the math as I see it for brand Hillary: The only chance she has to win is to burn down other brands, violate protocol, push harder than many think appropriate. She has to change her brand to achieve her goal. Not only that, but she has to risk the entire Party at the same time. If she does manage to win the nomination, she will be pilloried by the right (the very same Rush that endorsed her in Texas). They're just waiting for the chance.
Politicians are so quick to not quit, but why can't she see the simple marketing truth of it all.....the ONLY way she wins now is to QUIT!
And the alternative?
The alternative is to quit. To become a statesman. A respected power broker.
Lots of times the right answer is obvious if the marketing is done well.....