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A solid, well-thought-out and executed marketing plan will yield sales figures beyond the Republican Party’s wildest expectations

Marketing Conservatism



Since the early days of commerce, marketing has played a crucial role in helping companies to get their products into the hands of targeted groups of customers. Being able to define such potential customers and then delivering a message that makes members of that group want to purchase a product or service is the essence of marketing. One could look at the early 20th century and the manner in which the Lionel Train Company marketed its product to young boys and see effective marketing at work.

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Ford Motor Company and its Mustang of the mid-1960’s is another example of successful marketing. With the Mustang, Lee Iacocca’s brainchild, Ford specifically targeted 25-45 year-olds – the 1960’s version of the “yuppie” – and succeeded in selling over a million of the small, sporty cars in the first two years alone. In other words, grandfatherly types were not included in Ford’s targeted customer group and the sight of an elderly person driving a Mustang was rare indeed. So it is with politics – or at least, I believe, it SHOULD be. In other words, for better or for worse, Democrats have done a good job of marketing their “product”. Not that there is any truth in their advertising, but it has been effective for many years. They have been especially successful selling liberalism to younger people. Although 40 percent of the population at-large identifies itself as conservative, only 30 percent of 18-29 year-olds consider themselves conservative. Of course, the Democrats are aided and abetted by the liberals in academia as well as those in the field of entertainment - all of whom find an attentive audience among the young - that help to push the liberal agenda. This helps to lend credence to the old axiom, “If you’re not a liberal at twenty (years of age), you have no heart…” I believe that the conservatives in general - and the Republicans in particular - should put together a marketing campaign and direct it precisely at those whose votes they need in order to win elections – the aforementioned young. Democrats for years have been very successful at painting conservatives as uncaring, greedy, mean people. The extent of the left’s success is such that these traits, so often bestowed upon conservatives, border on caricatural. Conversely, the Democrats have done a splendid job of portraying themselves as friends of working folks and the middle class. The reality is that nothing could be farther from the truth. If conservatives start now – with nearly two years upon which to build an effective marketing campaign – they should be able to dispel the mistaken notion that conservatives do not care for the working man. The fact of the matter is that they need only point to examples of the failures of liberal policies to prove the point – and those failures are everywhere. Nowhere is this more obvious than President Lyndon Johnson’s mid-1960’s era “War on Poverty”. After forty-plus years and untold billions (if not trillions) of dollars spent, more Americans than ever are living in poverty. Conservatives could point to this as a textbook example of failed liberal doctrine. Furthermore, I would suggest showing photos of dilapidated Chicago public housing projects being demolished because they are in such a state of disrepair. Chicago being, of course, a longtime Democrat stronghold. Or hammering home the fact that California is on the verge of financial collapse thanks to liberals and their reckless spending. Similarly effective would be showing images of idled factories in Michigan, Ohio, and Pennsylvania – formerly vibrant manufacturing centers reduced to decay thanks to the unions and their liberal cohorts in elected office. And who can forget the images of New Orleans in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina? The societal breakdown thanks, in no small measure, to Ray Nagin and others of his ilk. Yet another example of the failure of liberalism. Contrast these images with those showing locales that are experiencing economic growth such as Texas. Provide proof for the electorate that allowing the free markets to function on their own, with minimal interference from restrictive governmental regulation, represents the best manner by which to “spread the wealth around”. Illustrate the fact that, when the rich do well, society as a whole does well. Show blue-collar workers busy assembling high-end boats for well-heeled clientele. Show once and for all that the best stimulus is money in private hands - not in the government’s. A solid, well-thought-out and executed marketing plan will yield sales figures beyond the Republican Party’s wildest expectations. Conservatives should take a lesson from Ford. Make CONSERVATISM the 21st century equivalent of the Mustang.


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James Sharp -- Bio and Archives

James Sharp is a middle-aged, middle-class, middle-management salesman who believes in secure borders and fighting our enemies with a strong military.  He also believes in limited government, free markets, and unlimited opportunity and personal liberties for all citizens of the U.S.


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