This is a great post because it comes down a fundamental truth about so many businesses and brands as well as politics … that “featurespeak” is ultimately not what people are buying. Hillary may have the best knowledge and facts at her disposal, for a politician that’s the equivalent of a product having the best features. The problem for her as for a hot product is that without the right personality you can’t make that connection. I love your book because this is a perspective that you share – that brands need to get beyond buzz. It’s also one that I just wrote a whole book about, and called it Personality Not Included. In both cases, something essential is missing – and the successful brands as well as the successful politicians are the ones that find a way to put it back.

Kind of the like the exec’s blocking blogs thinking that strategy was ‘a good thing’.

Old school marketers used to selling and telling people rather than serving and relating with their product/services’ tribe/s find it really hard to talk with people.

As I just read recently (can’t remember where), it’s like ‘someone handed the key’s to the inmates’…

As seems to be true for Mrs. Clinton, talking at rather than talking with was the right way to do things for a long, long time – as was learning how to say well what research advised was what their market wanted to hear.

Looks like we’re finding out that being substantially knowledgeable used to be the primary currency of character (plus tenacity, et al): now emotive wisdom and relationship skills, combined with substantial knowledge, is.

As is authenticity and integrity – another matter, but oh so vitally related.

New game. New Rules. To my mind, better in both regards, but boy its painful to watch good, hard-working, tenacious people slam into them without even knowing they’re there.

And here’s some reverse prejudice for you: I would have thought a woman would have more naturally and adroitly navigated these waters of relational change (as so many of us probably have – how’s that for arrogant assumption?)

I was really hoping this woman would.

But in this new world, it seems clear that no matter what the product or service, if you’re talkin’ at us (smart, tough and knowledgeable though you may be) passing go just ain’t the sure bet it used to be.