Pinnacle Insights
Tears before election time
March 4, 2010 | Written by Duncan Hart
We have recently witnessed a new phenomenon; influential men (and Peter Andre) breaking down on TV, showing real emotion and revealing the ‘inner man’.
Gordon Brown on Piers Morgan’s show, and Alistair Campbell with Andrew Marr have both been overcome, and who can forget Peter Andre shedding tears as he spoke of how he would fight for custody of his children? While I have no doubt about the authenticity of these emotions, the appearances must have been carefully calculated, especially Gordon Brown’s appearance on a pre-recorded show, the very aim of which is to show the real face behind the celebrity mask. The Prime Minister, under fire on a number of fronts, must have decided that it wouldn’t hurt to appeal directly to the electorate. Anyone would think we’re in an election year.
What’s interesting though is that I saw the results of a survey published in a newspaper recently, following his appearance. It showed that, while people empathised more with the PM than they might have done previously, and perhaps understood him better as a person, most didn’t feel more inclined to vote for him than they would have done before. Perhaps the Prime Minister’s PR people underestimated just how savvy and sophisticated the British public have become, and how wary people are as to what they perceive as ’spin’. Shedding tears on TV may be good for the soul, but may not result in additional support at the ballot box. Successful communication today needs to focus on substance and sustained engagement, not one-off, one-way communication – even when it tugs at the heartstrings.
