Let’s debate

That is incorrect. Politics is marketing. You market your party or your candidate just like you would your company or your product. Hence you need to position your party or candidate just like you would your company or product. This is because you need to convince the market (in this case the voters) to consider and choose you over your competitor.

NO HOLDS BARRED

Raja Petra Kamarudin

The only position PKR has to take at the moment would be ABU. That will suffice for now. Their struggle is for a democratic country.

Position on issues, very clearly stated, go with consensus and implemented according to need. Allah issue, take advice from experts on religion from around the world. No need to politicise the issue. It is not difficult, just be on the right path and public support will come.

As for AVIS, the decision to be number 2, and they end up being number 3 is completely different matter.

IBM and Xerox, machines and computers…again a different matter. Pete you just cannot mix marketing and politics; both are complex in their own way.

Anyhow, an interesting read.

******************************************

The comment above was posted by ‘Singha2’ in my article ‘The politics of positioning’ and I would like to respond to his/her comment as follows.

Although there are different definitions of brand positioning, probably the most common is: identifying and attempting to occupy a market niche for a brand, product or service utilising traditional marketing placement strategies (i.e., price, promotion, distribution, packaging, and competition).

Positioning is also defined as the way by which the marketers attempt to create a distinct impression in the customer’s mind.

Positioning is a concept in marketing which was first introduced by Jack Trout and then popularised by Al Ries and Jack Trout in their bestseller book “Positioning – The Battle for Your Mind.” (McGraw-Hill 1981)

********************************************

Positioning In Politics

Positioning is a marketing technique that ties you or your product – or in the case of politics, your issue – to something that is already in the mind. In this way you communicate about the subject instantly. 

Some people confuse the word “positioning” with a stance or point of view on an issue. Legislators generally have a position on bills or matters of state. “I oppose the current immigration reform bill,” is an example of such a position.

But positioning is something you do.

ON TARGET RESEARCH http://www.ontargetresearch.com/2013/06/02/positioning-in-politics/

********************************************

Singha2, Hertz was the top car rental company and, in 1962, Avis took on Hertz with the slogan ‘We try harder’ (because we are number two). Hertz and Avis were so engrossed in fighting each other for the number one position that they did not notice Enterprise Holdings coming up from behind them.

Eventually, Enterprise overtook both Hertz and Avis and became number one with profits totalling more that Hertz and Avis combined.

The moral of the story, Singha2, is that Hertz and Avis spent all their time and resources fighting each other while leaving the field clear for Enterprise to squeeze in and surge ahead. Hence the marketing strategy for Hertz and Avis was too focused on fighting each other which resulted in both of them losing out to a third party (or third force, if you wish).

Hence, Singha2, I think this case study is very relevant to the issue of two political parties fighting for dominance and allowing a third party to get the better of them.

For example, if PAS and DAP fight with each other over Hudud laws and the Allah word, this may leave the field clear for Umno to steal the march over both. Or if Umno and DAP fight over this same matter, this may allow PAS to grab the Malay vote by emerging as the champion of Islam.

You said, “Pete you just cannot mix marketing and politics both are complex in their own way.”

That is incorrect. Politics is marketing. You market your party or your candidate just like you would your company or your product. Hence you need to position your party or candidate just like you would your company or product. This is because you need to convince the market (in this case the voters) to consider and choose you over your competitor.

So, whether you are marketing your party, your candidate, your company, or your product, the same rules apply. In all cases, you need to position whatever you are attempting to market.

Finally, ABU (Anything But Umno) is not a position. It is a slogan just like ‘PAS for All’ (PAS Untuk Semua). What do you mean by ‘PAS For All’? Can Hindus become members of PAS and eventually a Hindu takes over as the PAS President? Or can only Muslims (and ulama’ Muslims on top of that) be in the PAS leadership? Therefore, what is PAS’s position since PAS said that the ulama’ must lead the party?

Singha2, I think you do not understand the concept of positioning and that whether we are talking about a political party, candidate, company, or product, the same rules of positioning and marketing apply.

Oh, and one more thing. You said, “Their struggle is for a democratic country.”

What is your understanding of ‘democratic country’, the term that you so freely used? Many people think that ‘democratic country’ means that the country holds general elections. Once you fulfil this requirement then the country is democratic (having a form of government in which people choose leaders by voting).

Democracy comes from the Greek words demos (people) and kratos (power), which is opposite to aristokratia (aristocracy or rule of an elite). Hence democracy means a system where the people, and not the elite, hold power.

Now, this is going to be another subject by itself so I will not deliberate on this matter or else I will need to write another three or four pages. I will just end the matter here by asking a question: does this people’s power that Malaysia is supposed to possess allow Muslims to leave Islam to become, say, Hindus? And will Pakatan Rakyat hold to this democratic principle of respecting the rights of Malaysians to not believe in God?

And if the answer is ‘no’, then what democratic country which Pakatan Rakyat is fighting for are you talking about?