November 5, 2008
Like many people, I was a little bit emotional in the early hours of this morning. It wasn’t just that Barack Obama had made history, and proved what can be done in American politics. Or the sight of scores of African Americans, thrilled and excited at their new sense of opportunity. Or that the ...
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The rise and rise of Senator Barack Obama is an epic event in the history of political marketing. Politicos everywhere should watch and learn.Why?Because a party 's appeal - its brand and narrative - sinks or swims with its leader.And that's because it comes down to telling a story that clicks with ...
go to article »October 31, 2008
The reasons for Barack Obama’s success – and John McCain’s failure – have been succinctly summed up by, of all people, George W. Bush.[Before you say “yes, but Obama hasn’t won yet”, fear not – I learnt the hard way about the difference between political chickens and eggs, some 25 y...
go to article »October 26, 2008
Sarah Palin has been one of the political phenomena of 2008. On the one hand, she energised the Republican base, for a time. Someone had to do it. On the other, liberals - my side of politics – initially did not know how to respond to the youthful “hockey mom” with kooky views about global wa...
go to article »October 22, 2008
If Barack Obama wins the presidency, he may put an end to one of the most significant and malevolent political phenomena of our lifetime.In his brilliant book, Nixonland, Rick Perlstein explains how Richard Nixon came "to power by using the anger, anxieties, and resentments produced by the cultural...
go to article »October 16, 2008
Here’s a quick update on John McCain’s sterling efforts to wreck his own brand. To use the lingo, he no longer embodies his narrative – and he’s done it all by himself. McCain was the meant to be the straight-talking, non-partisan breath of fresh air. Lately, he's looked more like a risk-ta...
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The importance of personal heuristics (mental short cuts) based on presidential candidates’ (for which read, party leaders’) character and narratives is being highlighted yet again. Character and narrative are helping to tilt the presidential election contest Barack Obama’s way.Just after the...
go to article »October 7, 2008
What interesting times we live in! One thing that many voters say they don’t like about Gordon Brown is that he’s been in office too long. Now the PM says that “experience” is a good reason to trust him and many people seem to agree. David Cameron has spent nearly three years trying to be ev...
go to article »September 10, 2008
So, the Republicans and Democrats have finished their conventions. Which of the candidates, John McCain or Barack Obama, is telling the strongest story?The answer is, neither. That may explain why they are, in effect, tied in the latest opinion polls.Since he first ran for the Republican nominati...
go to article »September 1, 2008
. . . this piece by Drew Westen, Professor of Psychology and Psychiatry at Emory University, founder of Westen Strategies, and author of The Political Brain: The Role of Emotion in Deciding the Fate of the Nation.Westen makes some pertinent points about the Democrats' need to create a brand for the ...
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