Episode 90: Marketing the election - What marketers can bring to politics

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Ben Walker
Hello, everybody, and welcome to the CIM marketing podcast. Now political fever is gripping the UK or soon will be and indeed the US or soon will be. I should say that we don't know when the general election is going to be here in the UK, we have that luxury of course, in the United States. It could be here in the UK in May, it could be in June, potentially September, October or November or in extreme cases, even December or January, or we though we think that is unlikely. But with an election probably going to be happening this year at some point, we thought it'd be interesting to discuss how about how you market in an election, how you market your political brand, your political party, and what you are offering to the electorate and how marketing skills can be used in politics. And to discuss that today we have a very familiar face a very senior figure, Allyson Stewart-Allen, who is Chief Executive of international marketing partners, a fellow of the CIM, a familiar face from the television from Sky News and apprentice, you're fired. And Allyson has spent 35 years advising some 260 companies across 27 countries on how to avoid a foreign fail. She's not going to tell us how to avoid an election fail if you're a marketer working in the political space. Allyson, how are you?

Allyson Stewart-Allen
I'm great Ben, thank you so much for inviting me to join you today.

Ben Walker
It's great to have you on the show. You'll know if you're a fan of this podcast, that Allyson's been with us many times before, but this is the first time I think we're going to get our teeth into election politics, election marketing and how we do that as marketers. I mean, the first thing that struck me is just going back to what I was saying earlier, we don't know when the election is going to be. We are sitting here recording this on the 12th of March, there could still be an election on the 2nd of May, potentially another one, I know the dates open. You know, before the summer, and then a series of potential days in the autumn, for first thing, presumably that marketers working in the political space must do is to try to control to some degree as far as possible. The timetable if you're working for the government, you presume the election doesn’t want to be setting hairs running about a May election or an early election, if you like, and then risk being accused of bottling it. Should you fail to deliver that election on the second of May?

Allyson Stewart-Allen
Absolutely. And actually, the reason this counts is because of its impact on the financial markets, the level of uncertainty around an election, especially in a G7 country is significant. So it's really important that the UK manages expectations not just of its voters, but especially how the world perceives the stability of the economy, and the stability of the pound.

Ben Walker
So how do you do that? You've got lots of journalists asking questions about when the election is going to be. Some people in your party presumably have different preferences in some people if you're the Conservative Party, the party of government, as it is at the moment, will want to go early or feel that strategically wise, they have an agenda for that to happen. Some will feel that hanging on as long as possible is a better idea. How on earth if you're at the center, if you're at number 10 Downing Street, do you control that, without leaks coming and rumors emerging that are going to spook the markets and potentially leave you in a difficult position? Ally Gordon Brown, of course, all those years ago in 2007, when they allowed rumors to go nuclear that election was going to be called in the autumn. And then they did bottle it because the polls changed?

Allyson Stewart-Allen
Yes, absolutely. Well, I think it's a waiting game. And I think it's very much driven by Paul's focus groups. How is the economy performing? And of course, in this country, the government of the day will want to call for an election when they're at their peak in terms of that popularity and favorability. So obviously, like marketers who watch their brands performance, a political party is also watching its brand performance and will not want to go to the polls when you know there's a perception of insecurity, of wobbles of more scandals. And so they have the luxury, I guess you could say, in the UK, of being able to announce it at very short notice six weeks before the actual voting day, you know, the US where I'm from originally, we don't have a choice. It's written in our Constitution, it's going to be the first Tuesday in November, every four years. So, you know, we know, in 16 years time, sitting here today, that there will be an election on that first Tuesday in November. So to some degree that eliminates that, watching reading the tea leaves, hoping for good brand results, which I think makes it very stressful in the UK, I think it makes people anxious, that there's that uncertainty.

Ben Walker
It gives a very difficult strategic disadvantage. May I say if you're a marketer, or a publicist, if you like for the challenging party, because for a whole bunch of reasons, but one of which has come into sharp relief, in the last couple of weeks is that you've got to strike a balance between marketing your policies, or your ideas. But without knowing the timetable, that's very difficult, because if you go too early and market your ideas, a couple of things can happen. One is they just give the government a free hit, put the focus back on the opposition, or if the government quite likes your policies, it can simply steal them, which is of course, what has happened in these last few weeks with a non Don's policy, which is labor have had foreign policy for many, many years. For those people who are listening, I don't know, I have a policy for many, many years for changing the tax break for people who are non domiciled, who don't stay in the UK long enough to be classed as residents of the UK. Changing that tax break if you like. So those people will be taxed. What's happened in the last few weeks is the chancellor Jeremy Hunt has simply stolen the policy which has left labour rather high and dry, and the people who are trying to market its offer.

