Political Branding Strategies : Campaigning and Governing in Australian Politics

Political Branding Strategies tells the story of branding by the Australian Labor Party across seven years and three brands – Kevin07, The Real Julia and that of the party. Employing a new framework to understand and evaluate branding, the book offers lessons for practitioners, researchers and citizens in democracies everywhere. Political Branding Strategies tells the story of branding by the Australian Labor Party across seven years. This is an account of three brands - the Kevin07 brand crafted for Kevin Rudd, The Real Julia brand of his successor, Julia Gillard, and that of the party. Drawing on insider insight and a new framework to understand and evaluate political branding, Labor's strategies are considered in two case studies. They tell of skilful use of comprehensive branding strategies and costly disregard of basic branding principles, of stunning success and shattering reversal. This is a story with lessons for practitioners, researchers and citizens in democracies everywhere Front Matter ....Pages i-x Introduction (Lorann Downer)....Pages 1-5 Understanding and Evaluating Political Branding (Lorann Downer)....Pages 6-51 Crafting and Crashing Kevin07 (Lorann Downer)....Pages 52-90 Desperately Seeking The Real Julia (Lorann Downer)....Pages 91-128 The Lessons of Branded Politics (Lorann Downer)....Pages 129-138 Afterword (Mike Kaiser)....Pages 139-144 Back Matter ....Pages 145-146 Cover 1 Half-Title 2 Title 4 Copyright 5 Dedication 6 Contents 7 List of Illustrations 8 Acknowledgements 10 1 Introduction 12 2 Understanding and Evaluating Political Branding 17 3 Crafting and Crashing Kevin07 63 4 Desperately Seeking The Real Julia 102 5 The Lessons of Branded Politics 140 6 Afterword 150 Index 156