Change is nigh?

The UK’s political party brands are warming up- their ‘unofficial’ official marketing campaigns in the race to be the first to throw out the old furniture in Number 10 and order in the new from John Lewis. (The John Lewis brand was recently accredited by Marks and Spencer as one of its competitive brands which best appealed to the middle classes – a vital segment for the Conservatives – Also refer to my radio on LBC –  http://tw0.us/60Y ).

In terms of high-awareness campaigning, so far the Conservatives are in the lead with a national poster campaign featuring an open-collared David Cameron with the headline:

“We can’t go on like this. I’ll cut the deficit, not the NHS”.

The press newspapers quickly suggested that Mr Cameron’s face had been retouched for the poster.  Responding to the allegation, Mr Cameron told the BBC:

“I certainly hope not….I did not produce the picture or the poster.”

However he then added that he was the copywriter on the poster (having written the headline).

Yes he can change

The Conservative slogan for the 2010 campaign is “the year of change”.   This is a direct reflection of the campaign-winning ‘Time For Change’ slogan used by President Obama.

From a Brandforensics’ point perspective, whilst the slogan isn’t original, it offers a promise and more importantly all-important campaigning ‘hook’ on which to hang subsequent policy announcements.

For example:

A year of change for education…. health services… reform … and so on.

(It worked or Obama, so presumably Cameron hopes ‘yes it can’ work for him too).

One of my favourite political slogans was for President Coolidge, the world’s first media-savvy President (in office between 1923 -1929.)  His spin-doctor, the ‘father’ of all spin doctors – Edward Bernays devised it:

“Keep cool with Coolidge”.

Nice sideburns - cool

Slogans to remember

For his current political PR people’s reference and your edification, here are some of the best-known or most notorious international political slogans from the past.

If you have suggestion for a new one, please let me know and I’ll forward it to the current or future man in Downing Street’s spin team.

Britain Deserves Better — 1997 British Labour Party slogan.  It corresponded with the pop song: Things can only get better, also used as the campaign anthem.

Better dead than Red — Anti-communist slogan.

Bread and roses — Immigrant rights slogan.

Capitalism is boring — Slogan used by the Laboratory of Insurrectionary Imagination.

Catch up and overtake America! – Devised in 1957 by Nikita Khrushchev.

Come and take it — Slogan at the Battle of Gonzales.

Don’t Stop, Keep Going On! — The 2007 Turkish general electoral slogan of the Justice and Development Party.

Ein Volk, ein Reich, ein Fuehrer (“One people, one country, one leader”) — Nazi Germany.

England Will Fight to the Last American — Slogan of the America First Committee, against providing aid to Britain during WWII.

God made Adam and Eve, not Adam and Steve — Anti-gay slogan used by Christians who opposed homosexuality on religious grounds.

Go For Growth — Australian Liberal 2007 campaign slogan.  It refered to the period of economic growth under John Howard’s leadership.

Hasta la victoria siempre (There’s always a victory to be achieved) —Che Guevara-associated Communist slogan.

Hey, Hey, LBJ, how many kids you kill today? — 1960s Anti-Vietnam War and anti-Lyndon B. Johnson slogan.

If you want a nigger for a neighbour, vote Labour. 1964 Conservative Party candidate Peter Griffiths’ election slogan

It’s Scotland’s oil — Used by the Scottish National Party (SNP) during the 1970s in making their economic case for Scottish independence

Labour isn’t Working — 1978 Conservative Party poster devised by Saatchi and Saatchi.   (I detail the story behind the poster in my book Soul Traders

The Lips That Touch Liquor Must Never Touch Mine — Slogan of the Anti-Saloon League of the US temperance movement

Make love not war — Against the Vietnam War.

Me ne frego! — Slogan used by the Benito Mussolini’s Blackshirts “I don’t give a damn”.

Never had it so good — 1957 campaign under Harold Macmillan’s leadership of the Tories.

Never been had so good — 1957 campaign slogan of the British Labour Party (in response to the Tory slogan).

New Labour, New Danger — 1977 slogan on Conservative Party campaign poster showing Tony Blair with glowing red eyes.

Power to the people —Slogan of Socialist or pro-democracy movements.

Remember the Alamo — Battle cry at the Battle of San Jacinto.

Stay the Course —  Popularised by the Bush administration as the strategy for the Iraq War.

The Buck Stops Here — First used by Harry S Truman in reference to government accountability.

Workers of the World, Unite! – Coined by Karl Marx.

Bozo and the Pineapple —Unflattering name given to Gerald Ford and Bob Dole.

Change we can Believe in — 2008 U.S. presidential campaign slogan of Obama

Country First— 2008 U.S. presidential campaign slogan of John McCain.

Defeat the New Deal and Its Reckless Spending — 1936 U.S. presidential campaign slogan

Don’t Swap Horses in Midstream — 1864 U.S. presidential campaign slogan of Abraham Lincoln.

Give ‘Em Hell, Harry! — 1948 U.S. presidential campaign slogan of Harry Truman.

Grant us Another Term — 1872 Ulysses . S Grant  presidential re-election campaign slogan.

Hoo but Hoover? — 1928 U.S. presidential campaign slogan of Herbert Hoover.

I like Ike — 1952 U.S presidential campaign slogan of Dwight D. Eisenhower.

I propose (to the American people) a New Deal — 1932 slogan by democratic presidential candidate Franklin D. Roosevelt.

I still like Ike — 1956 U.S presidential campaign slogan of Dwight D. Eisenhower

It’s Time to Change America —1992 U.S. presidential campaign of Bill Clinton

It’s The Economy, Stupid – 1992 presidential campaign of Bill Clinton.

Rum, Romanism and Rebellion — 1884 U.S. presidential election.

We are Turning the Corner — Republican 1932 campaign slogan.

Yes We Can — 2008 U.S. presidential campaign slogan.

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Jonathan Gabay is the founder of Brand Forensics and on the core faculty of the The Chartered Institute of Marketing. For more information or to contact Jonathan Gabay click here.

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