The Importance Of The Conservative Brand (http://sayanythingblog.com/entry/the_importance_of_the_conservative_brand/)

Any honest observer of American politics knows that Republicans are losing ground. They’re stuck with a Presidential candidate they feel lukewarm about, Republican politicians are resigning their seats in Congress left and right and the stage seems set for a veritable election day bloodbath later this year.

So what happened? Why have Republicans fallen out of favor? We can point to a lot of things. Scandals involving Tom DeLay, Duke Cunningham, Mark Foley, Larry Craig and Jack Abramoff certainly haven’t helped. Neither has high-profile showdowns between Republicans and DC and the conservative base over issues like campaign finance reform and illegal immigration. But the root of the problems with Republicans, I think, is their tarnishing of the conservative brand.

Let me explain.

Probably one of the most famous brands in the world is Coca Cola. Their logos, in that always recognizable shade of red, are everywhere (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coca-Cola#Coca-Cola_as_a_political_and_corporate_symbol). The company is perhaps one of the most recognizable in the world, and it consistently dominates the global soft drink market.

How has the company achieved this level of success? Why do people continue to drink Coca-Cola year after year? Because they have come to trust the coke brand. When they crack open one of those red cans, or spin the top off of one of those bottles, they know what they’re getting time and again. In fact, when Coke tried to re-brand itself with a new look and formula (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Coke) the company’s customers revolted in what was one of the most devastating marketing flops of all time.

Coke tarnished its brand a bit, paid the price for it, and ultimately got back in the publics’ good graces by going back to what worked. This is what Republicans need to do.

Starting with the rise of Reagan and Goldwater, Republicanism became synonymous with the ideals of limited government. Low taxes. Low spending. Basically a philosophy that sought a social and economic environment where citizens could live as free from government interference as possible without government interference. Goldwater, Reagan and others defined that brand, and it served them well. Of late, however, Republicans have allowed that brand to be tarnished.

It used to be that when voters considered a Republican they generally knew what they were getting. Tax cuts. Spending cuts. Someone who would help keep the government from encroaching on their freedoms. These days when voters consider Republicans they aren’t so sure of what they’re going to get.

And that, my friends, is the problem in a nutshell.

It used to be that when voters considered a Republican they generally knew what they were getting. Tax cuts. Spending cuts. Someone who would help keep the government from encroaching on their freedoms. These days when voters consider Republicans they aren’t so sure of what they’re going to get.

And that, my friends, is the problem in a nutshell.

Can't say it any better myself.

You're right about this. People my age, who weren't even alive (or barely alive) when Reagan was in office, hate Republicans. Their definition of Republican or conservative is Bush and his "neo-con" friends...

I dunno. Branding as a concept is designed with strict control in mind. I think it's folly to apply concepts used in business to politics, because the two are totally different animals. Can some aspects of branding be applied to the Republican Party? Sure, and they can be applied to everything else too. It is no great wisdom to claim this. But go any deeper than the most superficial of levels, and branding ceases to be an acceptable model for party images. A corporation can control with fine precision the quality of the product and the message of the marketing. That is a brand. One cannot control anything in politics, one can only surf the wave of public opinion and deal with the political climate. You just can't have a Republican brand, except only in the most superficial of senses. As someone who's studied marketing briefly, and keeps a layman's interest in the topic, the differences between the two seems more like a gaping chasm.

Individual politicians can have brands, but it's incredibly difficult to maintain one in politics because politics does not reward such an activity. It's far better for one's career to just bow to the winds of change. Using the terminology and mechanisms of business branding to run your political career is, in my humble opinion, an exercise in futility.

You're right about this. People my age, who weren't even alive (or barely alive) when Reagan was in office, hate Republicans. Their definition of Republican or conservative is Bush and his "neo-con" friends...

Most young people when I was that age weren't big Reagan fans either. Most young people are liberal. The ones that aren't seem to be those goofy kids who wear suits to school and are Republicans more because they view politics as a team sport.

I got more conservative when I got a real job and bought a house - i.e. when I realized how much of my money the government was taking. Which is where their branding comes into play.

The problem with the "conservative brand" is that it does not deliver what it sells. Not even remotely close.

People voted for Republicans based upon promises of "less government", "smaller government" and "fiscal responsibility" and in 12 years of Republican rule all they got was the largest increase in the size of the government, warrentless wiretapping, torture, 'sneak and peek' home searches, rendition and the loss of habeas corpus.

