No matter where you sit on the political fence, one thing this year�??s democratic presidential primary did was effectively change the way politicians effectively compete. Here are the five things I spotted that help reinforce some of the ways we can effectively brand a company, and drive a memorable (and thereby effective) recruitment campaign:

Don�??t slander the competition; state and consistently reiterate what you do best/differently/efficiently. Throughout the primary, we watched Obama strategically avoid (for the most part) getting too immersed in defending. By working to avoid political smear tactics, the Obama campaign kept their message and communication focused to their strengths rather than the competitions�?? failures. The ad campaign used upbeat, positive ads, they promoted a message of empowerment. Most importantly, they left the leer and jeer to everyone else. In the people business, this is the fast track to separating yourself from the competition without marring your reputation in the process.

Meet your talent where they live. There was concern about Obama�??s ability to create buzz and generate support in a country where he was still a relative unknown among the general public. While we expect candidates to reach out in the typical ways, across our televisions and in debates, The Obama campaign did a lot of ground work and brand building in the key locales they knew they would need early to be able to compete in the primary. Developing a recruitment brand means reaching out beyond standard venues for advertising, and into some non-traditional arenas. It means ongoing and consistent outreach to local associations, professional groups, peer groups, and any event that may draw or appeal to your target market. It doesn�??t have to start big, but it does have to be consistent enough for people to believe your sincerity.

Let your talent, sell your culture. We�??ve heard the jokes. Obamabots. Obama Mommas. Obama-maniacs. Whatever you call them, you cannot deny their passion, their belief and their commitment to their candidate. The campaign raised unprecedented dollar amounts to drive and compete in the primary race. They rallied. They cold called. They branded their homes, their blogs, their office spaces and their cars. While some would say it�??s been just a hair short of cult status, you can bet that many of the great ideas we saw employed by the Obama campaign were born out of the trends and interests of the passionate minds that donated time and money to the effort. Question their logic, but you cannot question their loyalty. And what company doesn�??t like loyalty?

Embrace technology, social networking and meta data. Youtube, Facebook, LinkedIn, Flickr, MySpace, blogs, Internet aggregators, podcasts, vlogs, microblogs. Adage�??s article about the Obama campaign�??s use of social media made it abundantly clear: master technological innovation and you drive impressive results. Creating company profiles, professional associations, or network groups using some of these handy communication tools are some of the most cost efficient ways to a) establish your brand, b) generate press and c) establish a base for recruiting. Technology drives communication. Social networking builds a reliable base to communicate with and meta data assists in ensuring the people you are looking for, can also look for you. That�??s a post unto itself.

Make the most of your own Internet space. The BarackObama.com website did what every recruitment site should do. Collect, engage and empower. Through a strong social media blitz, events and personalization with mybarackobama.com, the campaign was successful in drawing in visitors and finding innovative and engaging ways to make them come back. (to read a good post on the topic of maintaining your own social network, read Steve O�??Hear�??s post on ZDNet) The most effective achievement of the site was allowing visitors to customize their experience with the site, form their own networks and communities, and build on their commitment from there.

These points are nothing new, but it�??s always nice to see them executed on a large scale to do some comparative analysis.