Getting political

A number of years ago I worked with a political candidate in the US. She wanted to understand her brand foundations (promise, values, positioning) so she would have a guide for her campaign and policy decisions. That foundation held her in good stead, as she is today a junior senator in the US House of Representatives.

If I were to take a stab in the dark, I am fairly sure that most politicians could not articulate the foundations of their personal brands and how their beliefs and promise align with the party brand they’re affiliated with.

However, political brands are one of the most difficult to nail down. In the poll driven, public opinion dominated, 24/7 news cycle, tabloid journalism kind of world we live in, I have to wonder if their is any way a politician can ever really “win”.

• Follow your beliefs and get crucified.
• Don’t follow your beliefs and get crucified.
• Do what the public wants and you are pandering.
• Don’t do what the public wants and you are out of touch.
• And so on…

It takes a certain kind of fortitude and ego to withstand the rigors of politics today, and that is before you even throw political party machinations into the mix.

Once upon a time the Liberal Party of Menzies stood for economic liberalism and the Labor Party stood for a social democratic agenda. In the shifting sands of today’s race to the centre both stand largely unrecognisable from their past selves. A situation that makes it even more difficult for individual politicians to hold their beliefs let alone any semblance of consistency.

Compounding that lies a much bigger problem for politicians today – the sheer number of people with their own agenda who are keeping score. To quote US political satirist Jon Stewart, as he mercilessly pillories politicos for their endless shifts of belief and message, “don’t they know this shit is being taped!”

I have to wonder how many of us would be consistently on message if everything we said in a public forum was taped and compared over a period of months. Probably not many and I hear you say, yep but I’m not a public figure in the political spotlight, and rightly or wrongly we hold them to a different standard.

It’s a tough gig, made tougher by many factors outside of your control, so what’s a politician to do?

The reality is that it is much harder to stay on message and be believable if the message isn’t something you believe and support (sound familiar – not so different to an organisation brand).

So if I were to give Tony and Julia a bit of advice – and judging by the response to the debate the other night they could use it…

Figure out what you stand for, because frankly it’s your job to tell us, not our job to have to figure it out.

Wherever possible, don’t make promises you know you can’t keep or that are cheap populist ploys for votes, we can see through that stuff a mile away.

And when making those promises also try outlining what things might get in the way of getting it done, it’s a great way of making the other side accountable for their actions.

Oh and try talking to us like adults instead of five-year-olds in the process.

It would be a start and while easy to say, it is much, much harder to do. I wish them luck – it wouldn’t be me for quids.

See you next week.

Michel Hogan is a Brand Advocate. Through her work with Brandology here in Australia and in the United States, she helps organisations recognise who they are and align that with what they do and say, to build more authentic and sustainable brands. She also publishes the Brand thought leadership blog – Brand Alignment.