Year 2017. santiago del moro He is the host of one of the most watched programs on Argentine television. Intractables, a summary of news with debates and panelists that began with a focus on the entertainment world and mutated to political news, as that conversation questioned more and more people.
Even during that year, days before the legislative elections, the then governor Mary Eugenia Vidalwas invited and had a meeting with the journalist Diego Brancatelli that synthesized the climate of the time. The discussion went viral and many political analysts highlighted it as a key piece in the official victory. In 2019, the former governor sought to repeat the formula but did not have the same effect. In communication, doing the same thing does not always lead to the same results.
santiago del moro He is the host of the most watched program on Argentine television. Big Brother, a reality show that is nothing new except for the surprising rating that this last edition had. The success of a program that shows the coexistence of complete strangers at a time when it seems that no one gets along with anyone is paradoxical. Even more if we think that to the usual problems, economic crisis and inflation, is added more and more violence, such as the recent beating of a government official in the middle of a protest by bus drivers. All this happens while the main political parties in the country define their candidates for the STEP with the same recipe as always: rift, conflict and cynicism.
Thinking about how to communicate in election times, it seems important to me to highlight the surprising success of Big Brother and the contrast in the programs of santiago del moro. From the point of view of the audience. Politics, as a subject, is still a constitutive part of the life of Argentines. Even for some it is an identity trait. I think the change is in the relationship of the political class with people who do not feel represented by any proposal. Today, the rift is between them and this sector of society. There is a growing distance and disconnection between the parties.
Political colors aside, it is indisputable that Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner He is the most gravitating political figure of the last 20 years. And that this place was earned in large part by knowing how to interpret the popular pulse of the time better than the rest. Cristina’s tweet versus Macri in May 2018 is a humorous and mischievous example of this. On the other hand, the tweet in which CFK congratulates the team for the world championship serves as a counterexample to this, it never mentions Messi and highlights as something positive the only gesture that made Lio ashamed of himself, the mole Gigio to Van Gaal. I am staying in December 2022 for a while longer to bring another clearer and more significant example of the divorce of the political class with the people, no political space was able to capitalize on one of the largest popular celebrations in the country’s history. Not even Peronism being officialism, when its greatest historical capital is precisely the popular.
I return to communication at election time. Odd years for brands are demanding. Added to the always challenging Argentine context is a compressed calendar for the simple reason that there is less advertising space and more messages than in a normal year. This general discontent and distancing from the political class is an opportunity for brands to connect with people, find something relevant and add something of value in a difficult time.
It is not about remaining silent and outside of what is happening. It’s not about taking sides either, I don’t think it’s possible to crack through. Is not the “Vote The Assholes Out” of Patagonia to involve more people. It is about bringing a little relief, encouragement and calm with our messages. If we also have a solution that goes beyond the discursive, the better. This is not the time to remember how bad we are, or how hard it is for us to make ends meet to be relevant.
Perhaps what is really valuable for a brand in this electoral year is to be more present, even with fewer spaces to communicate. Because in the lack of representation and in the total distrust, in the divorce with the political class, there is a possibility of approaching people with an honest, committed, optimistic and empathetic look. This reflection is not new, it is also somewhat hackneyed but that does not mean it is no longer necessary.
Strategy Director of La América.
Source: Ambito
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