Despite the
fact that we are not having our presidential elections till the third month of
2013, this has been among the most politically active years in Kenya. New
parties have been formed, presidential candidates from all walks of life have
come up and last week saw the largest contingent of civil servants stepping
down from their pensionable jobs to contest for political positions
countrywide.
But wait…..
Why am I writing politics in a PR blog? During this exciting political season,
businesses can learn a lot about the benefits of ongoing PR by observing
political campaigns.
Candidates who
have been in government like the Prime Minister aren't sitting back and waiting
for March 4th to come. They're working hard to earn their votes,
just like we have to earn business from our customers. How? By maintaining
alliances, communicating proactively, managing budgets and raising funds. We
have seen the formation of G7, all with the aim of forming a formidable
political alliance.
Politicians
know that allies are their most important constituents. That’s why Raila would
do anything to ensure Henry Kosgei is by his side, Uhuru Kenyatta is doing all
he can to maintain his G7 allies. Musalia Mudavadi is investing a lot in one
Bonny Khalwale because he knows this is a season where your allies will matter.
That sounds
obvious, but many businesses take their allies for granted and assume that
they'll always be there. Or, they get distracted with trying to win over
non-supporters. Nurturing relationships with current allies helps ensure that
the foundation of support you've toiled for remains intact. Allies are your
strongest supporters and promote your business to others by word-of-mouth. Look
at what Otieno Kajwang and Ababu Namwamba are doing for the PM and you’ll see they
are vocalists in ‘Raila’s Choir.’ Friends are the most credible advocates any
organization can have because people trust "real" people much more
than they trust advertisements or the media.
Proactively
communicating with your publics is another factor in sustaining your
hard-earned business. Businesses can follow the example of political candidates
by including their contact information on all collateral materials, reminding
the public about promises made and kept, repeating key messages, and informing
them about anything new. On many occasions, Uhuru Kenyatta & Musalia
Mudavadi have used their government roles/positions to remind the public of
their political affiliations. That’s why it is very easy to get a para or two
about TNA or UDF in a government speech. Businesses that practice proactive
communication are more likely to be perceived as trustworthy, approachable, and
friendly, partially because they enjoy name recognition. Why do you think the
PM has all over sudden started talking about the resettlement of the Mau
evictees?
Budget
management is often overlooked as being essential to the PR process. Because
political spending is such a hot topic on campaign trails these days,
candidates know that it pays to closely monitor their budgets, and to spend
appropriately. On this front TNA has been very keen on raising funds for their
campaigns, Martha Karua has also ensured that she provides several avenues
through which her supporters can contribute to her campaigns. This will be a
season where several high profile lunches & dinners will be hosted to raise
funds for the different presidential aspirants countrywide.
Once a PR
campaign ends, many businesses assume that PR-related expenditures can also
stop. Depending on the size of your target audience and scope of your outreach
efforts, you may need to set aside a standard budget for ongoing PR. Keeping
accurate finances not only helps businesses stay out of trouble and within
budget, but also provides a way to measure the effectiveness of their PR efforts.
That is what will give ‘birth’ to several foundations come end of April next
year so that the losers can maintain the momentum while looking forward to the
next electioneering period.
Young PR says,
Watch out for Uhuru Kenyatta Foundation, Raila Odinga Foundation, Musalia
Mudavadi Foundation etc.
