Filed under: Political | Tags: image management, McCain, messaging, Obama, presidential campaign, public relations, reputation management
How the candidates for president present their images to the public has hit the headlines a few times during this campaign, but now that the election is just a few weeks away, one of the biggest stories of the election season has become how the McCain-Palin ticket has failed to conduct their image management effectively. For public relations practitioners, it’s nice to see our profession in the headlines. Although I will admit, as a voter, to being insulted by the notion that mere communications about the candidates will sway me more than the candidates’ actual positions.
Nonetheless, we rely on the fact that correctly communicating a person’s or organization’s attributes can mean the difference between success and failure, and nowhere are the stakes higher than the run for the presidency.
So what’s the main critique of McCain that can be used as a lesson by those running businesses or non-profit organizations? To answer that question, let’s look at the criticism McCain is facing from both Republicans and Democrats, as reported by the AP and the New York Times:
“He has to make the case that he’s different than Bush and better than Obama on the economy,” said former House Speaker Newt Gingrich.
He’s cheery and smiling during question-and-answer sessions with crowds but becomes visibly annoyed — even surly — when he reads aloud scripted attacks on Obama and Democrats.
They said McCain can prevail if he presents himself as the optimistic visionary the public wants at deeply worrisome economic times.
“He has an opportunity to step up and be a forceful leader during these challenging times,” said Ron Kaufman, a veteran party operative who also worked for Romney. “McCain got the nomination because that’s what his brand is, but somehow it’s gotten muddled.”
The main thing he needs to do,” said Vin Weber, a former Republican congressman from Minnesota, “is focus on a single message — a single, concise or clear-cut message, and stick with that over the next 30 days, regardless of what happens.
This last point is, arguably, the most important. Public relations, when done well, is about getting your message(s) to the target audience in the best way possible. The simpler the message, the easier it is to get it into people’s heads, but the trick is finding one that’s not just simple, but also resonates with your target audiences and moves them to action. In political campaigns it’s even harder, because you have people actively working to discredit your message as soon as you utter it.
Nonetheless, it’s not impossible, as the Obama campaign has shown. They have stuck with “change” (as dull as that may sound initially) since the get-go, and made sure everything they say falls under that umbrella. McCain’s messaging has seemed to bounce around quite a bit – focusing on Obama’s lack of qualifications and other alleged shortcomings (I come at this from a totally non-partisan standpoint, so I don’t judge right and wrong in terms of content), as well as trying to embrace the “change” mantra himself. This, it seems to me, made the McCain campaign far too Obama-centric, which – in the long-run – simply serves to focus more attention on Obama.
McCain’s supporters are right to be nervous. The last few weeks before an election can be the most important, but one of the principles of good communications is that repeated messaging over a long period of time will work. Obama has made that investment already. McCain’s only hope is that those who remain undecided until just before it’s time to pull the lever almost all decide to go with him. That’s looking like an increasingly slim possibility, given the polling numbers so far.
So the take-home lessons are: carefully choose key messages that impact your target audiences positively, stick with your key messages through thick and thin, and don’t focus on the competition.
Filed under: Political | Tags: CBS, David Letterman, Late Show with David Letterman, McCain, politics
On September 27 I blogged that John McCain’s decision to cancel his appearance on the Late Show with David Letterman was a painful decision, because he knew he’d take merciless comedic flack, and that it would last for weeks, if not months. But the alternative was for him to be seen joking around with Dave while the financial crisis unfolded before our appalled eyes. The comparisons to Nero fiddling while Rome burns would have been in the headlines before the first commercial break.
So I advised in my blog – surely one of the most well-read of any others among McCain campaign staffers – that McCain’s best course of action would be to let the issue fade a bit and then jump back into the guest appearance with both feet and take his hits.
And it appears that’s exactly what he’s going to do. I’m glad to see I can make a difference in the world.
Filed under: Political | Tags: foreign policy, interview skills, McCain, Obama, Sarah Palin interviews, spokesperson, spokesperson training
There’s nothing worse for someone’s image than to be seen on camera fumbling for answers or resorting to “talking points” that aren’t really answers. That’s why politicians are generally very polished, and people uncomfortable in front of cameras and averse to challenging questions being thrown at them simply don’t get into office. So it’s a big issue that John McCain’s VP pick doesn’t come across well during unstructured broadcast appearances.
To become governor of Alaska – not a huge state in terms of population – required almost entirely local knowledge and the ability to make an emotional connection with the voters. She did that well, because she is conversant in the issues that really matter to Alaskans: rooting out corruption, rolling up the sleeves and getting the state government work for people.
