Today's advice for Dion

Eric Blais  runs a firm called Headspace Marketing, based in Toronto and Montreal. 

It's a unique kind of ad agency, specifically  devoted to how Quebec consumers differ from those in the rest of Canada. For instance, Quebeckers spend $397 on average on Christmas gifts, compared to $636 for Canadians outside the province.

Blais has been thinking of some advice to give Liberal leader Stephane Dion and he's posted his counsel on his blog today.

It's called "Dion and Harper: Mac vs. PC." Others, including young Liberals, have had similar thoughts in the past.

Comments

[Paul Wells]

I really don't think I'm being facile when I point out that the Mac has about 5 per cent of the market share of the PC. In fact I think it's a crucial point about the Liberals' self-image. Recall that in 1993 it was the other party trying to stop Canadians from buying the obstinately working-class, un-fancy Liberal leader ("Is this a prime minister?"). I suspect the Conservatives would be delighted if Liberals marketed themselves as the cool up-market niche brand. Again.

[whatquebecwants]

Paul,

You are right that the Liberals cannot afford to become a "niche" brand, which is what they've become in Quebec according to the polls. My argument is simply that successful brands have achieved "relevant differentiation". Since Dion is the symbol of the Liberal brand (at least for a while), it's likely a more effective strategy to make it stand for a different kind of "leader/prime minister" than to attempt to make him more like a mainstream politician (like Harper) which he clearly is not. Michael Adams' suggestion in the G&M this weekend that guy needs to become more "masculine" or shown fly fishing (perhaps a Putin torso shot while we're at it?) won't work. Brand equity doesn't shift that quickly.

A letter to the Editor of the G&M this weekend echoed this point: "why do so many of us feel our politicians should embody the aggressive characteristics we would hate to see in our spouses or bosses? If people distrust politicians so much (as many polls suggest), why do they dislike Mr. Dion so much for not having the characteristics they profess to dislike?"

Mac is nowhere close to PC's market share but there's a huge difference between being a PC user and a PC lover... And if Dion has any chance of being liked (or loved) it will be by encouraging Canadians to "Think Different" and be himself.