Allyson Stewart-Allen
But this is the nature of markets, isn't it? You know, you might think you have a monopoly on a particular point of difference. So we could be talking about a consumer product here, we could be talking about a professional services sector, and the political world is no different. I mean, you look at your competitors, you see that they might have a really good idea, you learn that that competitor may be wanting to roll out that good idea. And if you are in the situation that the UK conservatives are in, then you can hijack that idea. And there's nothing to stop you from doing so. And you know, CMOs know this very, very well, they're listening. And they have a good listening function in the business, also known maybe as market research, then they will pick up this intelligence about the competition, and they'll act on it, and they will try to take the wind out of their sails. And that's the nature of competition, whether it's in their political realm, or it's in a, you know, toothpaste, it's the same idea.

Ben Walker
It’s an interesting point you make isn't needed. That is saying, don't spend all of your time necessarily just slagging off what your competitors to do better, and perhaps sometimes it is more productive to listen to them. Give them credit and credence, and if they come in with something good stealing,

Allyson Stewart-Allen
Of course, this is the nature of markets, and no one has a monopoly on good ideas, which I think is actually a really good thing, it means that we can all be creative. But we also want to be a little careful about who we talked to, and what we share about our marketing strategies or positioning strategies. And, you know, there's a whole lot of attention on political leaders to know what's your plan. Well, the same pressures also on CMOs and Chief Commercial officers and Chief Sales officers to also reveal their plans. So you need to maybe use good judgment about how much you reveal so that you don't have your ideas completely stolen wholesale.

Ben Walker
Is it something around talking broadly about your ideas or your products? And and again, policy is a product of type A political policy is a product? Is it something about more, learning to talk more broadly and more abstractly about your policies or products and less in detail? And somehow riding those two horses?

Allyson Stewart-Allen
I think it is about philosophy, you know, whether consumers or voters really want to know is what's the philosophy behind the brand? What do we believe Even what are our values, and if that truly guides the decisions around policy development, new product development, new service development, then you probably can kind of predict what that organization is going to do, because it's guided by the philosophy. So you know, it isn't a mystery. If you think about labor, or the conservatives, or liberal Democrats or Scottish nationalists, like Connery, whoever it is, it's not going to be that hard to work out what policies they're likely to put in place. Because you know, philosophically, where they come from, you know, their economic points of view, and philosophies. So you can predict it very much like, you know, a Unilever or Procter and Gamble L'Oreal, one of the big four accountancy firms. So it's not that hard to infer, I think, the magic, if that's the right word comes from the leadership, and how the leadership team, how the CMO who hopefully is in the boardroom, those decisions and how those decisions get made, and how you bring the whole organization and the customer with you. That's the magic, not necessarily the product or service. It's how you exploit the product or service commercially. So you've got

Ben Walker
to build a brand, you've got to make a clear brand for your party and allow to some degree, the electorate to project onto you the things you are likely to do. It's not that easy to do, there isn't and it takes a lot of work over a long period of time.

Allyson Stewart-Allen
Yes, it does. And frankly, it's about trust. It's about consistency. So if you think about what underpins any brand, whether it's a political party, or you know, it's back to the toothpaste example, trust is what brands are made of. And what undermines it is variability. So if you have a toothpaste brand that says it's mint flavored, but you buy it, and it's not really quite the same mint flavor, it's the last tube, or you have a political party that says it stands for x, but does why. Or you have people within the organization that are off message and pursue their own agendas that aren't in sync with the promises that are being made, you've got a brand problem, and you lose the trust, because you're not being consistent. And that's why in a lot of ways, political parties a lot like professional services firms, their biggest challenge is the fact that the people who are out there telling everyone what the message is, what the value proposition is, what the unique selling points are, if they don't stick to a script, if they're inconsistent, then you just cause confusion and you damage the trust is the message.

