Spending marketing resources to build a brand all about you when nobody will really care, is about the ultimate in narcissistic behavior.
Narcissism “noun. Excessive interest in, or admiration of oneself and ones physical appearance” Oxford.
Branding professional know that brands are built by behavior, how a product performs, solves problems and delivers value, not by the way it looks. Good looks and advertising weight may get you one initial purchase, after that, you are on the tick to perform.
Our current election campaign, if it can be dignified by such a label, is the ultimate exercise in building the “personal brand” of the two protagonists, and that is all. Lots of photos with babies, attractive people looking interested, carefully staged and edited shopping mall and factory floor walks, the whole sham.
If after all this effort we still think they are both wankers, and only vote for one of them (despite really voting for the local member, not the leader, but lets not be too fussy) because it is compulsory, how much resource has been wasted?.
What they seem not to understand is that self branding is an oxymoron (perhaps appropriate in the circumstances). Branding only evolves as a result of behavior, your brand comes to reflect what you do, and the manner in which you do it, and has little to do with what you say unless it is absolutely consistent with what you do . In effect, those that watch you, bestow on you the characteristics of a brand based on what they see you do.
In the case of our pollies, we see a couple of ponies flitting through shopping centers kissing babies and telling blatant porkies and throwing mud at the other one.
And they wonder why we all are sick and tired of the whole lot of them,.
Unfortuately we appear to have built a rod for our own backs. The 24 hour news cycle, social media, and the combative nature of politics prevails. Combine these with the small percentage of voters who will be persuaded by superficial, inconsistent, and often pocket aimed “promises” that have to be persuaded to win, and you have the current malaise.
A large number vote habitually, perhaps 85%, another 10% are genuine swinging voters who consider their choice sensibly, and who are unlikely to be persuaded by the glib promises, populist photos, verbosity and sheer bullshit served up, leaving the 5% who ultimately decide who governs us, andthety decide on flimsy inconsequential grabs.
The last pollie who put out a real policy manifasto was John Hewson, who has since described his “fightback” policy pack as an 18,000 word suicide note.
Perhaps our children will do better.
How do you get a politician to explain the reasons for their decision or action which they say is “right for Australia”? I think “so what” to just about everything they say. And the best statement I have heard in the last six years was by Abbott last night – “when are you going to shut up”.