We got a government bigger and more intrusive than ever before.

The unofficial Republican theme is now exactly as Joe Scarborough says: "More wars, less jobs".

The problem with the "conservative brand" is that it does not deliver what it sells. Not even remotely close.

People voted for Republicans based upon promises of "less government", "smaller government" and "fiscal responsibility" and in 12 years of Republican rule all they got was the largest increase in the size of the government, warrentless wiretapping, torture, 'sneak and peek' home searches, rendition and the loss of habeas corpus.

We got a government bigger and more intrusive than ever before.


You beat me to it. Excellent point.

I was about to point it out, but you captured it perfectly.

The things that the Rightwing claims it stands for and delivers --"less government intrusion"...."smaller government"....."fiscal responsibility"...."more freedom"......"improved working and living conditions"-- are the exact opposite of what you get when you vote for them.

It was true when Ronald Reagan --with his far right Corporate agenda-- came to power and set into motion the process of massively enriching the wealthy elite in this society by taking it away from the middle class, and it remains true today.

________________________

The enormous gap between what U.S. political leaders do in the world and what Americans think their leaders are doing is perhaps the greatest propaganda accomplishment in the history of the world.

The Importance Of The Conservative Brand (http://sayanythingblog.com/entry/the_importance_of_the_conservative_brand/)

Any honest observer of American politics knows that Republicans are losing ground. They’re stuck with a Presidential candidate they feel lukewarm about, Republican politicians are resigning their seats in Congress left and right and the stage seems set for a veritable election day bloodbath later this year.

So what happened? Why have Republicans fallen out of favor? We can point to a lot of things. Scandals involving Tom DeLay, Duke Cunningham, Mark Foley, Larry Craig and Jack Abramoff certainly haven’t helped. Neither has high-profile showdowns between Republicans and DC and the conservative base over issues like campaign finance reform and illegal immigration. But the root of the problems with Republicans, I think, is their tarnishing of the conservative brand.

Let me explain.

Probably one of the most famous brands in the world is Coca Cola. Their logos, in that always recognizable shade of red, are everywhere (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coca-Cola#Coca-Cola_as_a_political_and_corporate_symbol). The company is perhaps one of the most recognizable in the world, and it consistently dominates the global soft drink market.

How has the company achieved this level of success? Why do people continue to drink Coca-Cola year after year? Because they have come to trust the coke brand. When they crack open one of those red cans, or spin the top off of one of those bottles, they know what they’re getting time and again. In fact, when Coke tried to re-brand itself with a new look and formula (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Coke) the company’s customers revolted in what was one of the most devastating marketing flops of all time.

Coke tarnished its brand a bit, paid the price for it, and ultimately got back in the publics’ good graces by going back to what worked. This is what Republicans need to do.

Starting with the rise of Reagan and Goldwater, Republicanism became synonymous with the ideals of limited government. Low taxes. Low spending. Basically a philosophy that sought a social and economic environment where citizens could live as free from government interference as possible without government interference. Goldwater, Reagan and others defined that brand, and it served them well. Of late, however, Republicans have allowed that brand to be tarnished.

It used to be that when voters considered a Republican they generally knew what they were getting. Tax cuts. Spending cuts. Someone who would help keep the government from encroaching on their freedoms. These days when voters consider Republicans they aren’t so sure of what they’re going to get.

And that, my friends, is the problem in a nutshell. Yeh, tell that to the gay community and pro-choice advocates.

Yeh, tell that to the gay community and pro-choice advocates.
Conservatism does NOT mean being anti-gay or pro-life. Of course, since the rise of the Christian right as the decisive force in the GOP, that's what everyone thinks... However - conservatism and liberalism are economic ideologies, and we've just attached whatever social policies tend to go along with them.

Conservatism does NOT mean being anti-gay or pro-life. Of course, since the rise of the Christian right as the decisive force in the GOP, that's what everyone thinks... However - conservatism and liberalism are economic ideologies, and we've just attached whatever social policies tend to go along with them. Well the part I was talking about was the Repbulicans keeping the government from encroaching on people's freedom. I know that their are conservative gays and also conservative people that are pro-choice. But in general I don't think conservatives are for either.

However - conservatism and liberalism are economic ideologies, and we've just attached whatever social policies tend to go along with them.

That is not really true DF. Liberalism and Conservatism are political ideologies, which have economic and social aspects to both of them.