What Can Democrats Do to Improve their Brand Image?

Philip Kotler

There was a time when members of the two leading U.S. political parties — Republicans and Democrats — talked to each other and collaborated on jointly proposing specific legislative bills.

Today, members of the two parties minimize their interactions and do whatever they can to publicly assault the other brand. The U.S. has fractured into two countries, each running a zero-sum game. Needed legislation is either not formulated or if formulated, is never passed. The American political and social systems are in pathetic paralysis. Both parties operate in a state of negative partisanship, where members of each party fully support their party and are motivated to dislike and even attack the brand and beliefs of the other party.

What Republicans Commonly Say About Democrats

Surveys, focus groups, and polling repeatedly find that many Republicans describe Democrats as:

1. Economically irresponsible

· “They spend too much.”

· “They increase inflation.”

· “They raise taxes.”

2. Weak on public order

· Crime

· Border security

· Immigration enforcement

3. Culturally out of touch

· More concerned with activists than ordinary citizens.

· More concerned with language and identity than jobs and wages.

4. Too far left

Focus groups conducted by pollsters often reveal comments such as:

• “Democrats don’t understand people like me.”
• “They care more about minorities than everybody else.”
• “They look down on ordinary Americans.”
• “They are always spending money.”
• “They don’t protect the border.”
• “They are too influenced by universities and elites.”

How Can Democrats Change their Brand’s Image?

Elections are often contests over perceived brand meaning, not policy details.

The Democratic Party needs to create and circulate a two-column table that answers each of the negative brand image elements.

Republican portrayal of Democrats

Democratic counter-brand

Big government

Effective government

Open borders

Secure and humane immigration

High taxes

Fair taxes and opportunity

Soft on crime

Safe communities and justice

Elite party

Party of working families

Socialist

Market economy with fairness

This table will help Democrats know where they need stronger messaging to overcome negative branding.

Democrats need to focus on which Republican criticisms are merely partisan attacks and which reflect genuine voter concerns. The latter are the criticisms that a successful Democratic platform would need to answer directly.

Prepare a List of Republican Aspirations

Democrats need to publish a list showing what Republican voters are voting for.

1. Replace American democracy with a dictatorship of one political party led by one absolute leader.
2. Support the continuous growth of the rich getting richer.
3. Vote against any increase in the taxes on the rich.
4. Vote for the U.S. to continue its policy of “America First” and avoid relying on neighboring countries and old allies.
5. Vote against international aid to other countries.
6. Limit support for international organizations such as the United Nations, World Trade Organization, etc.
7. Vote against generous funding of scientific research.
8. Vote against letting immigrants come from a large list of countries.
9. Vote against policies designed to help minorities improve their lives.

Bringing the Two Sides Together

The U.S. needs to return to a time when both parties showed respect for each other and for the democratic voting process. Trump is running the Trump party, not the old Republican party. Our hope is that enough Republicans see that they will lose the coming election with their current views and that they need to reconstruct their party with new policies and aspirations.