Let the PR Playoffs Begin: Primary Season

Every year ad execs are rewarded with the Super Bowl. Every four years, PR pros are treated to an even greater event — the presidential election.

It’s like baseball (thanks to Ike Pigott for the metaphor suggestion), a great tournament to find our world series representatives, and then the battle royale. PR heroes are made, brilliant strategies and tactics are used, which eventually trickle down into the larger profession. Yes, if you can separate yourself from the issues, the PR playoffs and world series can be a time of awe and professional growth.

Washington is dead right now. But it’s the quiet before the storm. Two weeks from now, the race for the earliest primary season will begin in earnest. And then it’s on. Positioning begins. And it will occur in many of the early primary states. Nothing will get done this fall in DC.

Playoff Lore

Bill Clinton was a goner in 1992 — due to Gennifer Flowers and accusations of draft-dodging — with Tsongas leading the field. But Clinton literally wrote off Tsongas’ win in the NH primary by claiming that Tsongas’ home in Massachusetts actually meant Tsongas should have won. A sick, brilliant move flipped the Arkansas governor back into the heart of the campaign. Newsweek lampooned the moment featuring Clinton (and Buchanon) on top of the victory stand with second place metals. The rest is history.

Just in case you think front-runners have it wrapped up, here are some other historical primary moments (vis a vis Wikipedia):

• Harry S. Truman ended his re-election bid in 1952 after losing the New Hampshire primary.
• Lyndon Baines Johnson dropped his 1968 reelection bid after performing far below expectations in the New Hampshire primary.
• Jimmy Carter, the little-known governor of Georgia, took a surprise win in 1976 and rode it to the presidency.
• John McCain, a senator from Arizona, defeated George W. Bush in the New Hampshire primary in 2000, making it a close contest.
• John Kerry won both the Iowa caucus and New Hampshire primary over heavily favored Howard Dean to win the 2004 Democratic nomination. It didn’t help that Dean had a couple very public meltdowns, including this one.

Of course, then there are the big PR moments in the World Series, the general presidential election.

• The clean shaven Kennedy versus the swarthy Nixon
• Swift boat veterans
• The Dukakis tank photo
• Al Gore’s inability to resonate as a human being
• Bob Dole falling off a campaign platform
• Reagan’s “Stand on Principle”

In all of these cases, a master of spin has deftly guided his or her champion with advice, thoughts and suggestions. Politics is the major leagues of PR. October legends include Mike Deaver (RIP Mike, we’ll miss you), James Carville and Karl Rove.

2008: The Fireworks Start Now

The current administration’s problems with Iraq has created an early election season. So the fight for the pennant begins now. And there are some interesting insights for readers to consider.

• Most notably is the incredible strength the Democratic party has this time, the first time the Blue team has appeared this strong since the post World War Two era.
• The fight for the pennant between the blue league’s two strongest candidates, Hillary Clinton and Obama, signifies a significant moment in history. Either a woman or an African American could be the presidential candidate for one of the parties.
• The top two candidates in the blue league are dominating. Edwards and the rest of the pack are vying for a wild card. But history shows weaker candidates like Bill Richardson can make a surprising run. And history also shows that wild cards can win.
• The first major social media election is on its way. YouTube debates and Hillary’s campaign song have been the big moments. More exciting events are sure to come.
• Will there be a social media bullet? Last year the Macaca incident spread on the blogosphere (compliments of Webb team bloggers) and took out presidential hopeful, George Allen.
• According to former Perot pollster Frank Luntz says corruption in corporate America is the #2 issue in this election after the war
• Healthcare will be another big domestic issue, which in turn could become Hillary’s Achilles heel.

The Other League

The Republican Party is much weaker this year, thanks to Bush’s follies. However, the real World Series last year was won by the St. Louis Cardinals with the worst regular season record ever by a champion. Don’t discount the underdog!

In the red league, there’s a big free agent on the loose. His name is Karl Rove, the Barry Bonds of PR pros. You may have heard of him.

In a year of weaker candidates — an unknown governor Mitt Romney, a flawed mayor Rudy Guiliani, a Washington Senator in decline (McCain), and a looming judge, Fred Thompson — a free agent pick-up of a Rovian nature can make a big, big difference.

Don’t underestimate Fred Thompson. Video killed the radio star, and big-time politicians Ronald Reagan and Arnold Schwarzenegger have demonstrated that acting charm can yield great political results. If he really does enter the race, Thompson is a very dangerous candidate.

Still the red team must face it’s biggest demon: The current administration. If only the president can quietly disappear and let other red team members have the limelight…

On Wednesday, my personal “mommy blogger,” nationally syndicated astrologer Jacqueline Bigar has agreed to drop by and predict the election results. Fun, but in 2000 she accurately predicted on TV that the Bush-Gore election was going to get tied up, and that neither would win on election day.

So get out your popcorn. The masters are about to show us the finest craft in the business. Enjoy the fireworks.