Can Obama help resurrect Harper’s political branding, or is it too late?

If you haven’t heard the news, Stephen Harper, the Prime Minister of Canada, is finally about to follow through on an olive branch he extended to Barack Obama… last November. This comes as exciting news to Canadians who have been waiting for their fearless leader to do, well, anything that resembles what the leader of a nation might do amidst one of history’s greatest recessions. But after months of acting more like the Governor General than the Prime Minister, can Harper really meet the objectives that are oh-so imperative to our nation (and the Conservative leadership) with this historic visit?

I’m going to say no.

As many Canadian and US political writers are eager to discuss, Obama and Harper have some common interests, but in addition to being on different sides of the political centre, it’s difficult to see what common bond will really allow them to hit it off. In addition, since Harper squeaked back into the PM’s office and Obama took the office of President in a dominant, emotional triumph, the two have taken decidedly different approaches to leadership. But the issue here isn’t their personalities or their differences, but rather their ability to work together to create positive change. I’ve borrowed Obama’s favourite word here for a reason – because in spite of his differences from President Obama, Prime Minister Harper has worked himself into a position where he needs change as much as anyone. The PM’s biggest problem seems to be that he just hasn’t done anything to show us he realizes that. So this week, Harper will finally do what he should have done the day after the election and sit down with the Change-maker himself. But is he too late?

This time, I’m going to say, hopefully not.

With an awe-inspiring rise to the Presidency and with visibility and popularity that few leaders in history could claim so early in their term, the man that Stephen Harper is scheduled to sit down with has already become more than a man. His impressive media presence and inspirational march to victory have built one of the world’s strongest political, spiritual and social brands. With catch phrases like “Yes We Can” and bold imagery like we see above, the Obama brand is one that’s inspiring loyalty on the level of Coke and Nike, but backed with supporters passionate enough to turn most corporate brands green with envy. But really, who didn’t see this coming – at least a little? From the excitement around the US to the gathering in Chicago’s Grant Park on election night to the racial and social unity that America’s first black president has helped to foster, it was immediately evident President Obama was going to be a special political figure. And, an important brand for other, weaker political brands (like say, Harper) to be aligned with.

My question is, how could Harper drop the ball like this?

In the midst of one of history’s greatest financial crises, Canada’s most important political, military and trade ally elected a new leader to fanfare that might be reserved only for the second coming. And Prime Minister Harper wasn’t on his doorstep the next day with a cadre of photographers? Instead, he shuts down his own parliament, shies from the political spotlight, and after four months, has his most important ally and the busiest man in politics today, come to him? What kind of a message is he sending to the people of Canada, who incidentally, have been more supportive of Obama than their own government of late? What is this doing to the “Harper brand”?

So this week, for the first time, Stephen Harper will attempt to begin building a brand partnership that seems long overdue. Any business person will tell you that partnerships are important for a myriad of reasons – financial gain, to garner goodwill from customers, to help balance out your business’ own inefficiencies. Should not Stephen Harper, a man who is praised for his skill as a business person and a strategist, have been able to realize the vital importance of this partnership to his own brand, on so many levels? Sure pundits would argue that he weakened the Canadian position by leaping to embrace Obama, but in these economic times, a message of unity and collaboration for the greater good could’ve easily silenced those critics.

Instead, the only person who has been silenced since Obama’s inauguration is Harper – and by his own choice. Now that it seems he’s finally ready to speak, let’s hope for Canada’s sake, that it’s not too late.

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