'Brand Obama,' in the Beginning

Reader Phil James, a Barack Obama supporter, writes from Des Moines (wait, Iowa still exists?) with an anecdote that shows Obama's aggressive branding strategy in action:
 
I knew there was something special to this campaign back in November prior to the Jefferson Jackson Day dinner in Des Moines.  My wife and I were in the parade that followed the Obamas up to the front door of Vets Auditorium.  Before the parade began, we pushed to the front of the crowd with our twin baby boys on our shoulders.  Someone from the side of the crowd handed us two handmade signs to carry in the parade, and we were all set to march with these signs until a campaign staffer grabbed it from us and gave us a campaign issued sign instead.  This was complete message control at its finest.

Point is, the Obama team has been on top of its branding from the start. Despite what some of the commenters have said, the seamlessness of the candidate's "corporate identity" does not automatically mean that he's an empty suit who's all style, no substance; well-designed logos and substantive policy papers are hardly mutually exclusive. (Obama has both.) That said, the campaign has been extremely vigilant about preserving and protecting its brand, as Phil notes, since at least last fall (and, really, for the past year). Clearly, Team Obama thinks this stuff is important. Which is why I do, too.