PN Quo Vadis?
Survey numbers are in again, and once more they show a PN that is failing to make any significant headway as we edge closer to the EP elections this coming June.
There are a number of reasons for this; I'll try to list a few.
Since the GonziPN election, campaigns have focused more on the persona of the leader. Yet PN have been unable to market a leader's persona to the extent that he inspires people to aspire. This is the job of the strategy, and marketing and communication teams. And of course, the leader himself.
The quick succession of four leadership changes have done the party no good, especially the last one, which left the party scarred and still divided. PL media capitalises strongly on this. That's besides the many turf wars PN sports on the side-lines, and which it really can't afford.
PN's financial woes set it back on two levels. PN must really get a grip on this, though I know it's easier said than done.
No-one is going to trust the country's economy to someone who can't manage his/her own finances.
The lack of finances means the lack of capital available for marketing.
PN still has an ideological issue. There isn't sufficient clarity about who it is, what it is and what it stands for. It needs to be communicated more clearly and louder, as do its proposals and counter-proposals.
PN's strategy, marketing and communication sucks. But the worst part is that if you see something that's not working, why keep on doing the same things while expecting a different result? PN needs to pick the right fights, at the right time and conduct them in the right way. The way it has conducted its latest battle - overpopulation - has only benefitted Norman Lowell because of the way it was conducted by certain exponents of the party.
PN already suffers from what in marketing is called Share of Voice. It needs to acquire a stronger SOV and ensure an adequate Impact of Voice. That means most especially getting organised, especially, but not only, on social media.
Many within the party tend to be afraid of being associated with NGOs who are fighting the same battles. That's downright wrong. If you're fighting the same battle, why treat the group fighting for the same thing as a competitor?
PN does not capitalise sufficiently on its wins. For example, the follow-ups to the hospitals judgement and to the Sofia public inquiry were weak, which is a pity because they were rather big wins.
The above-mentioned issues all need time to fix, yet time is not a luxury that the PN affords any longer. It's time for the phoenix to rise from the ashes, and the time is yesterday.