The Politician as a 'brand'

To be in the business of politics, you need to win elections

This is a re-work of an old article culled from the internet and liberally infused by a line or two by yours truly, but one that has still not lost its relevance. In politics, one-size-doesn’t-fit-all but the guidelines demand that an aspiring/sitting and competing political aspirant re-invent his/her persona continually and this would entail positioning the candidate-as-an-entity as a brand.

I’m often asked, what is the work we offer to an aspiring politician? Well, much of the strategic inputs, researched analyses, constituency, and competition mapping, detailed data sciences approach, and critical discussions are beyond the scope of this piece but at the surface level, there are certain non-critical services that any agency/organization would be working on. This is a good round-up regarding those aspects.

Politics is an ideas business and to be in the business of politics, you need to win elections. Whatever kind of politician you may be, as a candidate, you must do two things: “Develop a message that resonates with voters; and deliver that message effectively. In short, it all comes down to being able to communicate well.”

Voters are of course fickle in their tastes and as they become sophisticated, politicians need to include planning, research, and get professional help to craft a proper message.

Having said that, are you, as a politician, really using every available communication tool to reach out to voters? In developed countries, there's already a strong industry that deals with politicians' day-to-day activities and political campaigns. The industry also includes what they call political advertising - communications supporting or opposing a candidate for nomination or election. In some less developed countries, politicians are on their own to win the heart of their voters.

Again, politics, just like any other reputation game is all about perception. Why should people vote for you? It's because of the good perception they have of you through the messages you feed to the voters.

To put it in perspective - you as a politician, need to include public relations initiatives during elections and need it even more after being elected. With professional help, these are some of the things you can achieve as a politician:

Message consistency

Professionals are experts in crafting, enhancing, and maintaining the interest in a message. With that being taken care of, you will have more time to be on the road meeting voters - a standard procedure for politicians during and after elections.

Different areas need different message content and mood. Different age groups need messages tailored to their expectations. If you were a politician working alone, you won't be able to keep track of your multiple audiences. Again, outsourcing is the word!

Powerful speeches

Politicians are judged during the delivery of your speech. Good speeches will translate to votes. Bad speeches mean you have to wait for another election or won't be elected ever. Good speeches that make sense to your audience, must work closely with the agreed messages and themes.

Naturally, you should be a master at public speaking. But then again, even a good soccer player needs a coach. As a politician, you may be able to entertain your audiences from the first to the last sentence and you ought to be able to convince your audience to believe and support you. An audience in stitches may just end up having a good laugh, but if they don't vote for you, it isn't much good and you might as well switch jobs to becoming a paid comedian.

Using appropriate words for the right occasions is important. For example, labour unions have long fought to have the word "strike" mean a legitimate labour tactic and part of the institution of collective bargaining, whereas management has always tried to get the word to symbolise labour violence and inconvenience to the community. So when addressing these two crowds, a politician should always strike the right chord the first time. May we add, you need a team that writes the best and powerful speeches!

Staging

When you hear the word "staging" and you think about fancy costumes and bright lights, you're not far from the truth. As a politician, you should not wear clothes that you feel comfortable with. Instead, you should be wearing clothes that your audience is comfortable with, or can relate to you better. Clothes as simple as they may seem, carry hidden messages that speak of the image of the politicians.

“Let us remind you about a former Rajasthan chief of a national party changing her clothes in mid-air just to appear friendly and in touch with the airport she was landing next! Whatever the perception, this was a tactic and she won!”

When you speak in your role as a politician, all must be in place. Lighting plays an important support role because bad lighting will either make you look horrifying and far from friendly or sincere. Try the torchlight test in the dark. Just look in the mirror with the lights under your chin. Yes, you look horrible.

Media relations

The power of the media is no doubt, very strong - just print a statement and the whole world knows about it. Most of us like and want publicity. So do you as a politician -- you want good publicity, but sad to say, so many politicians who manage to get media attention never use the opportunity to the fullest. The publicity alone is no good without having the effect of having people agree with your message. Publicity must always be with a purpose.

Even though media relations look simple, it actually has 1001 rules attached to it. Gone are the days when media relations means knowing somebody in the media. Media people are professionals and want to be treated professionally.

Help for in-house staff

If you are a senior politician, you'll probably have a press secretary or media assistant. But they too need help in ensuring the "press office" runs smoothly. The media is becoming more competitive and selective, leaving more and more corporations, organizations, and politicians fighting for limited editorial space. Good news seldom gets the space. Like they say in the media - Bad News Is Good News.

Again what if a negative report appears in the media? Will you be calling the media to explain? That will be too much work for a politician when you should be helping out the people who voted for you in the first place.

So, we recommend leaving this specialized work to professionals.

About us

Polltics is a consulting organization focused on advising political candidates/parties on strategies for ensuring electoral gains. With a suite of services that include Winnability Quotient (WQ for winnability) and VoteTantra (strategy directives for campaign management) – Polltics has ensured positive perceptions and significant gains for its clients. A modern center of excellence that combines the value of AI/Data Sciences/technology and on-ground support mobilization with a Pan-India presence spearheaded by an eclectic advisory board is our value proposition.

Aman@polltics.in