Branding freedom

Kellyanne Conway made a speech last week that I found very interesting. As an accomplished pollster and poll analyst, she examined the motivations for current voters in various demographic groups. She made one point that really caught my attention, and that observation will be the focus of this column.


“(in the present environment) most consumers are brand loyal but not brand monogamous.”

In other words, we have strong preferences, but occasionally drift outside our circle of comfort. The reasons for aberrations may be many but generally revolve around circumstances that encourage us to alter our usual patterns of purchasing. One such example may be price. If a competing brand of similar quality is demonstrably cheaper than our normal, then we may opt to consume the competitor. Perhaps the unfamiliar brand is a new entry into the market, and we buy it to compare with our traditional one. Possibly, our normal brand is temporarily out of stock, therefore we pick up what, we hope, is a viable stand-in.

So how does Kellyanne’s pithy observation apply to Today’s political scene? Consider the term “brand loyal” to reflect traditional Democrats and Republicans. Voters are generally party-loyal for three primary reasons: Family tradition, the party platform, or personal involvement. But when the brand becomes disagreeable or not up to its expected standards, then the voter may to test another variety. From my own experience I have heard people condemn the unresponsiveness of the two Old Parties. They vote for them because they’re loyal and unsure of the reliability of an “off” brand. Alternate brands, especially Libertarians, must seize the opportunity that massive voter discontent with the two majors has developed. While I am aware that some within the Libertarian Party sneer at those who remain blindly attached to the dying duopoly, it is time to swallow the bile and actively recruit those who may be privately questioning their previous loyalty.

Just as some Democrats jumped the fence and voted for Reagan, so too did some Republicans support Obama. Perhaps in both cases (certainly the present one) they may have felt “burned,” but that sense of betrayal works in our favor because it illustrates the paucity of honor and consistency within the other parties. We can sell our message by emphasizing our long-lasting fealty to the ideal of a smaller government that is faithful to its Constitutional roots. We can emphasize that our commitment to lower taxes will generate more funds for economic activity, and thus create more jobs, more growth and more prosperity. Finally…our greatest brand is freedom. True political and economic freedom isn’t enough. People, citizens, voters must exercise every element of freedom that does not threaten a civil society. They must be allowed to do so without any suggestion of government interference. Polls and anecdotal evidence seem to suggest that a huge number of U.S. voters are willing to hear the Libertarian message. We are tasked to deliver that message of freedom in such a way that our audience believes we care about their well-being, and that we seek victory for our own selfish reasons.

Please comment or respond: cnpearl@woh.rr.com