Osborne’s brand lessons

Five content lessons from brand Osborne

A golden summer may be turning into something of an autumnus horribilis for the Chancellor, as his plans to slash tax credits were defeated by the Lords and another recession looms. But from the low-point of 2012, where he appeared awkward, uncomfortable and unpopular, brand Osborne now appears to be accepted as an international statesman. So what lessons are there for marketers in this remarkable transformation?

  1. Find a strong, simple brand story and use every opportunity to ram it home
    With Labour in a shambles after the 2010 election, Osborne was quick to land on the narrative that having inherited a financial mess from Labour he would have to work hard to fix things. With the competition (opposition) scared to mention the economy, Osborne has gone on to frame the terms of the debate. This eventually evolved into his mantra of sticking to a long-term economic plan (more on catchphrase management later). In truth, after an initial spell of severe cuts, spending (and borrowing) climbed. But the strength of presentation has meant the truth has rarely got in the way. Like any good marketer, he’s been able to consistently control his content output (notably via his numerous Budget statements) to push out his fundamental messages. In May the punters rewarded this single-minded messaging.
  1. Visual presentation matters as much as what your brand says.
    For a while the most striking images of Osborne were one infamous snap run by a Sunday newspaper way back before he came to power and the picture of him as a lost soul grinning awkwardly as the crowd at the Olympic stadium booed him. A strict diet and a new haircut (as well several hundred pictures of him in a hard hat and high-viz jacket) and things look different. He’s suddenly being talked about in terms as the most likely candidate to be the next prime minister. As we all know, image matters. Brands forget that at their peril.
  1. Confidence in your position as a market leader matters.
    People like to follow people (and brands) who look like they’ll deliver and part of leadership is building followers. Osborne has always had a firm grip on Treasury staff, but by all accounts over the last year he’s gathered a closer group of ultra loyalists around him. If you want to be a leader, act like one. Nothing helps this like an entourage. But brand reputation depends on controlling content and media. This is something Osborne does well; he grants interviews rarely and prefers staged press events, especially factory visits. Being seen to open a factory or drive a train or a forklift truck fits well with the idea he is leading his “march of the makers”.
  1. A memorable tag line can do wonders for your brand.
    Depending on your perspective, this has been Osborne’s greatest asset or his major flaw. As someone who has listened in full to every one of Osborne’s Budget statements, Autumn statements and emergency Budgets, I’ve developed the habit of betting on which of his catchphrases will get rolled out. The age of austerity worked for a while, but since settling on the phrase “long-term economic plan”, that is now guaranteed to feature in any interview or statement. But Osborne is prone to fall back on other old favourites such as “fixing the roof while the sun is shining”. Of course not all of them stick. The idea of Osborne leading a “march of the makers” might ring a little hollow as manufacturing output falls and the steel industry continues down its own death spiral.
  1. It ain’t over until it’s over.
    After 2012’s disastrous “omnishambles budget”, it was no surprise to see Osborne booed at the Paralympics. That summer was a low-point for Osborne. His popularity and political stock were low. So how did he manage to make the remarkable turnaround? A combination of eating carefully, taking more exercise and having a new haircut aren’t enough in themselves. In truth it’s a remarkable story of a brand recovery and it’s one that offers hope for ailing brands and failing businesses everywhere. Get your messaging right, be consistent and remember that the market will believe what you say if you say it often enough with enough confidence.

Richard Cree is editor-in-chief of Progressive Customer Publishing

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