I have to say that politics is the second oldest profession and I had to learn that it has a lot in common with the first.
Ronald Reagan
Political branding is how the public perceives a political organization or person in general. It is broader than the product; If a product has different functional parts, such as politician and policy, then the brand is intangible and psychological.It is fluid, as evidenced by sociological surveys.
A political brand is an overarching feeling, impression, association or image that the public feels about a politician, political organization or nation. Political branding helps a party or candidate to change or maintain its reputation, create a sense of identity with the party or its candidates, and create trust between political elites and consumers. It helps political consumers understand more quickly what the party or candidate is about; AND distinguish the candidate or party from other competitors.
To favorably highlight your brand contact KOLORO agency.
A political brand is an element of the competition for power, during the creation of which the future voter and the surrounding factors affecting the lives of voters are studied. It is the part of modern political life that a democratic society needs.
After analyzing the collected information, it is possible to mold a new product or rehabilitate an old one, adjusting it to the new demands of the people. Very often such analyses of the political market contribute to determining the already formed model of a politician among the electorate.
Impact of branding on voters: Ukraine
Personified characteristics can be attributed to the party’s symbolism. This is what happened during the 2004 presidential elections. Then the effective use of visual logos and colors led to the association of symbols in the population with certain not only parties, but also with political views.
Such emotionality accompanied the subsequent elections. For example, in 2010 and in 2014, politicians looked at every step with honest eyes from billboards with topical issues and encouraging promises. The bright symbol and memorable slogans of the party “She is working”,“She is Ukraine”,“Ukraine is you”helped to bring Yulia Tymoshenko‘s political party to the forefront.
The glory of the political brand, which kept the positive perception of the party among the people, as well as certain PR moves allowed the party to enter the doors of power in the last elections as well. The active work of Arseniy Yatsenyuk’s team in 2010 played against him. First, the election campaign of theFront for Changeparty was accused of being similar to the campaign of the US president. The unpreparedness of the population for the radical changes proposed by the party and the peaceful personality of the leader against the background of paramilitary symbols did not yield any results.
The orange color of Viktor Yushchenko’s Our Ukraine party became a symbol of revolutionary events in 2004. Qualitative work on the image brought a positive result during the election campaign for the post of President of Ukraine in 2010 to Viktor Yanukovych. “Ukraine for People”,“Pochuyu kozhnyu”,“Your Dumka is important” – light catchy slogans and discreet color scheme of the party, as well astimely entry into the political arena at the peak of people’s disappointment in the previous government, brought the desired result.
And the last presidential election against a blood red backdrop brought victory to a new politician with an untarnished reputation and pleasant appearance.
The impact of branding on voters: the United States
As the country prepares for the next election, branding becomes a ubiquitous and energetic component of politics. Candidates want to be visible to the most people. Political branding is a risk-prone territory. It is a delicate operation where mistakes and unplanned moments can mean political doom.
“Launching a presidential contest in the United States means creating a brand that at least 51% of the country is ready to buy into on Election Day,” branding strategist Laura Rice said on her Rice blog. “Not an easy task in a country as large and diverse as America. Too narrow of a focus and you won’t get the majority of votes.”
The practice of political branding is much older than the terms used to describe it.
Music can be a powerful support for branding.
With a plethora of candidates, politicians need to think in terms of creating a brand that doesn’t so much capture as seduce the public imagination.Today’s politicians will probably never experience anything like the generosity enjoyed by Dwight Eisenhower in 1952. Legendary Broadway composer Irving Berlin wrote a song (“I Like Ike“) for Eisenhower’s presidential campaign this year. And Walt Disney Studios revitalized the ad campaign.
A host of experts have studied the importance of visual elements, namely logos. The rise of the importance of logos in political branding was a turning point.Using logos, arrived in 2008 with BarackObama’s first presidential campaign.
Politics is a play on human difference precisely because it exploits that difference.
The first presidential electionObama‘s first presidential election may have been the first time in history that a campaign logo (not to mention the “Hope” poster designed by artist Shepard Fairey) had as strong an appeal to people as Nike So we shouldn’t be surprised that today’s presidential candidates are paying more attention to their logos than ever before.
“Branding” is theprocess involved in creating a unique name and image for a product in the minds of consumers; The purpose of branding is to establish asignificant difference to attract consumers.Political branding tells the public not only who the political actor is, but also how the political actor is perceived through her or his narrative.
The boldest among the contenders is Hillary Clinton’s logo. Almost universally praised after its debut (some compared it to a hospital sign, The Clinton logo gained new respect when it was revealed how flexible it was .
BillionaireDonaldTrumpdid theworld a favor by winning the U.S. presidency in the face of harsh media criticism, fierce opposition from his party, foreign heads of state and the Pope.
“Make America Great Again!” Emotionally connects with a key demographic of the American electorate: white, working-class males. Repoliticizes voters and encourages those voters who have not previously voted to return to the polls.Evokes a sense of nostalgia, inspires hope and evokes a desire for change while being anxiety provoking, racially charged and anti-communist.
It bypasses reason and reaches right into the cramped, sullen, hyper-racial abyss of the American psyche. For an entirely different segment of the US population, Trump’s narrative has been interpreted as deeply sexist, anti-Islamic, and both inflammatory and racist. Right, as it may or may not be, it’s not a narrative. It’s a reaction. Worse, he’s not winning campaigns.