Ben Walker
It is discipline, isn't it, which is a big thing is usually professional services. That's a huge thing. In politics and maintaining that message discipline is so difficult, I would perhaps you might challenge there's it's harder even for political part is than it is for professional services firms for the simple reason that you're probably talking, in most cases, about another order of magnitude of people. You know, there are 650 or so constituencies in the UK, for example, each of which has a candidate from all of the main parties, or the three main parties in England and more if you're in Scotland, or Wales or Northern Ireland. And you've got to keep that message discipline for all of those 650 people, because at any moment, they can say something wrong, that's often message that can be a gaffe or a gotcha. And suddenly that becomes the story, not the brand that you're trying to craft. Absolutely.

Allyson Stewart-Allen
And, you know, if you look at the interviews that politicians are subjected to by the mainstream press, uh, you know, in this country and all over the world, it's very often about Gotcha. You're, you know, they're, the questions are tough and they're looking to catch you out, and they're looking for you to also give specifics about a policy area that perhaps is nascent, you know, this could be a policy idea that's only just being you know, germinating doesn't have flesh on the bones yet, but you're being pressed for details. And sometimes you can't give those details because you don't have them. If you make them up, you're gonna get in trouble. I mean, I you know, I remember years and years ago, not long after I moved to the UK, Jeremy Paxman was famous for a particular political interview where He pressed this interviewee over and over and over again for specifics. And it just was excruciating to watch because this politician as it was, didn't have the facts because there weren't facts to deliver, or to talk about. And they came across as if they were withholding information. And I think it's much easier actually, for us in the marketing profession. Frankly, we're not subjected to that level of scrutiny or anger or frustration. And actually, you know, we come from a function also with generally rose tinted glasses, you know, we're always about growth, everyone in marketing is about doing something new, better, different, bigger. And that is not the world that most of our other functions inhabit inside of an organization. And it's certainly not necessarily the message that politicians are able to deliver.

Ben Walker
How do you strike that balance. And if you're a publicist in the political space, and you are, you've got to tread this very fine line between saying just enough, so you're able to craft that brand and bolster your band fortify your brand, and saying so little that you become under pressure to reveal detail that you can't give?

Allyson Stewart-Allen
Well, I think it goes back to this idea about philosophy. You know, if you're a political party, comes philosophically, from a place that's about socialism, or trickle down economics, or whatever the guiding theories are, behind the ideology, then that ideology dictates everything. And so you can frame everything, whether it's a new policy area, or that you can't talk a lot about because it's still being developed. But you can go back to the philosophy, and people will understand then that what's likely to come then is in sync with the philosophy of that political brand. But if you don't have a philosophy, if you don't have a set of principles, that guide policy, then the risk is you end up with a lot of knee jerk launches of new services, also known as policies that don't appear coherent. There's not a guiding story arc around it, and you lurch from idea to idea from launch to launch. And then you have to post launch rationalize that there is coherence there. So the better bet is to have a long term vision, what's our purpose? What's our mandate? That is timeless. And if that's our mandate, then the guiding principles fall out of that. And it's a lot easier then to have coherence than to say, Oh, we're coming up to a budget now. Gosh, we really need the votes. God, what can we give away? What can we change? What do we do about National Insurance? What do we do about non Dom's? What do we do about all these other levers we can manipulate? Well, actually, what's the rationale? What's the big idea? And if that philosophy is not clear, to the voter, much like if the philosophy of your brand isn't clear to the buyer, or the consumer or the client, you're not going to have longevity?

Ben Walker
it's interesting, isn't it? Rachel Reeves, who's the shadow chancellor has been sort of treading that fine line, pretty much in every appearance she has made in the last week or two, where she says they have an ambition to reduce taxes for working people. But she cannot commit to it until she's got into the treasury and seen the books, they have an ambition to invest more in green energy. But she cannot commit to a number until she has got into the treasury. And looked at the books, which is I suppose an example of treading that fine line that Rachel raises at the very top of the pyramid. She's the shadow Chancellor. If labour are successful, she will be the chancellor. And how do you get that messaging down to the rank and file? We're talking about hundreds and hundreds of people, 1000s of people, perhaps if you include the door knockers and the assistants and everybody else is involved in an election, what are the key marketing tools you can use to get that message discipline across?

