“Marketing Warfare” lessons from Singapore General Elections 2011

“Marketing Warfare” lessons from Singapore General Elections 2011 – The Results

In my earlier post, I highlighted that the strategy employed by The Workers’ Party was to find their opponent’s weakness in the strength. The Workers’ Party win at Aljunied GRC validates the strategy.

Ries and Trout, authors wrote

The challenger should seek a weakness in the leader's strength and attack on as narrow a front as possible.

The Workers’ Party win at Aljunied GRC highlights that the weakness in the PAP strength could actually be the GRC system itself.

One GRC lost and the PAP lost three ministers in an election.

Come GE2016, Workers’ Party have to play defense to maintain its hold in Aljunied GRC which is a different strategy altogether. The Workers’ Party in Aljunied have to make sure that they deliver their promises made in this campaign and ensure that Aljunied GRC improves.

This Workers’ Party team have to show that as leaders, they have the humility to attack within so as to improve Aljunied GRC.

An attacking within was a strategy that PAP took towards the end of their campaign for GE2011.

The Prime Minister apologised for the mistakes and the PAP candidates took a “we will listen to the people to improve tact”.

This is what Ries and Trout suggested a leader should do in the art of marketing warfare.

Introducing products better than your existing ones pre-empts similar moves by the competition.

For the next five years, the PAP will need to show to voters who swing against them that a PAP2.0 is not just a campaign promise, but a deliverable KPI in the next five years.

Comments

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