Tea Party - Time to Get On Brand

The most recent news about the new Tea Party movement is just so sad; not because of the violence, and the racial slurs that come out of the party, but because of how much opportunity they had to be a real movement of change. Don't get me wrong - I'm not a member of the party or a card carrier on the left. I'm just a guy who liked the fact that a group of Americans had gotten together and had taken action on something they believed so strongly in. Whether it was on the right or the left of the political spectrum - they had started to make a difference.

What makes it sad is that this group has started to turn into something worse than an unruly mob. They went from making valid statements and holding legitimate protests, to throwing bricks through windows and degrading their detractors with racial slurs. When reports sound about Tea Party members using the "N" word against the icons of the civil rights movements - like the 70 year old Emmanuel Cleaver - or the "F" word against gay members of congress, it just shifts the image of Tea Party members away from a being a valid political caucus, over to being a bunch of illiterate bigots. And no, that's not the same thing as being a redneck.

Now I know some people may be saying "that's not us." But when you have Tea Partiers like Amy Kremer show up on Fox News to dismiss what she called an "isolated" incident [I'm sorry Amy, it's still NOT OK if only a few are racists - racism is BAD in any number]. Or when you have bricks with misspelled messages coming through the windows of the Democratic Committees [I mean seriously, you can't take 60 seconds to do a quick dictionary check?]. You have to admit, even the Tea Party is taking these actions seriously. It's just a shame they can't stay on message long enough to establish themselves as an informed group.

Monroe County Democratic Committee, via Associated Press

Some have even accused the democrats of infiltrating peaceful Tea Party crowds with plants who shouted the slurs in question. But seriously, the democrats aren't even coordinated enough to keep a majority in the House and Senate. Besides, I don't think the Democrats would shoot out their own glass doors in Phoenix.

So to all the Tea Party acolytes out there - get it together. I may not like everything you say, but you are at least a step toward everyone seeing some kind of ongoing change in Washington. The only thing you have to do is to keep it together and maintain a DIALOGUE that supports the brand and message you started. Yes, it means policing your own and weaning out the racists [nobody said brand management is easy], but if you can do that, you have a chance of making history. If not, you'll be quickly relegated to being just another fringe group of bigoted, angry, and narrow-minded people who are being backed/used by wealthy individuals with larger agendas - which is something this country just doesn't need on either side of the conservative/liberal coin.



http://www.nytimes.com/2010/03/26/us/politics/26threat.html?scp=1&sq=brick%20rochester&st=cse

http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2010/03/25/wealthy-donor-sues-tea-party-convention-organizer-palins-fee/

http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2010/03/22/tea-party-protesters-dispute-reports-slurs-spitting-dem-lawmakers/




Jeff Cannon

www.ThinkCannon.com

Palin & Coca Cola

I got into a conversation last night over a few martinis, that is relevant to this. The conversation led us into talking about brands versus ingredients, academic positioning verson real product benefits, and which was more important. So with the political pundits chattering away, and with us PR folk talking about brands, we compared Sarah Palin with another well known American brand - Coca Cola. Watch, they do have some similarities...

In one night, Sarah defined a strong position for herself when she took the podium at the DNC. She did a great job doing os, and a great many people jumped on board. Trusting her ingredients matched her brand. Now, while many may think Sarah Palin's record is a risk, we all know records can be tweaked, shifted, and distorted by the politicos and spin doctors. So while her resume includes a long list of questionable acts that include attempts at ousting an in-law from the police force, book banning, even using lobbyists for fundraising [Time Magazine 9/2/8], her position and brand is extremely strong.

Now, here's the leap that's far easier to make over martinis than on a blog, but resumes are a lot like ingredients. They are the real benefits a politician brings to the table. And like any product, the formula that has made up her past is only half the equation of what makes her a true presence in the market. The image of her being a pit bull berating her opponents carries just as strong a message as what she actually did, or did not do.

So, here is the question. In today's politics, which is more important - brand or ingredients? And before you answer, just remember what happened when Coca Cola introduced New Coke in the 80s. It thought the public's love for its brand was so strong, they could change a tried and true formula however they wished, and the public would still love it.

So, can America overlook the ingredients that make up Sarah Palin's resume in favor of her image? Is her brand and that of the GOP strong enough to overcome the product's formula?
- cannon-brandcommunication.blogspot.com -