Allyson Stewart-Allen
Yes, well, one of the most important tools is infrastructure. You need a machine that makes sure everyone's aligned about the messages. So if you're canvassing if you are on the floor of the chamber, that you are able to hit these three messages in your own way. It's not necessarily totally scripted, because then you sound like a robot. But these are the three key messages we need you to do. Over, over and over again. And the machine that infrastructure is communication experts who make sure that you've had the three bullet points and you're ready to deliver them, you're comfortable with them, that you are ready for pushback and objections from voters. And who question Is that real? What are you going to do exactly how you're going to handle that, it requires a bit of training. And it requires that machinery to not only get the message out, but to make those messengers ready to deliver it. And that's something that we know that you know, in the comms function of a company, your comms people are doing exactly that they are coming up with the bullet points, they're briefing the media, they're briefing a range of stakeholders to make sure that those messages are aligned. And then the messengers are ready to deliver.

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Ben Walker
Fascinating insight, isn't it, because what you're saying is if you think of a new product, let's say in the world of cosmetics, great example. There are hundreds of ingredients, or in a stick of lipstick, or whatever. But in order to market that lipstick to the consumer comes function has got a boil down, it's three benefits, it's got to remove the science as much as possible and give clear three benefits that can be conveyed to the consumer visually, or in words, simple messaging. And that is very similar to the world of politics, when you're trying to sell that offer on the street, your retail offer, if you like as a politician, you need to get rid of the policy, one curry, and tell people the benefits that they can understand and retain. And that is not easy.

Allyson Stewart-Allen
It isn't easy, because some people also really like being in the detail. So you know, some people will really talk at length about the chemicals, the ethical origins of the sourcing of the waxes for the lipstick, the pigments and where those come from that it's manufactured in Europe or the UK and not other parts of the world. I mean, you can get debt go down that very deep rabbit hole, talking about all the features. And actually, no one really cares about the features. No one really cares about the black box that creates the lipstick or your professional service offering, what they care about is how do I win? Why should I give up my time? Why should I cast my vote, not only for you, the messenger of the brand, but also more widely the brand because when I vote, I am making a choice, I'm making a purchase, whether I'm spending money at boots, or I'm ticking a box in the voting booth, I am making a conscious choice. So I need to know how I'm going to win, you have to deliver on those promises. And I think that's the hard part is you're making a promise now, for something that's 345 years out into the future. Now, maybe if this was the 1940s or 50s, or 60s, five years into the future was predictable. Today, where we are with geopolitics with climate change, with tech and AI, five years from now is not predictable. And if we are projecting achievements that are that far out, it's highly likely we will never get there. And those promises can not be delivered. Because the pace today is such that you cannot predict more than a couple of months, maybe six months maximum. That planning horizon has narrowed significantly, and marketers know that and politicians know that.

Ben Walker
How do you stop that destroying your brand, if even with the best will in the world, if you will, the most competent political party that's ever been known in the history of politics. You still cannot predict what's going to happen in two years because of the advancement of technology, as you say, because of the advent of AI and lots of other factors and geopolitical chaos, if you like that is impossible to forecast.

Allyson Stewart-Allen
You know, this is a challenge for every business as well as political parties. And that's why we go I go back to this philosophy if your philosophy is such that you believe that a national health service for example, should be free and accessible for all. Same with the justice system. Same with education. If that's your philosophy, then it should be clear are that the steps, the small baby steps that you take over the six month incremental planning horizons, still deliver against the philosophy, and you need to demonstrate that these decisions are guided by the philosophy. So provided you can demonstrate a link, then you should be okay. But I think trying to do forecasts beyond six to 12 month horizons, I think that's extremely difficult. And we saw that most recently with the budget. And Jeremy Hunt talking about, you know, the head room and OPR, the Office of Budget Responsibility, which is an independent body that analyzes how much money you have available to spend, and they're doing forecasts, you know, 510 years out, the question is, how reliable are those forecasts? So maybe one of the questions is, if we're guided by our philosophy, and we're guided by how much money we have, over the course of a 12 month period, if it's really hard for us to plan 345 years out, then we need to be doing planning much more often, not annually, not twice a year. But we have to do planning much more frequently to account for those contingencies. You know, you have to account for Ukraine, you have to account for Gaza, Israel, and what's going on in that region, you have to account for what climate change is doing to force the house builders and other parts of the economy. To adapt, you have to bring those planning horizons forward. There's a really good book, by the way, written by Margaret Heffernan called Uncharted. And it's absolutely fascinating about the challenge we have of coming up with long term plans, and the fact that actually, they're impossible. So why not just say, long term planning is impossible. What we're going to do, however, is have a three or six or twelve month plan, and we're going to revisit them often. And we're going to course correct, to adjust for what's going on in the world. Because we cannot predict what's going to happen, we cannot predict the role AI will have in the UK election whenever it is, and especially in the US election on the fifth of November, you know, disinformation, deep fakes, we've already had a hint of it. In some of the videos that have appeared online and audio recordings as well, there's going to be a lot more of that to come. So given we can't predict the impact of that on voter intention and voter points of view, we need to be ready for that possibility. And it's more than a think chance, it's a very real possibility.

