• by Albert Thompson , January 14, 2025

No one has mastered the art of stealing Attention like Politics. It is a practice that has fine-tuned the ability to find the emotional triggers to move people to action. 

Politics is the business that can build fanfare at light speed…unapologetically. It can manipulate the intricacies of the value chain the way P&G dominates the supply chain. Operating with a whatever it takes mentality, this Top Marketer exploits the entire spectrum of Communication from Brand Identity to Packaging to CSR to Lobbying to Social Impact to Promotions to Sustainability to PR to its cousin Public Affairs. Mastery of Comms requires you to have grown up in the business, something Madison Avenue is losing its grip on. 

Rules of Engagement
Politics has mastered the Art of War and Rules of Engagement is the doctrine. It doesn’t just monitor and track its key constituents (the voter or the advocate), it physically and psychologically stalks them. Perhaps its greatest weapon is the ability to draw upon the Hollywood movie title “Clear and Present Danger.”  You see, Politics has the power to bring an issue so far removed from your personal world and make it appear as if the danger is right outside. 

Candidate as the Consumer
Politics is the business where a candidate poses as the ultimate consumer. The very idea of “I will present you” allows a voter or constituent to see themselves. The storytelling is positioned as “we” will drive towards the outcomes together. It’s a rare space that uniquely intertwines the issues, the solutions, why I’m the chosen one, and together we’ll chart a better future. Human nature loves being validated and being seen (and heard). Politics pulls on those heart strings.

Versus
The game politics pulls no punches in juxtaposing its Marketing might against the opposition. That’s the name of the game. Where it’s taboo in traditional Brand Marketing to attack the competition, all is far in the love of Politics. However, Advertising is the only industry where you can legally gain an advantage over your opponent. I said LEGALLY. So why the cowardly posturing? Well, the average CMO tenure is only 18 months. Squaring off versus your opponent requires craftiness, dexterity, and the will to be well, brazen. Politics breeds on the ideal of reimagining the opponent to out flank them.

Create Not Creative
Most brands lack imagination - enter the ad agency; oops sorry Programmatic is killing creativity. Politics is about storytelling, not simply artwork in motion. Casting has a very strategic purpose because “trust” is still the world’s currency. The faces must build upon that at light speed. Brand Advertising tends to channel a Tinsel Town aesthetic which we know is the longest standing “deep fake” of them all. In Politics, imagery and copy must be weaponized to reshape mental models post exposure. 

The Intangibles
And then there is the mastery of things that Brand Marketers and Politics does exceedingly well almost in unison. Politics “makes you believe” in the candidate or cause all the while, some of it might be “make believe” - like a Disney movie. Packaged good aficionados use the notion of elevating one’s status through product consumption. Politics’ brand of beer is guilt, obligation, or the stickiest one of them all - good ole: Fear. Politics has mastered the value chain the way P&G has mastered the supply chain. It always starts with outcomes and allies. From networks to news cycles, it is “the machine” that moves more than one category. It moves a country (and maybe a global populous).

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