Jersey City (October 26, 2005) — Rick Keating will discuss Branding the Candidates: Political Campaigns in the Commercial Age at Saint Peter’s College as part of the Guarini Center Lecture Series on Thursday, November 3 at 10 a.m. in Pope Lecture Hall. “Mr. Keating’s expertise in consumer and product branding and how those concepts are applied to the electoral process will provide insight into the upcoming elections and their respective marketing campaigns,” said Dr. Ken Mitchell, political science professor and executive director of the Guarini Center. Keating, the chief executive officer of Keating & Co., will focus on the upcoming gubernatorial election in his presentation. Keating & Co. is a New Jersey-based strategic communications company with a broad range of global public and private sector clients. In his talk, Keating will examine the marketing of each candidate as a commercial “brand” and how each campaign conveyed that image to voters.
He will also offer an analysis of the effectiveness of how each campaign presented its candidate through the print and broadcast mass media and appearances. Keating earned his BA degree from Villanova University with dual degrees in English and Communications. He has trained at the MIT-Harvard Public Disputes and Mediation Program. Keating has written and spoken extensively to a variety of organizations on topics involving marketing, branding and crisis communications.
Established in 1994 by former New Jersey Congressman Frank Guarini, the Guarini Center aims to provide a non-partisan forum for discussion and analysis of key public policy issues and to encourage careers in public service among today’s students. Members of the general public are invited to attend Mr. Keating’s talk. The lecture begins at 10 a.m. and includes a question and answer session.
Saint Peter’s College is the Jesuit College of New Jersey. Founded in 1872, Saint Peter’s has an enrollment of approximately 3,000 students in undergraduate and graduate programs. The main campus is located in Jersey City . The College has a branch campus for adults in Englewood Cliffs, NJ and also offers courses at various corporate sites at the Jersey City waterfront and in South Amboy, NJ.