Ben Walker
Interesting, isn't it? So this goes back to this idea of philosophy and brand values, may I say, you got a brand value as a political party. Don't say what you're going to do four years down the line five years down the line. But at all stages, when you do release a new set of policies, or you do want to start a new campaign, check that against your brand values against your philosophy, which is something that everybody in the party should be adhering to, and then you can course correct. And you shouldn't go too far wrong, but don't expect to be able to plan far into the future. Talking of the US election, as you mentioned there, there is a part of the US election that is not necessarily marketing policies as such as marketing democracy itself where the last election was challenged, the result was challenged by the losing party, and the whole democratic process came under pressure. I mean, to some degree in your native United States, when I say there's an element of how to market democracy itself.

Allyson Stewart-Allen
It is but it's not just in the US, it's also here. And it's also in European and other democracies around the world. Because if we don't market the benefits of democracy, and if we don't educate voters and citizens of the benefits of it, the rights they have protect the structures around democracy, then we lose it. And once you lose democracy, you'll never get it back. We are seeing the rise of autocrats all over the world like never before. And actually, this year 2024 More democracies are going to their electors for national elections than any other point in recent history. So it's imperative that we start at schools, primary schools, all the way through adults, all parts of the population need to understand what democracy delivers the benefits of democracy versus other forms of government, and why protecting it and investing money in it. And investing education In it is essential. And yeah, if they use it or lose it approach, and if we're not using it, if we're not educating people, if we're not having, for example, citizens assemblies, where we invite voters, a cross section of the public, to debate an idea to come up with policy ideas to challenge and feed into the lawmaking process, then the voter will be disengaged. And we are seeing that happening, not just in the US. But here, voter engagement, voter turnouts are all declining. So how do we reengage people and we in the marketing business are really good at engagement, that's what we do. So we ought to be doing things to market participation, much more than we're doing now,

Ben Walker
If people are working in marketing, and in the traditional space of marketing, in product or in professional services, or fast moving consumer goods, and they fancy going into the political arena, perhaps they've been inspired by this podcast, how do they do that? How do they transfer the skills or make their case to political parties that they are the people they need to market democracy and to market political brands?

Allyson Stewart-Allen
I think you make your case by demonstrating that you believe in the philosophy, generally, and genuinely, that the philosophy isn't just a slogan on a wall, or on a campaign brochure, that that philosophy is something you really, truly believe in. And that it's also your guiding principle. So it could be about looking after the welfare of the general public, it could be about teaching and education, you know, it could be about certain views that are aligned to that political party, that you can show have been your guiding principles, also through the choices you've made, professionally, and personally. So I don't think it's hard to prove that you're, you know, a good messenger for that political party. Because if you look at the past track record, you've already been giving those messages anyway, through the choices that you've made. So I don't think that part's difficult, I think what's difficult is staying true to that philosophy and those principles, in times of challenge. And how do you keep the resolve? How do you you know, not give up and be resilient and be persistent, and also not lose your nerve? Because it's tempting, when the winds are not in your favor? It's tempting to say, actually, I'm going to pack this in, we're not doing well in the polls. No, this is all ridiculous. I'm getting earache from voters on the doorstep. I'm not going to bother anymore. I've had it. Well, you know, you don't really know until you're tested, that you have these qualities. And I think the earlier that messengers can be tested, whether again, it's in the political realm, or it's in the corporate realm. That's the best way to see what people are made of and testing their mettle.

Ben Walker
I'm sure there's many listeners today who are up for the task and should put themselves forward. If you're a tough marketer in a tough space and you fancy work in the political arena do give it a go. They need you. They need you. They need marketers. And we certainly need Alison Stewart. Alan, what amazing insights. Thank you, Alison, for your time today. It's been fantastic to have you on the show. Will come back soon? I hope you have enjoyed it.

Allyson Stewart-Allen
I would love to thank you for the invitation.

Ben Walker
It's been great to have you on the show. And maybe when we do finally get this election, we can debrief.

Allyson Stewart-Allen
Love that, you're on.

Ben Walker
It's great to have you. Thanks.

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