Blissful soundbites
The U.S. election campaign is a prime example of what counts more than ever in political and commercial communication today: Speak simply, emotionally and as repetitively as possible.
Column The U.S. election campaign is a prime example of what counts more than ever in political and commercial communication: Speak simply, emotionally and as repetitively as possible.Admittedly, hitting the books at three in the morning doesn't exactly improve the quality of life. But it's still worth it every four years. Because when the U.S. presidential candidates enter the arena, there's a lot to learn about communication. This was also the case in the three TV duels between George W. Bush and John Kerry. The show element may irritate us staid Swiss. But "what the heck?" is part of the game. Politically, you can have whatever you want to say about Christoph Blocher. But when he appears in the "Arena," at least there's something going on. If, on the other hand, Joseph Deiss enters the ring, you doze off before you even start watching. The same applies to the US election campaign, but to an even greater extent.
For those who are to vote for the most powerful man in the world want to know that he also has emotions and is not a database made flesh. It was only when Bush played the emotional piano in the second of the three debates that he was seen as having the power of persuasion. And the fact that the "human factor" hardly comes across in Kerry, the blue-blood from New England, could cost him victory.
From a technical point of view, the opponents are on an equal footing. Both are perfectly prepared by their advisory staffs and are always in a position to counter opposing figures with their own statistics that prove the opposite. Kerry, for example, accused Bush of destroying 1.6 million jobs and of being responsible for the fact that real incomes have fallen three years in a row. He, Kerry, would change that and restore spending discipline. Bush unapologetically countered this by pointing out that as a senator, Kerry had voted for tax increases 98 times and against tax cuts 127 times in the last 20 years, and 277 times he had worked to lift budget restraints, which - if he had gotten away with it - would have resulted in $4.2 trillion in additional spending.
Remember: It is not about doubting the statistics (read: message) of the other, but about ignoring them and hammering one's own message into the heads of the voters. The fact that both sides play hardball in the process is part of the game. However, it is advisable not to aim below the belt in the verbal exchange of blows. For example, Kerry's discussion of Dick Cheney's daughter and her lesbian tendencies in debate three did not win him any sympathy. His justification was too flimsy: he merely wanted to point out that same-sex relations were also an issue in the vice president's family.
A tough fight is appreciated by the audience, but only as long as it remains fair. Accusing your opponent of bad policy is one thing; attacking the private person is another. Which is why Bush, for his part, was forced to distance himself when some overzealous supporters publicly questioned Kerry's conduct in the Vietnam War. Bush's "spin doctors" rightly feared that such mudslinging could ultimately turn against the president himself.
Here in Germany, the same is true: Apart from the SVP clientele, people have had enough of blaming the other side; they want solutions to problems. And paradoxically, both in detail and in simple terms. Here, too, the soundbite-tested US politicians are miles ahead of us, having long since internalized KISS (keep it simple, stupid).
What can all the market-oriented and consumer-conscious Swiss CEOs learn from this? The same as our politicians: communication success only comes to those who arouse emotions, at the same time stick to the facts, are meticulously prepared, speak a clear language, but at the same time refrain from denigrating the competitor and limit themselves to a few, constantly repeated core messages. Or as Bush aptly puts it, "It just takes strong leadership." Have fun!
> Sacha Wigdorovits heads the Zurich-based communications agency Contract Media.
For those who are to vote for the most powerful man in the world want to know that he also has emotions and is not a database made flesh. It was only when Bush played the emotional piano in the second of the three debates that he was seen as having the power of persuasion. And the fact that the "human factor" hardly comes across in Kerry, the blue-blood from New England, could cost him victory.
From a technical point of view, the opponents are on an equal footing. Both are perfectly prepared by their advisory staffs and are always in a position to counter opposing figures with their own statistics that prove the opposite. Kerry, for example, accused Bush of destroying 1.6 million jobs and of being responsible for the fact that real incomes have fallen three years in a row. He, Kerry, would change that and restore spending discipline. Bush unapologetically countered this by pointing out that as a senator, Kerry had voted for tax increases 98 times and against tax cuts 127 times in the last 20 years, and 277 times he had worked to lift budget restraints, which - if he had gotten away with it - would have resulted in $4.2 trillion in additional spending.
Remember: It is not about doubting the statistics (read: message) of the other, but about ignoring them and hammering one's own message into the heads of the voters. The fact that both sides play hardball in the process is part of the game. However, it is advisable not to aim below the belt in the verbal exchange of blows. For example, Kerry's discussion of Dick Cheney's daughter and her lesbian tendencies in debate three did not win him any sympathy. His justification was too flimsy: he merely wanted to point out that same-sex relations were also an issue in the vice president's family.
A tough fight is appreciated by the audience, but only as long as it remains fair. Accusing your opponent of bad policy is one thing; attacking the private person is another. Which is why Bush, for his part, was forced to distance himself when some overzealous supporters publicly questioned Kerry's conduct in the Vietnam War. Bush's "spin doctors" rightly feared that such mudslinging could ultimately turn against the president himself.
Here in Germany, the same is true: Apart from the SVP clientele, people have had enough of blaming the other side; they want solutions to problems. And paradoxically, both in detail and in simple terms. Here, too, the soundbite-tested US politicians are miles ahead of us, having long since internalized KISS (keep it simple, stupid).
What can all the market-oriented and consumer-conscious Swiss CEOs learn from this? The same as our politicians: communication success only comes to those who arouse emotions, at the same time stick to the facts, are meticulously prepared, speak a clear language, but at the same time refrain from denigrating the competitor and limit themselves to a few, constantly repeated core messages. Or as Bush aptly puts it, "It just takes strong leadership." Have fun!
> Sacha Wigdorovits heads the Zurich-based communications agency Contract Media.
