More elections are lost because of bad campaigns, not bad candidates. That’s because too many candidates think they’re running a political campaign instead of what it really is – a marketing campaign.
Some thoughts on this from marketing expert Seth Godin’s newsletter this week…
“Democracy is a marketing problem. Health is a marketing problem. Climate change is a marketing problem.
“Growing your organization, spreading the word, doing work you’re proud of – these aren’t engineering problems or economics problems. They’re marketing problems.
“That’s because humans make choices. If we live in a culture where people are free to choose, we’ve offered control over our future to others.
“When humans make choices – that’s marketing. Marketing is the difficult work of telling a story that resonates, of bringing a consistent set of promises to people who want to hear them.”
Elections aren’t referendums. They’re choices. That makes your campaign a marketing endeavor, not a political endeavor.
Which means you’re crazy to spend all your time learning the details of various issues while spending no time learning how to SELL your position on those issues.
You may know an issue far better than your opponent. But if you can’t persuade voters that your position is the right one and your opponent’s position is the wrong one…you’ve got a serious marketing problem.
And if you have a serious marketing problem, the first thing you should do is order a copy of Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion by Robert Cialdini.
Cheers!
Dr. Chuck Muth, PsD
THE CAMPAIGN DOCTOR
Professor of Psephology*
(homeschooled)
* Psephology (see-follow-gee): The study of campaigns and elections