Political branding: Redefining politicking

Politics, elections, campaigns, voters, these words mean different things to different people. They are attributed to democracy, a concept that is built on giving equitable representation, but what is representation if many are not involved in the process which determines how the democracies of their different nations are shaped? “We do not have government by the majority. We have government by the majority who participate.” Thomas Jefferson couldn’t be more apt when he made the above pronouncement.

In my over two decades of creating impossible brands, converting customers, designing campaigns, winning and losing, I have come to understand how, through the use of a few branding principles, we can run campaigns, choose leaders and compete in ways that are ethical and free from the usual vile and “negative-focused” campaigns that are slowly becoming the norm.

I have summarised my initial points in a series of write-ups posted on my personal blog, but I have decided to harmonise all three talking points and break them into bits using language and references which are simple, so it’s easier to connect, reflect and recall the core essence of this message.

A game of consistency
One of the most successful teams in NBA history, The San Antonio Spurs, have a quote from social reformer Jacob Riis hanging in their locker room: “When nothing seems to help, I go and look at a stonecutter hammering away at his rock, perhaps a hundred times without as much as a crack showing in it. Yet at the hundred and first blow, it will split in two, and I know it was not that last blow that did it—but all that had gone before.”

Being in an election year in Nigeria means having hundreds of people shove their big dreams of transformation in our faces, some of whom we know all too well, and most of whom only show up every leap year with promises. This does not negate or confirm the chances or intentions of these August visitors, but it does highlight the difference between politicians who win big and those who continue to play the four-year card.

Taking lessons from the life of a Chinese bamboo tree which takes five years to grow.

It has to be watered and fertilized in the ground where it has been planted every day.

It doesn’t break through the ground, there is no visible result for all that consistent input for five years. After five years, once it breaks through the ground, it will grow 90 feet tall in five weeks! What happens with the Chinese bamboo tree can be likened to “overnight success”, but is it really overnight or a five-year journey of consistency as the opening quote alluded to?

A more relatable “Human-Like” example is the narrative of someone who is so extraordinary that his story of reaping the value of consistency is only beginning to unfold.

Tunde Onakoya (Founder, Chess In Slums) set up what has now transformed into a nonprofit that’s intentional in delivering on its promise of empowering children in slums across Africa. These are children who live in some of the most terrible living conditions, have gone back to school, and accessed other opportunities which have set them on a path of success using the game of chess as a driver.

With a GoFundMe campaign whose target was changed twice to set a current target cap of 1 million dollars, Tunde’s consistency over the years has given birth to a global movement that is committed to ensuring vulnerable children have an equal opportunity to live purposeful lives.

Both case studies are lessons that speak to political brands on the need to not just jump on every moving trend but identify/carve a niche where their talents are their truest self and keep building, showing up, and putting themselves out there.

Similarly, in governance and leadership, you can’t bypass consistent effort and take all the spoils in one hit. “When you finally break through the Plateau of Latent Potential, people will call it an overnight success. The outside world only sees the most dramatic event rather than all that preceded it. But you know that it’s the work you did long ago—when it seemed that you weren’t making any progress—that makes the jump today possible.”- James Clear.

When it comes to political and emotional branding, the ugly truth is that it is simpler to make a consistent brand rise than an almost non-existent one. Even if the consistent brand has a pile of skeletons, selling a promise of “tested and trusted”, or “the devil you know” is an easier sell.

The last mile is perception. “There is nothing either good or bad, but thinking makes it so.” This statement from Hamlet by William Shakespeare speaks to the importance for aspiring leaders to understand the need to own up to whatever they choose to stand for. In playing politics with leadership, we have seen various perception-shaping campaigns where deceit and lies take charge, while trust, consistency, and self-awareness take the back seat.

I think the big question then is, how do you create a perception that is both true to you and sellable to your followers?
Campaigning Differently
“The level of voter participation is mostly contingent upon the sophistication of the channels utilised by candidates and political parties to manage and disseminate political information and campaign messages to the electorate. Succinctly put, the robustness of a party’s propaganda machinery is a key determinant of the outcome of an election”. (Excerpt from a Study by Aloysius-Michaels Okolie, Chukwuemeka Enyiazu & Kelechi Elijah Nnamani).

To be continued tomorrow

O’Tudor, is the group principal consultant, ADSTRAT BMC and Alumni, The School of Politics, Policy & Governance (SPPG).