You can't say that I didn't offer -- oh yes, I did.
Every time one of those nice, young earnest canvassers called me on the phone from the Liberal party, I told them the same thing -- that I would be happy to give them money if only they would spend some time getting a coherent brand strategy together.
And, that I would be happy to volunteer to do so just so they wouldn't embarrass the crap out of themselves a second time around -- the first pounding was bad enough!
And so each and every one of those earnest young folks promised to pass on my messsage to HQ -- either they lied and didn't bother, or HQ is tone deaf and doesn't give a monkey's ear about getting their act together
Shame on you Liberal party, backroom leaders either way.
You have taken a party that I cared about for most of my adult life and made me ashamed to say that I vote Liberal -- I'm mad at you, damn it, and you should care about that.
And so, because you party people clearly have lost the way, I'm going to be way presumptuous and give you my five cents on the matter whether you like it or not.
First off -- get clear on your brand promise -- the "we are the other guys" platform just doesn't cut it.
I have no idea what you are all about anymore and creating more "Liberal red books" with more blather about "roadmaps to success" do you no favours.
Do the heavy lifting and complete a brand assessment.
Do you have any idea what you look like from a 360 POV? Where you fit in your category?
What is the party (company) assessment and do you understand the strengths/weaknesses/opportunities/threats to your party? How you stack up against the competition -- for heaven's sake you got trounced by the NDP last election, that should be some indication that not only did you miss the bus, you missed the streetcar, subway, Greyound, bike path ... need I go on?
And at the end of all that -- what's your major brand challenge?
Do you have any idea why Canadians so violently rejected you last election?
I have some sense, but since you haven't returned any of my calls, I'm not telling!
Listen up Liberal Party -- a brand is both functional and emotional from the end user POV -- the user asks him or herself, "Hmmm, what do I get when I buy the Liberal party?
Well at this red hot moment and from this user's POV ....
Functionally, I get a party that has squandered its brand assets.
Emotionally, well, I am feeling so very disappointed and let down.
There is so much work to do:
Last thought ...
Collective myopia doesn't make for clear brand strategy.
That much I know to be true.
1) they are not the Harper(TM0 religulous neo cons.
2) they were paying down the debt and not increasing it.
3) They endorsed programmes which were good for the country and not corporations.
4) They never had a leader who was found in contempt of parliament.
4) They took questions from the press by enduring scrums and not limiting questions to three when the questions couldn't be avoided. .
5)They didn't have four ethics commisioners quit so they could speak out.
6) they didn't have members in parliament respond to questions with reading from a prepared typed response. Once the same question was answered with the same words thirteen times.
7)The Liberals never bundled a hundred or so bills into the budget.
8)They didn't just rebrand disasters.
9) When the Liberals were in power Canada was a country to be proud of.
10)No Liberal leader ever had to have a smile coach.
11) the Liberals are the Liberals. They are not a party which was a religulous party called the Reform Party and run by the son of a radio evangelist.
12) The Liberals called the tar sands the tar sands and not ethical oil.
13) The liberals never silenced scientists.
14) Trudeau divorced his wife, She never had to live in the Chateau Laurier and show up for photo ops.e.
Suffice to say Harper is a shame to Canada and is willing to smile and smile and be a villain.
True. People vote according to emotion and little thought, as demonstrated by the article. Any candidate who runs on the issues will lose. Issues are attacked with ridiculous slogans, lies and jingoism. Take a position for what you believe in and spin it in the most vicious attacking language possible. It's an absolutely horrible way to do democracy but self censorship, shying away from hot button topics, and answering attacks with reason and thought is a recipe to lose voters to the feel good candidate.
Once the party gets in it can do policy.
Problem with Libs is not policies, it's guts.
The federal liberals shot themselves in the foot by grossly trying to manipulate the "Canada" brand in Quebec, then by trying to say they hadn't done anything wrong and finally by saying that even if they'd done anything illegal, it was for the good cause of Canadian unity, which justified everything.
Doing this, they killed the liberal party in Quebec for a generation. No amount of rebranding will fix that any time soon.
Find your way again and lets talk, but till then I am looking at the NDP.