Political branding is a risk-prone territory. It is a delicate operation in which mistakes and unplanned moments can mean political doom. Candidates seek to present an idealized version of themselves (idealized in this context, i.e., a version that a few voters will like at this point).
Political branding: the rules of the game
In the period between elections, the brand should not be changed. It is possible to “wake up” before elections. This is due to the changeability of moods, attitudes and needs of the voter. Although people play a small role in brand building.
Brand building is directly influenced by the views and behaviors of voters, as well as other political marketers.
A political party’s brand consists of the creation of:
- main and alternate titles;
- statute and program;
- motto;
- of the emblem design;
- of the party’s top people;
- advertisements.
The party’s image should not be a random set of images, but a constructed one. It is calculated, planned, and the perception of the population is monitored. The basis of the brandof a political party’s brand is an ideology that answers the questions: “Who? Why? For whom?”. A brand is aseries of visualized components, including symbols and face. The brand also contains audio signs. The slogan of the party is also quite an important component of the whole image.
Political branding: where to start
Political branding or branding borrows from commercial branding. Therefore, the basic principles are aligned with the rules of product branding. The main principle is voter orientation. This is assisted by specialists who have information about the population and suggest the necessary characteristics of the image. The strategy to satisfy the political preferences of the electorate is developed by political brandologists, who are guided by the demand for certain political image.
The idea of political image is the second principle. It consists of tangible and intangible characteristics that should correspond to the political sympathies of voters. For this purpose, sociological and marketing research is used .
Designing the party’s symbols is the thirdprinciple. Determination of the components of the symbols should correspond to the properties of the political party and arouse sympathy among voters.Success will come to that politician or political party, which in time and correctly sees the convenient and necessary situation in the political arena. In politics, the needs and expectations of the population are conditioned by the problems of today. An example of a successful political brand is the last presidential election in Ukraine, when voters were expecting everything new, hoping to get the best.
The face of the party is the main element of branding
Selling a product to a consumer is much more difficult than selling a politician to a voter. We buy goods day in and day out, but we choose a party no more than once in four years.
Political parties as well as politicians themselves shake the air about six months before elections, when the painstaking work of branding, rebranding or promoting a nationally known name or title begins.
A politician who is the face of the party is not just an expensive product, it is the hard work of a whole team that creates a brand. A party representative is a pleasant timbre of voice, a relaxed manner of communication, appearance. All these attributes of a person-politician carry the information that makes up the impression of the party in the voter.
The main feature of the animated brand is its idealization. But for this, the voter needs at least a visual hook. The guy from the people is too trivial and more often than not does not work, because he cannot control us – he is no better. The image of the superhuman has brought to the political Olympus idle personalities who did not need to be promoted – ArnoldSchwarzenegger or Vitali Klitschko.
Brand development
The brand of a political party is awhole set of activities that will help to form a positive perception among the population through the correct presentation of ideology, program, leaders, symbols. Unfortunately, the development of a clear and effective political brand is very weak in Ukraine. Therefore, from election to election there are sharp fluctuations in the number of votes for the same parties.
The brand of a political party is a multi-component structure consisting of:
- of the party’s image;
- social role;
- brand ideas.
A party’s image is its leader, organizational structure and tangible media, including offices and logo.
The social role comes down to the positioning of the party in relation to the electorate. It can be a defender of certain social strata or groups, a reformer or conservative, a spiritual leader. The social role justifies the political mission of the party in society, explaining its views on the further development of society thanks to the party and the views of the party itself, which it adheres to.
Developing a brand idea is astory about how this party is better than all the others, positioning a clear (or not so clear) advantage. Next to the brand-idea is a brand-legend describing the heroic feat of creating the party, with explanations of the reason for its emergence. For example, the Communist Party is a party created a century ago to protect the working class.
Brand development is a very important component of an election campaign. This can be evidenced by the parliamentary elections of the late 90s, when political parties gained a passing number of votes thanks to one brand(Green Party,Women for the Future).
The main task of branding a political party is to address the issue of introduction and definition in the political space. In this case, symbolism is a key point that takes an active part in the political struggle. Since symbols are closely related to the ideological programs of the party, this makes them carriers of the party’s core message. They serve as a self-representation of the party’s political and moral attitudes. The main thing in the creation of party symbols istheir comprehensibility for the population, because in the future it will become a means of influence and communication with the electorate.
The processes of marketization and de-ideologization of political lifehelp to win those political forces that create a quality symbol-brand, which should simplify complex political programs, highlight bright and accessible moments in programs, symbols, slogans, which will be quickly remembered.
Logo: ideological directions
In creating a brand, it is important to understand the psychotype of the target audience, as well as political preferences. Since political parties are divided by ideological attitudes(right, left, centrist), they have corresponding symbols of their organization.
The main colors of conservative parties are blue and black, and their main demands are the limitation of state regulation in the social and economic sphere. Liberal parties advocate free trade, development of the internal market, and use traditional symbols. The position of social democrats is to strengthenstate intervention in the economy, to introduce partial nationalization and to finance social programs by increasing taxes. Most parties use the rose as a symbol. The political views of the Greens are also reflected in their symbols: plant motifs and the predominance of green color.
