The Substance Gambit

Joe Biden just gave a rousing speech at the DNC tonight. For many, it seemed to encapsulate a lot of the substance they felt has been missing from Obama's rhetoric. 

I wonder if Obama's omission of "specific" specifics has been deliberate.

Think of it this way: Tonight, four Republican pundits will grace Larry King Live with their reactions to Biden's speech. At the very least, they'll attempt to say, "Well, Biden might have the experience and/or the substance...but we haven't heard it from the man (Obama) himself."

In other words, by denying the audience the Substance/Experience story, Obama has primed the critics to ask for—to demand—Substance/Experience. The critics have primed the rest of us to expect these stories.

So, tomorrow, if Obama finally reveals the Substance/Experience story, it's something we want to hear. All of a sudden, Obama is fulfilling our needs. We become grateful to him.

By avoiding specifics until the audience (and his brand's critics) demand them, Obama builds some level of positive expectation for those stories. Of course, if he doesn't deliver, it's a huge failure. (But when has Obama not given a good speech?)

It reminds me of the plot line within the film American President. Michael Douglas' character, the President, avoids talking about his girlfriend, despite quite compelling reasons to do so. But when he does finally speak... He's got our willing, and ready, ear. We want to believe him.

And maybe what he has to say, the story he has to tell, is suddenly that much better, that much bigger because he's been avoiding it all the while.

From a marketing perspective, it is possible to avoid those "stories that ultimately must be told" for quite a long time. Maybe they should be avoided for a reason. (Witness the Tobacco Industry.) Or maybe, as marketers and as people, we're simply just not comfortable with the subject matter. But—these stories ultimately will be told.

The question is, how well will they be told? Perhaps by withholding these stories, we can build expectation which translates into positive relief and goodwill when they finally are told.

It's an interesting gambit.