The material in this case can be used to determine brand positioning and brand essence statements in the context of presidential campaigns. The case presents the 2016 nominating process where 18 major contenders were vying to be the Republican Party's presidential candidate. The challenge is focused on Carly Fiorina who was largely unknown and faced obstacles that more familiar candidates did not. To make it to the finish line, she would need to find a way to break through the clutter and become known. But being known was only part of the challenge. The other challenge was figuring out how to position Fiorina such that she was meaningfully different from the other candidates and yet quite compelling and relevant for the target voters. To do this, her team would have to identify the best target (e.g., demographically and psychographically) and then determine the strategic brand positioning (i.e., brand essence statement).
