Former federal Liberal Party leader, John Hewson, writes in The Conversation (25.5.16) about the slogans used by both the Coalition and the ALP in this federal election, and how they might stand up under the intense scrutiny of a long campaign. He compares perceptions of these party ‘brands’ with slogans used by both sides in past election campaigns.
‘Perceptions about the two major political parties are well entrenched in the electorate psyche. The Liberal/National Coalition is consistently seen in the polls as “better economic managers”, while the ALP is consistently seen as “better to manage education and health”.
‘Not surprisingly, their campaign slogans hope to cement such perceptions – the LNP with “Jobs and growth” and the ALP with “We’ll put people first”. However, these slogans can often – inadvertently – be undermined by circumstances, or the policies that are announced, in a way that works only to highlight the most conspicuous electoral “weaknesses” of the parties.’