Obama 2.0 - a new dawn for Political PR

If well done, a campaign like Obama's would be the result. Well planned, well organized, well implemented. And the result...success. "Change you can believe in", "Yes we can" are the taglines that were used in a campaign that will remain as an example to good political PR practise, at least for being the first campaign to aggressively use social media and branding in its political communication. Social media-a phrase that has been used continuously in most if not all PR blogs, from the tech-savvy Obama campaign to the 'smeargate scandal', an ill-conceived way of using social media in politics. The American campaign has caught the envy of countries all over the world and perhaps the biggest challenge is to measure up to this well orchestrated campaign and countries such as Afghanistan actually used social media in their last election.

For the upcoming UK elections, a survey just carried out, found out that 83% of the contenders are using facebook and 50% using twitter in their campaign. 84% say that they will continue using social media to communicate with their constituents if elected to office although critics say that what may be good for campaign may not be as effective in power. Changes in communication tools are radically shaping political communication, but there are other issues that are as important...

Image management
The importance of the way the public views politicians makes political PR all inclusive of aspects like personality, make-up, dressing and logo design other than just verbal or written statements. McNair(p.135) asserts that the personal image of an individual politicial can be moulded and shaped to suit the image of the political organisation.


Think of Sarah Palin and the supermom image, yet looking young and trendy with her fashionable glasses with attention to detail in ability to accessorize in what is now known as the Palin effect. The republicans may not have won the US election but they managed Palin's 'trendy' image tactic given that she was MCcain's running mate, probably to gain the youth's votes.

Culture has grown to expect a “political show” and is not satisfied until the “lights, camera, action” appeal is met. In the era of modern politics, politicians are judged by their style and this is as important as substance of what they say and do. And it's in order to say that behind every successful political party is a very good Political PR professional.


References
McNair, B. (2003). An Introduction to Political Communication(3rd ed.), Routledge

Bad politics...is it a matter of ethics? or irresponsibility?

Kenya -Zimbawe - Iran. The same political stories repeat themselves.

December 2007 -January 2008 may have turned out to be the worst nightmare for anyone living in Kenya after what many believed would be a democratic election turned out to be...not so democratic after all. Not only did hundreds lose their lives, others were evicted from what they called home for decades and officially became internally displaced (IDPs). The events that unfolded were not because the people were idle and just wanted a war...it was as a result of BAD POLITICS. Why do they make all those poor people wait in queues just to vote for them? And get nothing in return?

Has Political PR undermined public trust in politicians?
As much as some of us view politicians to be progandists, PR professionals have a role to play in shaping the way political communications is perceived. In this way, Political PR is probably the most challenging sector in PR. The intentions of political communications are just as well justified as the intention of any other communication sector. What makes this section unique is the environment in which they operate in with regards to public perception and the need to build reputation in a more agressive way. The increased focus on spin , information management and the use of what can only be described as propaganda techniques have all had an impact on how the public perceive the political process.

Perhaps the use of lies and deceit have undermined the ethical aspect of politics. However, with the upsurge of pluralism, there notable changes within the public with regards to their personal behaviour and collective behavior. Therefore, like-minded individuals promote and defend their choices and to a larger extent influencing public opinion and governments. To this effect, social movements are of prime importance to a PR professional.

Generally, I must say, with the balance in ethical behavior and pluralism in the society, Political PR is not to blame for the lack of trust in politicians. Improper individual and political party agendas are solely to blame for this and this will surely be overturned by Political PR.