Make America Great Again. Get Brexit Done. Build Back Better. There are arguments out there, in various publications, which suggest that voters are somewhat tired of political slogans — and yet politicians across the spectrum continue to use them. In what ways can marketers help make political slogans more palatable for people again? And is this even possible?
Simon Gregory — Joint CSO at BBH London
Simon Gregory
Political slogans are like ads. You bemoan how rubbish they are, then remember the good ones. The problem isn’t slogans themselves, it’s that there are too many crap ones. I actually love a slogan and have spent far too long thinking about them. The upshot? I’ve cracked the code for making a good one. Here’s how to turn your ‘Are you thinking what we’re thinking?’ into an Every Little Helps.
The Three Word Rule. Labour Isn’t Working. Take Back Control. Yes We Can. Simple, powerful, memorable. Stops the likes of ‘Building a country that works for everyone’ in its tracks
The Make Sense Rule. OK, three words can also fall flat. ‘Believe in America!’ I do! I’ve been there! The words need to create a Hemingway-esque short story… think ‘Take back control’ not ‘We want Willkie’
The Sick Rule. Malcolm Tucker opined that if politicians are sick of a slogan then maybe one normal person might remember it. Can you say it over and over without feeling deluded, bored or a bit icky? ‘Long-term decisions for a brighter future’ — no. ‘Yes We Can’ — I’ll chant it for you
Easy, isn’t it? Just Do It.
Alice Pukhova — Creative Researcher at WMH&I
Alice Pukhova
Labelling the current political climate as odd might seem clichéd, but there’s compelling evidence behind it: majority dissatisfaction with the national direction, growing disenchantment with (and ideological convergence of) the two main parties, and increasing popularity of smaller parties. More troubling is the declining trust in democracy, a system that has served the UK for over 300 years. Clearly, something isn’t working. Political slogans for the upcoming general election must therefore resonate with this unsettled atmosphere. Should they be highly practical like this year’s UKIP slogan ‘Family, Food, Future’, reminiscent of the 1917 Bolshevik ‘Bread, Land, and Peace’? Or should they adopt a more aspirational tone like Labour’s 2024 slogan ‘Change’, akin to Obama’s 2008 ‘Yes We Can’? Or perhaps something else entirely?
Learning from crises of systemic loss of faith, like the 2008 financial crash, the opioid crisis, the Thalidomide scandal, and Dieselgate, entities shifted from aspirational prosperity to stability, simplicity, transparency, and social causes that ‘right their wrongs’. People in crisis tend to not be interested in humorous jabs or flashy perks — they have their own lives to worry about and limited mental space for any subtle rebrands.
Hanni Randell-Bateman — Associate Strategy Director at Wolff Olins
Hanni Randell-Bateman
Some political slogans work well. Arguably too well at times. Whichever side you voted for, ‘Make America Great Again’ and ‘Take Back Control’ are (undeniably) powerful pieces of marketing. Both breakdown complicated political strategy into high-voltage, bite-sized lines. They’re short and they’re sticky. They work because they play on pride. They play on nostalgia. They play on a sense of loss and a drive to ‘reclaim’. They’re almost impossible to disagree with in slogan form, because they tug at something we all feel.
For me, slogans like ‘Build Back Better’ or ‘Stronger Together’ fall into the unpalatable slogan camp. They’re too generic. Written to please everyone, they end up inspiring no-one. Just like politics, slogans should turn some people off. They shouldn’t feel like a full stop or a dead beat, they should ignite debate and fire you up because they tap into our deepest desires for control, change or freedom. Slogans should slot into our everyday vernacular and use ‘real’ words. No one cares about building a ‘Big Society’ because no one talks about ‘building a big society’ — who can say that with a straight face at the pub? There’s always space for good storytelling, and the best slogans capture the heart of a good story.
Laurent Simon — Chief Creative Officer at BMB
Laurent Simon
I don’t think people are bored with political slogans. I think people are bored with how disingenuous they sound in the mouths of certain politicians today – who blatantly favour personal success over collective progress. When JFK said he would take mankind to the moon, people believed in him. It was an out-of-this-world promise, but it felt like it could happen. Whereas the possibility of the promise to ‘Take Back Control’ holding true felt much more unlikely. For marketing slogans to be palatable the candidate must be palatable in the first place. Politics was created to govern and benefit citizens — see ancient Greek cities.
Politicians should be heads of state at the service of their people, not reality TV show contestants chasing individual limelight. Even Plato, who notoriously disliked the idea of democracy, concedes that the worst possible governments are the ones who are keen to govern.
I like the simplicity and honesty of the new Labour campaign — Change. Whilst there’s a lot I question about Keir Starmer, I respect him for not having openly lied, profiteered or financially betted against his country. In short, don’t be a Johnson and people will listen to your slogans.
Chris Woodward — CEO at CTI Digital
Chris Woodward
In a word, no. Slogans are an essential part of political campaigning – be that an election, a military operation or any other marketing push. When was the last time you gave your campaigns a name? You’ll probably remember ‘Labour isn’t working’, ‘Desert Storm’ and ‘Get Brexit done’. It may seem trivial or even vain, but giving your operation or campaign a name or a slogan is crucial. It creates clarity and alignment, helping people to quickly understand your objective, as well as making your campaign memorable and sparking the imagination, enabling your audience to grasp your vision.
