droodzilla
pfm Member
I agree with the general point about three word slogans but this, in itself, does not explain the contrasting results of the 2017 and 2019 elections."Get Brexit Done" worked because it used the simplest, most effective, worst-kept secret in advertising and public messaging: the rule of three. "Education, Education, Education", "Liberté, égalité, fraternité", "Dig for Victory", "Freedom is Slavery", you get the idea. Whilst we like to think we're all above such obvious manipulation, we're not. It works.
You're seeing it used more and more now because one of the people behind the messaging coming out of No 10 used it to great effect in 2016 with "Take Back Control" again, a three word slogan and bland enough to tap into many people's thoughts that, "yep, I have little control over my lot in life, this is the answer, obvs" and memorable enough (rule of three) to stick. As I stated elsewhere, this seems to be the only tool in the public messaging toolbox at the moment. Perhaps it's because the speed that messages need to be generated at the moment to deal with the changing circumstances of Covid preclude a more considered approach, only time will tell. What will happen if the a**e is kicked out of it, it will lose some of its effectiveness as people will see it for what it is and ridicule it (look at the meme generator that came out after the 'Stay Alert' message came out).
Theresa May had "Strong and Stable" and repeated it ad nauseam. It didn't work even though, in theory, it aligned perfectly with May's public image, and with the apparent weakness of the Labour Party.
Nor was Boris Johnson's campaign notably less shambolic than May's in 2017: he hid in a fridge, grabbed a reporters phone in an interview, and dodged scrutiny by Andrew Neil, among other things.
The idea that Labour did relatively well in 2017 but failed in 2019 because May's campaign was uniquely weak and Johnson's campaign was strong does not hold water.