Obama & Duration effect on perceptions

As Barack Obama scrambles to distance himself from Rev. Jeremiah Wright's bluster, he faces the problem that time poses to perceptions.

I have religiously followed the U.S. presidential election campaign and am not surprised by the following Obama has, especially among the youth in America. Having perfected his oratory skills at the Harvard Law School, I assume, his goofy talks (the way I see it) have had an electrifying effect on the young who are prone to judgements based on perceptions ( me being judgemental :) ). Perceptions are good for Obama as they work in his favour, unlike Hilary, who is 'known' and therefore reviled.

But Obama's biggest problem is going to be 'time'. With the passage of time, the 'real' Obama is bound to emerge (he will slip up, again), or at least his rivals will spare no effort to expose him for what he truly is; an amateur with worn-out economic ideas and oratory skills. For now, the perceptions are holding, though the cracks are showing. Rev. Wright is only adding to 'reality'.

To sustain perceptions, marketers have to get the 'duration' right. Too less of time risks perceptions not registering with consumers, too long, reality breaks through. Both of which is detrimental to a product or service.