In a single line you can distil and convey the essence of your strategy. ‘Labour isn’t working’ propelled the Conservatives by distilling the thought that Tories had sound economic policy and Labour couldn’t be trusted with the economy, while ’New Labour’ was shorthand that Labour was no longer under the control of the hard-left unions and instead on the side of the middle classes — cue a landslide for Tony Blair.
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Make America Great Again. Get Brexit Done. Build Back Better. There are arguments out there, in various publications, which suggest that voters are somewhat tired of political slogans — and yet politicians across the spectrum continue to use them. In what ways can marketers help make political slogans more palatable for people again? And is this even possible?
Simon Gregory — Joint CSO at BBH London
Political slogans are like ads. You bemoan how rubbish they are, then remember the good ones. The problem isn’t slogans themselves, it’s that there are too many crap ones. I actually love a slogan and have spent far too long thinking about them. The upshot? I’ve cracked the code for making a good one. Here’s how to turn your ‘Are you thinking what we’re thinking?’ into an Every Little Helps.
Easy, isn’t it? Just Do It.
Alice Pukhova — Creative Researcher at WMH&I
Labelling the current political climate as odd might seem clichéd, but there’s compelling evidence behind it: majority dissatisfaction with the national direction, growing disenchantment with (and ideological convergence of) the two main parties, and increasing popularity of smaller parties. More troubling is the declining trust in democracy, a system that has served the UK for over 300 years. Clearly, something isn’t working. Political slogans for the upcoming general election must therefore resonate with this unsettled atmosphere. Should they be highly practical like this year’s UKIP slogan ‘Family, Food, Future’, reminiscent of the 1917 Bolshevik ‘Bread, Land, and Peace’? Or should they adopt a more aspirational tone like Labour’s 2024 slogan ‘Change’, akin to Obama’s 2008 ‘Yes We Can’? Or perhaps something else entirely?
Learning from crises of systemic loss of faith, like the 2008 financial crash, the opioid crisis, the Thalidomide scandal, and Dieselgate, entities shifted from aspirational prosperity to stability, simplicity, transparency, and social causes that ‘right their wrongs’. People in crisis tend to not be interested in humorous jabs or flashy perks — they have their own lives to worry about and limited mental space for any subtle rebrands.
Hanni Randell-Bateman — Associate Strategy Director at Wolff Olins
Some political slogans work well. Arguably too well at times. Whichever side you voted for, ‘Make America Great Again’ and ‘Take Back Control’ are (undeniably) powerful pieces of marketing. Both breakdown complicated political strategy into high-voltage, bite-sized lines. They’re short and they’re sticky. They work because they play on pride. They play on nostalgia. They play on a sense of loss and a drive to ‘reclaim’. They’re almost impossible to disagree with in slogan form, because they tug at something we all feel.
For me, slogans like ‘Build Back Better’ or ‘Stronger Together’ fall into the unpalatable slogan camp. They’re too generic. Written to please everyone, they end up inspiring no-one. Just like politics, slogans should turn some people off. They shouldn’t feel like a full stop or a dead beat, they should ignite debate and fire you up because they tap into our deepest desires for control, change or freedom. Slogans should slot into our everyday vernacular and use ‘real’ words. No one cares about building a ‘Big Society’ because no one talks about ‘building a big society’ — who can say that with a straight face at the pub? There’s always space for good storytelling, and the best slogans capture the heart of a good story.
Laurent Simon — Chief Creative Officer at BMB
I don’t think people are bored with political slogans. I think people are bored with how disingenuous they sound in the mouths of certain politicians today – who blatantly favour personal success over collective progress. When JFK said he would take mankind to the moon, people believed in him. It was an out-of-this-world promise, but it felt like it could happen. Whereas the possibility of the promise to ‘Take Back Control’ holding true felt much more unlikely. For marketing slogans to be palatable the candidate must be palatable in the first place. Politics was created to govern and benefit citizens — see ancient Greek cities.
Politicians should be heads of state at the service of their people, not reality TV show contestants chasing individual limelight. Even Plato, who notoriously disliked the idea of democracy, concedes that the worst possible governments are the ones who are keen to govern.
I like the simplicity and honesty of the new Labour campaign — Change. Whilst there’s a lot I question about Keir Starmer, I respect him for not having openly lied, profiteered or financially betted against his country. In short, don’t be a Johnson and people will listen to your slogans.
Chris Woodward — CEO at CTI Digital
In a word, no. Slogans are an essential part of political campaigning – be that an election, a military operation or any other marketing push. When was the last time you gave your campaigns a name? You’ll probably remember ‘Labour isn’t working’, ‘Desert Storm’ and ‘Get Brexit done’. It may seem trivial or even vain, but giving your operation or campaign a name or a slogan is crucial. It creates clarity and alignment, helping people to quickly understand your objective, as well as making your campaign memorable and sparking the imagination, enabling your audience to grasp your vision.
In a single line you can distil and convey the essence of your strategy. ‘Labour isn’t working’ propelled the Conservatives by distilling the thought that Tories had sound economic policy and Labour couldn’t be trusted with the economy, while ’New Labour’ was shorthand that Labour was no longer under the control of the hard-left unions and instead on the side of the middle classes — cue a landslide for Tony Blair.
Featured image: Brian Wertheim / Unsplash