Getting the Brand clear in our minds

national | politics / elections | opinion/analysis Friday October 14, 2005 14:56 by Independent Media Consultants

Outlines the benefits of unleashing the P.R.I.C.K. on the Irish electorate.

Brands can have a resonance beyond the organisation that gains from and utilises them. While this can often be a positive source of goodwill and easy recognition, at other times organisations can be constrained by the associations of their key brand which, for historical reasons, may hold out hostages to fortune in the form of perceived values and attributes.

The Irish Labour Party, as it seeks to coalesce once again with Fine Gael is now in such a position and we would advise the party to consider a rebranding, using a name that more truly reflects the objectives of the organisation. The current mission statement of the party can be summed up as

“Get Pat Rabbitte into Cabinet”

since the struggle is clearly targeted at achieving a cabinet position for Pat Rabbitte who had to suffice with a Minister for State in 1994 and is now in his 57th Year.

The party also has to deal with many people who feel that the ‘Labour’ brand gives them some say over the direction of the party, associating it with the Labour Movement amongst other unfortunate effects. For these reasons we would propose refocusing the brand on the core mission and renaming the organisation
The Pat Rabbitte In Cabinet Kommittee.

This will enable the P.R.I.C.K. to re-examine core brand elements and can result in

The P.R.I.C.K. supporting the use of Shannon Airport by US forces

The P.R.I.C.K. working for the dismantling of the public service under the guise of efficiency

The P.R.I.C.K. clearly aligning with the other establishment forces on issues such as the bin tax, the Rossport 5 and Northern Ireland.

The P.R.I.C.K. can use the opportunity to clear any deadwood from the organisation which is still showing outdated brand loyalty to the labour movement.

The P.R.I.C.K. can finally escape the roots of the organisation and continue to shaft organised labour through the retention and extension of the 1990 Industrial Relations Act.

The P.R.I.C.K. can now appeal to the key dinner party constituency without having to constantly watch for attempts to reclaim the, now defunct, Labour brand.

So confident are Independent Media consultants of the success of this approach, we are willing to defer our considerable consultancy fees until the P.R.I.C.K. gets hold of the state coffers and continues the proud Irish tradition of screwing the electorate. In that way at least the P.R.I.C.K. can retain links with the previous Labour brand.