Paul Begala says "One of the great legends of political consulting is the Dog Food Problem: an apocryphal tale of a company that had the best packaging, the best advertising, the best marketing. But there was only one problem: the dog wouldn't eat it. Forevermore we should no longer call it a Dog Food Problem. We should call it a Mitt Romney Problem."
The dog food problem, however, is much bigger than Mitt Romney. A major component of the problem is a candidate who's presentation to voters is wildly incongruous with the actual character of the candidate. It should go without saying but voters see through it.
Strategically, many campaigns have decided that instead of playing to their strengths that the candidate should compensate for his weaknesses, but by doing so they emphasize their weaknesses to voters. Instead, candidates should emphasize their strengths and downplay their weaknesses.
Mitt Romney's dog food problem is as much the dog food itself as it is when you open the can that you don't get what you expect. In his case, the packing should indicate that he is a fixer. You might not like how it gets done but it gets done. His message should be that if your company or government might is bleeding money or on the wrong track that once he's done with it, despite some collateral damage, it won't be. This candidate might repulse a committed populist, but it's appealing to many other voters.
To make a long story short, you can't have your cake and eat it too. You can't be both a populist and an elitist. If you're a man of the people, then own it. If you're not, explain to voters what you are and why that's a good reason for vote you and not the other candidate.
The best strategy for dealing with candidate weaknesses is to deflect them. In Aikido, a form of martial arts, students don't block punches but, instead, they deflect them because it's a lot easier to move a punch to the right or left then to stop it dead in its tracks. The same holds true for political weaknesses. Instead of trying to silence opponents who point out your weaknesses or, worse yet, beat them back, simply deflect the criticism and transition into the candidate's strengths.
Mitt Romney isn't the only candidate who has a dog food problem and won't be the last either. Candidates should carefully examine their backgrounds and personality strengths and craft a compelling brand based on the candidate's character and experience. Candidates don't need to appeal to everyone just 50% plus one, so don't be concerned if the candidate doesn't appeal to everyone. Some people buy Solid Gold dog food and other people buy the store brand. Pick the appropriate brand for your candidate and sell it to your target market or voters.