Posted At : July 14, 2009 10:24 AM | Posted By : Judette
Related Categories: Political Communications

You only have to go to a political meeting to see it in oversupply. Look in the crowds. It’s on their faces. It’s a thing called hope.

That’s what politicians really sell.

Often it is based on the leader’s charisma. But it can also be based on peculiar positions or policies or when the ‘man’ and the moment intersects.

Whatever the grounding, the ingredient that pushes it all up to the top is hope.

The reason is simple: people always seem to need more hope. It gets scarce and when it does we run out to get more.

“The magical thing about selling hope is that it makes everything else work better, every day gets better, every project works better, every relationship feels better. If you can actually deliver on the hope you sell, there will be a line out the door,” says marketer and author Seth Goodin.

But I wonder what if people stop believing? Where does that line turn?

I believe it turns inwards and that’s when the people outside the door break it down and demand change.

But politicians are a clever bunch. They know they can always bottle hope, and later take off its cap and sprinkle it around. Hope cures skepticism. Hope needs no justification.

It simply needs a bunch of people who desperately want to believe.

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These days, I'm scraping a lot of political hope off the bottom of my shoe.

# Posted By Richard J | 7/16/09 9:45 PM

Politicians sell two intangibles, one being hope.

Politics is about the distribution of power. Firstly politicians have to sell
themselves on the idea that they are the "chosen"ones to distribute that power
-governmental or otherwise- and secondly they have to convince people-via
hope-that they sould be allowed to.

"But politicians are a clever bunch. They know rhat they can bottle hope." In
T&T, politicians have an ally ie bottled alcohol which dullens the national
psyche and senses. But, there is hope...the breathalyser, but that's another
story.

# Posted By John Henry | 11/22/09 12:17 PM

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5am At Mango Media Caribbean

Mango Media Caribbean

What politicians sell...