Elections seem to be everywhere right now. If you’re in Melbourne, front fences around your 5km bubble are likely festooned with political signs for local council elections. You might be in Queensland, where two women are competing for the top job for the first time in the state’s history. Or you could be nervously watching the Machiavellian madness that is the US 2020 Presidential campaigns.
During an election glut, it’s essential for candidates to be heard. And in a time when kissing babies and shaking hands with seniors is off the cards, campaign slogans can make a big difference. They distil who the candidate is, what they stand for, and what you will gain from voting for them.
Campaign slogans that work can make history.
It’s Time – Gough Whitlam, 1972
Yes We Can – Obama 2008
And yes, even Make America Great Again – Trump, 2016.
As Dr Marcus Phipps writes for ElectionWatch, a slogan is “both a war cry and call-to-action”.
And then there are the slogans that just disappear into the ether, never to be uttered again. Do you remember the slogans of the major parties in the 2019 Australian Federal Election? I didn’t either. (In case you’re interested, Labor went for: “A Fair Go For Australia” and Liberal decided on “Building our economy, securing our future”.)
So what makes a slogan work? What makes them resonate for generations or, conversely, disappear without a trace? Even in the muddy world of politics, basic communication principles make all the difference.
It needs to have substance
You can’t just create words that sound nice. There needs to be substance behind the slogan. Without a foundation in bigger aims and outcomes, slogans quickly become empty words.
As political consulting firm The Campaign Workshop says, “You can have a great idea for a slogan… but it can’t be written in a vacuum. It will only work if it connects to your larger campaign messaging.”
The Campaign Workshop points to Kamala Harris, the current Democratic candidate for US Vice President and her slogan, “For the People”. This does a great job of summing up the greater themes she is campaigning on, like economic justice, climate change and criminal justice reform.
Like with all communications – whether it’s a campaign slogan, a media release or a Facebook banner – there should always be a strong foundation of ideas, goals and desired outcomes behind anything you put out into the public.
It needs to have emotion
As voters are bombarded with campaign collateral, the standout slogans are those that tap into emotion.
The Campaign Workshop says: “A slogan is not just a series of words; it needs to tap into what people are thinking and feeling.”
A slogan can put a candidate’s values front-and-centre, hoping to align with yours: family; the environment; equality; stability. It might be tapping into a sense of hope and possibility. It might even be making people nostalgic for a better time (for some).
“Thinking and feeling go hand in hand,” political psychology expert Dr Tereza Capelos explained to the BBC. “In any decision-making – including political decisions – how people feel…is important. Emotions help people make decisions.”
It needs to be catchy
A lot of campaigning experts talk about political slogans like advertising jingles.
“Political slogans are designed to by witty, catchy, and most importantly, highly quotable,” says linguistic anthropologist Adam Hodges.
First of all, they must be short. This is partly for practicality: your slogan will have to fit on banners, stickers and social media graphics. But also, short and punchy is what grabs people’s attention and then sticks in their minds. That’s how a lot of advertising works. Researchers point to the frequent use of alliteration or rhyming in political slogans, for this very reason. Think of 1951’s “I like Ike” or even “Kevin 07”.
You need to use it, a lot
For a slogan to cut through the noise, penetrate the zeitgeist and become associated with the candidate, they need to use it ad nauseum. Literally.
Political communications expert Caroline Fisher refers to the importance of the “vomit principle” when it comes to getting a slogan to stick.
“The idea is that if you repeat something so often that you feel like vomiting, only then is it likely to be cutting through with the public.”
And you need some good luck
A lot of thought goes into most political slogans. There is substantial policy, mountains of research and, often, big important issues that really matter to the people you are trying to reach. But then sometimes, even after all that, it can fall apart in a flash.
In the 1990 Australian federal election, Opposition Leader Andrew Peacock came out with the slogan “The answer is Liberal”, to which Bob Hawke famously replied, “If the answer is Liberal, it must have been a bloody stupid question.”
Slogans matter. Slogans can become the first thing people think about when your name comes up. In crafting a slogan, strong communication foundations are vital. As is staying far away from Bob Hawke.
Fostering Mauri
Lockdown has spurred a boost in pet adoptions across the state, as afflicted Victorians realise how good animals are at brightening difficult times. Friends of mine recently came to this realisation when they began fostering a retired race dog.
Mauri (known by the bookies as Mauri Clovelley) is the son of Tapestry Lace and Cosmic Rumble, and the grandson of Gypsy Blue Belle and Daddy Cool. Names that imply romance and excitement. And indeed, Mauri appeared to his fosterers in the height of greyhound fashion: sporting a comically large woolen vest and with little white paws that resemble socks.
But there is more to Mauri than his dashing good looks and refined sense of style. When he arrived in their home, his eyes glazed over and his stiff tail refused to budge from in between his shaking legs. He promptly sought the couch in the corner of the living room and curled up with his head held high to survey his surroundings.
At six years old, Mauri has raced over 100 times in his career, which would have kicked off when he was about 1.5 years old. He represents the one in ten greyhounds that aren’t killed for being too slow to win money.
When someone reveals a treat and calls his name, Mauri doesn’t leap to attention like other dogs. In fact, he barely registers the offer. It’s a response that suggests not only is the offer of a treat new to him, so is his own name.
The days that followed Mauri’s welcome into the house saw him come into himself a bit. His tail now wags upon the arrival of guests, and his stoic expression occasionally gives way to a panting tongue and smile.
He has, however, developed a fierce attachment to his main foster carer, manifesting in a frantic search around the house when she so much as takes a shower. The contrast of a life of neglect to one of love and support may be too jarring to allow Mauri to ever truly adapt.
Harsh reminders of Mauri’s former life occasionally come up. Loud noises trigger a panicked jolt, and a pigeon that flew into the house was mauled. These incidents allude to the practice of ‘live baiting’, which was revealed to be prolific, even in the upper echelons of the industry, in 2015.
Mauri’s foster family love him, but don’t know if he will ever completely recover.
The ACT has banned greyhound racing. Other states must follow their lead. You can add your voice to the campaign by sending a message to your MP here. Then, dogs like Mauri can lead happy, healthy lives.
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