For anyone who communicates for a living, the UK’s general election campaign has been pure gold. A free seven-week course into the art of influencing people – or not as the case may be.
May wobbled. Corbyn climbed. And each of their journeys provided great material for those of us who write, communicate or engage with any kind of audience. It’s been fascinating to see which messages gained traction? Which didn’t? And to try and translate that into how we can all connect better with our own audiences?
Here’s a brief list of my election take-outs...
1. If you want to disrupt the competition, principles play well
Who’d have thought it? Brits are responding well to a manifesto based on fairness – and delivered by a decent man. The establishment thought Jeremy Corbyn was out his depth. Yet taking a principled, hopeful and honest approach has played well with a lot of people, particularly younger voters.
Quick conclusion: It’s tempting to spin our messages, oversell our achievements and overplay how flipping great we are. But many customers and prospects will respond best if we’re authentic, ethical and honest.
2. Don’t be complacent or arrogant, however dominant you are in your market
This snap election is a lot like a playground punch-up. Theresa May picked a fight with the skinny, weak kid. She was convinced she had the punch – her famous Brexit jab – to floor him. It was a punch so powerful that she wouldn’t even need to cost her policies, appear on debates or meet the public. But lots of voters saw through this. To them, it stank of complacency and arrogance.
Quick conclusion: While TM is still likely to win, it’s become a much more damaging campaign than she expected. Many voters felt taken for granted by a manifesto that offered no clear, positive vision for our nation. Her arrogance – and ghastliness – has cost her. So remember… even if you’re monstering your market, you can’t afford to take your position for granted.
3. Repetition is good. Repetition is bad
Soundbites and slogans do sway people. They contribute to building familiarity and confidence in a particular party or brand. But it can’t be your only tactic. Let’s be honest, ‘Strong and Stable’ was flogged like a dead pantomime horse. And people soon realised there wasn’t much of substance behind a slogan that had more in common with a strong sleeping pill.
Quick conclusion: Make sure the slogans that are the centrepiece of your business – and its ad and marketing campaigns – are catchier than the Maybot’s. They really should be vibrant, positive and benefit focused. And know your audience well enough to understand when you’ve repeated soundbites, slogans or values enough. Back them up with detail and substance – or you’ll annoy, bore and alienate the people you’re trying to engage with.
4. Take advantage of every opportunity
At the start of this campaign, it looked like JC lacked killer instinct. He seemed too sensible, too superior to play the political games that can make or break elections. To win, you need to leap on the mistakes and poke at the flaws of your opponents. To wound them, draw blood, hang them out to dry. Would our grey-bearded geography professor really have it in him…? Well I think he’s done quite well. There was his last-minute decision to show up to the election debate. You know, the one where May preferred to send Amber Rudd into battle – a colleague whose father had just died. And when May said JC would be ‘weak, alone and naked’ in Brexit talks, he went on the attack, accusing May’s team of lying to the British people in the run-up to the referendum. Before the election campaign he seemed invisible. Now, he’s a fairly bright light. And that’s because he’s seized the opportunities that have come his way.
Quick conclusion: We may not all be party leaders, but we can get better at taking advantage of opportunities that come our way. So how do we do that? Make a decision to actively look out for opportunities, to be on the front foot and to respond rapidly to them. Work out the balance of risk and reward and if an opportunity feels worth it, commit the right resources and set the right objectives to make it happen. Don’t let it slip away.
5. Made a mistake? Don’t pretend you didn’t
It’s fair to say that the Tories made a mess of their social care policy. They performed the sort of U-turn capable of aceing any driving test. How May responded to this reminded me of a post-match interview with Arsene Wenger. ‘Oh, that controversial incident. I’m afraid I didn’t see it’. She effectively denied it had ever happened. Even though we’d all seen it with our actual eyes. As for Labour, well they’ve made plenty of blunders of their own. Not least, Diane Abbot’s figure-fluffing, mathematical meltdown in a radio interview. JC’s response? He admitted she’d quoted a duff figure and had corrected it. He said he wasn’t embarrassed. And the media moved on.
Quick conclusion: When we make a mistake, it’s important we take responsibility. The public, customers and employees all respond best when we’re not afraid to say sorry. In fact, it can help protect your reputation in the long run. In contrast, what TM did amounts to treating the people she represents like idiots. You don’t need a politics degree to know this is not a strong or stable way to behave.
So that’s my whistlestop guide to the election. Do you agree? Or do you think we could learn more from the methods of Maybot than the practices of Prof Corbyn? Let me know in the comments.
A few final thoughts. Just like in this election, competitors will always want you to play their game. But it’s important to be confident – and play your own. Most of all, listen to the people you represent. Whether it’s a team of colleagues or customers, if you don’t listen and respond to their needs, they could leave you for the grey-haired guy next door.