But at the federal level, voters want to know that the candidate knows a LOT more than the average voter does. We don’t expect ourselves or our neighbors to know the name of Pakistan’s new president, or the policy implications of his ideologies. But the woman who wants to be a heartbeat away from the Presidency darn well ought to know.
It’s inconceivable that Sarah Palin didn’t prepare thoroughly for her big interviews with Katie Couric or Charlie Gibson, but she’s so far behind when it comes to foreign relations that she can’t possibly accomplish the three things required for smooth interviewing: 1) thorough knowledge of the issues, 2) thorough knowledge of the McCain campaign’s positions on the issues, and 3) not looking awkward when you’re stumped.
The only way to acquire these skills is to practice over and over and over. McCain can’t be stumped because he’s been facing tough questions from the media for decades. Similarly, Obama has been through a trial by fire and is not only inured to tough questions, but quick enough to catch unexpected curve-balls. Both of them know the issues front and back, and even if they don’t know an exact answer, they can speak around it in general principles. Critically, neither of them gets flustered by the fact that they’re in the spotlight, so they’re free to think clearly. Palin hasn’t reached that stage yet. If you watch her, you can tell that the cameras, the questions, the whole situation is simply too new for her.
That’s not to say she won’t be able to smooth out her performances; nor would I suggest her media skills are a fatal liability to a president. But we, as a voting public, have come to expect someone to be more polished when they shoot for the highest office in the land. Ideally, we would want someone “like us” in the Oval Office, but the bottom line is that most of us would freeze up and stammer in the media spotlight. I certainly did the first few times I had a camera and a microphone shoved in my face. But it gets easier after doing it several times.
If you’re ever in a situation in which you have the opportunity to represent yourself or your organization to broadcast media, an investment in media training that emphasizes repeated practice could pay huge dividends.
Even if it’s a print interview that won’t involve glaring lights and cameras, don’t think it will be a walk in the park; it’s nerve-wracking and still requires total preparation and a thoughtful approach. Are your key messages ready? Do you know all your proof points? Do you have interesting anecdotes ready to illustrate them? Do you know the reporter’s angle for the story, and where you fit into that angle? Are there any uncomfortable questions you might have to address?
Although Sarah Palin’s preparation likely included answers to all those questions and more, the volume of info is probably too much to absorb in so short a time. Thankfully, most of us have a far less complex task in front of us when faced with a media interview.
Filed under: Political | Tags: David Letterman, image, McCain, Obama, politics, public relations, reputation
As you try to manage your image and reputation, there are always going to be times you know you’re going to lose either way. The trick then is to choose the path that exposes you to the least liability. Case in point: John McCain’s choice to become the butt of merciless David Letterman swipes after backing out of an appearance on the deservedly popular late-night talk show.
I’ve been a fan of Letterman since the late ’80s, but even recent aficionados of his ascerbic wit know that he will pound away, night after night, at people who get under his skin. He slammed away at Madonna as a recurring theme for over a decade. So John McCain – or at least his advisors – had to know that Letterman would mock the GOP Presidential hopeful. The alternative, from a public realtions point of view, would be that McCain would appear on Letterman’s show during the worst financial melt-down since the Great Depression and either (a) appear somber, as the fiscal circumstances require, thereby spoiling the mood of the show, defeating its jocular purpose, and giving Letterman the opportunity to tear him apart on the show, or (b) back out of the show and take a merciless comedic beating for several nights thereafter, but NOT give ammunition to the Obama campaign to depict McCain as laughing and joking his way through an evening during which fellow legislators would be wrangling with some of the most intractable financial woes this generation has ever known.
Obviously, choice (b) is less awful in general terms. But it’s also important to consider the target audience involved in any such decision. I’m guessing that Letterman’s target demographic is generally a bit younger and anti-establishment than the core McCain supporters are, and therefore they would generally be more Obama-leaning. So another factor in the McCain camp’s calculations could have been that the demographic is already disinclined to support him, so it wouldn’t be a great loss.
And, if they’re really smart and if McCain has a strong sense of humor and thick skin, they could reschedule the Letterman appearance, take the beating that Dave would administer, and laugh their way through what would be a semi-pugilistic reconciliation. That would show that McCain isn’t a stodgy old man, but somebody who gives as good as he gets. You know, part of that whole “straight talk” thing. After all, if you’re going to brand yourself, being consistent is essential.
It’ll be interesting to see if McCain is willing to take advantage of the opportunity.
