I remember 1995 when Britpop was an emergent force mixed up with a fresh approach to politics. The young minds of the time believed that the country was on the cusp of something special.
Then, only a few years later, with Weapons of Mass Destruction and the endless bombing of another foreign country, Britpop (despite its claims of wanting to live forever) was dead, rather like New Labour.
Now, after a significant number of cons from a conservative government we are faced with another season of fresh choices and an opportunity to reshape Britain once again. Only, this time, Labour doesn’t seem able to breathe the same hope with which Tony Blair infused a generation when he overthrew the Conservative administration all those years ago!
For me, there seems to be a dearth of real purpose in party politics now, as each mirrors the agenda of the other, leaving the population with a dimmer view of politics than ever before. Stateside, the political choices available to the voters appear even more startling!
Politics has a massive branding issue.
Most people have had enough of being fed misinformation which is then declared as information and then declared falsehood just a few years later. When did it all start? With the murder of JFK? Abraham Lincoln? In Ancient Rome or The Garden of Eden? Ultimately, it all starts when politics becomes self-serving. At the heart of politics should be a desire to serve others rather than serving self-interest.
The current brand problem is that the general public believes that those in power don’t care and that governments are more concerned with serving the unholy trinity of me, myself and I.
If you consider brands that win big, what they have in common is that they have learnt to love their audience. At Liverpool FC, for example, King Klopp recently stepped down, but as he did, he packed out an arena full of scousers waving goodbye. He loved the city and the fans loved him despite the fact that he didn’t win every time. Liverpool won two cups, lost the league and Champions League by 1pt and 1 goal and the fans celebrated with 750,000 people. In Contrast, Man City won their fourth title in a row and only 25,000 fans came out to cheer.
Love leads, and love builds a brand of strength that recognises imperfection and doesn’t seek to win at any cost. One of Klopp’s departing quotes that will stand the test of time was, ‘I don’t collect trophies, I collect relationships.’
Klopp had a good point as relationships are the transformative fuel behind any party, business, sports team or venture which ensures that they leave a strong, generational legacy.
As we approach the elections, we need visionaries who can paint a picture of the future and rather than just concentrating on opposing each other, they should hold to policies that are designed to make a nation strong.
So what makes a nation strong? Well, I believe that three things need to be strengthened to underpin a nation, and they are faith, family and finances.
Faith in something higher than us helps us to have faith in one another and gives us the capacity to love. When our relationships are defined by hate we are a lot less purposeful as people. With faith and purpose we no longer compete, we can complete a bigger picture together.
Family is key. Without strong, united families, generations disappear, as values, principles, businesses and relationships all become poorer.
Finances, when well managed at every level, strengthen nations. Good stewardship means spending money on building a legacy rather than on lawyers. Whether it’s divorce courts or policies that are biased to favour those who already have money, certain things exist simply to make the rich richer and the poor poorer.
When a nation has a focus on faith, family and finances it has the means to transform society and promote success. Resources are created to promote freedom, focus on results and friendships form with other nations.
I believe that if we maintain an unwavering focus on our faith, family and finances our lives will improve on an individual and a national level. The branding issue in politics would change too if parties cared about these three things and had a real vision that wasn’t dependent on media, manipulation and the love of money.
With the advent of New Labour, back in the 90s, the change of government was touted to promote freedom but instead, it only widened divides.
We need to know how to unite people around an idea, paint the future and then focus on delivering simplicity. At the core of that journey should be care for people above the desire for personal gain.
The greatest of change is never complicated, it’s simple.
Likewise, a good brand carries a message, brings momentum and ultimately establishes a better method for solving the pain that people face.
- To save a branding issue, start with how much you care.
- To save a nation, start with love and lead with legacy.
- Then inspire others to do likewise by investing in impact.
Watch the latest episode of The Purpose People Podcast today via the link below.
