Special Report: Political Parties
Special Report: Political Parties
June 2009
Welcome to the second Pearlfinders special research report of the year, investigating the marketing plans of parties and politically-minded organisations, all gearing up for the General Election – which will be held on or before June 3 2010. We’ve spoken to decision-makers at ten political parties in the UK, including the "big three", UKIP and the Greens, contrasting with some less well-known groups like the Pensioners Party and the English Democrats.
While politics is never far from the headlines, the last few months have seen the topic dominate the front pages of broadsheets and tabloids alike – be it reports of Gordon Brown’s struggle to hold on to the Labour leadership; the expenses scandal; or the recent European Parliamentary elections. With the media marketplace more competitive than ever, politicians are finding their every move scrutinised as reporters try anything to secure the latest "scoop".
In marketing terms, recent events have no doubt tarnished the brand equity of the dominant Labour, Conservative and Lib Dem parties in the UK – expenses claims for "duck islands" and "moat maintenance" provide voters with a reason to feel their MPs are out of touch with the common man. The challenge for these parties is to rebuild trust among party supporters – whilst trying to convince disillusioned supporters of rival parties to defect.
From the other side, controversies have also created an opportunity for more fringe parties, whose campaigning efforts often focus on attracting former supporters of mainstream parties. They’re seeking to convince the UK population that candidates at these challenger parties are untarnished by years of Whitehall pomp and ceremony - and a genuine option in the upcoming General Election.
We’ve also spoken to the Electoral Commission, to find out how it’s planning to combat voter apathy in time for the election, anticipated to be one of the most closely contested in more than a decade. We also researched three organisations that are major political donors, to find out whether their association with politics is something they leverage in their own marketing communications.
For marketers working at political organisations, the biggest challenge is the breadth of the target audience they’re eyeing – many parties look to appeal to everybody in the UK, including those below legal voting age. For this reason, we’ve found that many of the organisations have fully-integrated marketing communications strategies, from traditional door-drop DM activity, to a presence on social media platforms such as Facebook and Twitter.
While you may have mixed feelings about adding a political party to your client list, there’s no doubt these are organisations facing serious challenges right now. If you’ve thoughts on how the major parties can regain public trust, or ideas for the fringe parties on how to capitalise on the current situation, why not look to build relationships with the decision-makers we’ve spoken with?
With less than a year remaining until the ballots open, the clock is certainly ticking for these parties to affect public opinion. Links to our website, which features the full reports, can be found below: