Speaking their language: lessons Labour can learn from business

Politicians from across the political spectrum are guilty of speaking to the public in a way which can sound wonky, dull and inauthentic. By catching up with business best practice, Labour can gain a headstart and gain greater clarity and authenticity in how it speaks to the electorate, allowing its true values to shine through.

It has long been known to those working in politics that to those on the outside, politicians can seem remote and out of touch. Thanks to efforts to overcome this, we get the inevitable dumbing down, forced slang and awkward management speak that all across the political spectrum are guilty of on occasion.

Why is this? Well, politicians work very long hours. They debate in a traditional and highly stylised way. Certain educational backgrounds are over represented, creating an echo chamber where a touch of policy wonkism seems to come with the territory. Any forays into overly colloquial or ‘youth’ speak risk being greeted with universal mockery and derision. The goldfish bowl of media coverage, not to mention social media, means a constant fear of slipping up and getting things wrong. This anxiety is surely destructive for the clear and creative expression of ideas. Meanwhile, speech writers and strategists search for new ways of saying the same things.

Politics is not the only sector that has such concerns. Business has them too. Behind the scenes, companies can be just as afflicted with jargon and phrases more awkward than any politician could ever hope to come up with. Yet this Orwellian double speak rarely makes it into the marketing copy and before the eyes of the public. Why not?

Competition and diversity of the market forces these companies to be constantly agile and responsive. Even when markets fail, huge companies with seemingly unlimited budgets simply hire world class copywriters with proven track records. Sales data are available on a daily basis, meaning that companies very quickly learn what is and isn’t working. In contrast, politicians are served their only truly reliable dose of feedback once every five years. Along with all of the other faults of the first past the post voting system, its cumbersome nature ensures that the two major parties focus on each other instead of focusing on the electorate. To top it all, selling jam or office space is clearly not as nuanced a process as what the average politician has to grapple with, nor is it so potentially emotive or value laden.

But this isn’t just about language.

In business, communication flows from an overall branding strategy. Good businesses strive to make their brands seem as familiar as good friends. Like a good friend, a good brand tells it to you straight, cheers you up and is there for you when you need them.

This may sound manipulative. But Labour is not selling snake oil. It is selling social democracy; the political system that has worldwide been associated with the best results in terms of economic stability, low crime rates and the greatest health and happiness of its citizens. It is not a case of polluting a worthy message with dirty marketing speak, it is a case of stripping our language back to its bare bones and unlearning the journalistic, academic and management jargon that it is already dripping with. Not to mention scrubbing it clean to remove all hints of political spin.

This is about more honesty, not less. This works well for Labour because the more honest it gets, the more likely it is to win the argument. Most people will not benefit from the Tory approach to tax and spend. Labour did not cause the global financial crisis in 2008. Yet strangely, these truths were rarely told by Labour in the run up to the last election.

Businesses strive to be direct, honest and pithy in their marketing copy. Labour must do the same if it is to win at the next election.