Comments on: Product vs Marketing – The GOP’s Long Road To Recovery

By: Icouldabenacontendah

Icouldabenacontendah — Wed, 14 Nov 2012 19:15:44 +0000

“The numerous talking heads on the right that have predicted sure victory will resist any attempts at remaking the product. ….

For them, that strategy works just fine, because unhappy loyal customers will tune in to them to hear them vent and rant. This in turn drives up their ratings and increases their own pay packets.”

It’s not a stretch that the GOP “entertainment” pundits, including gurus like Karl Rove, do as well or better financially when the party does worse. Great business model for them, but a conflict of interest from the party’s viewpoint. Somebody’s gotta wise up.

By: Noni Mausa

Noni Mausa — Wed, 14 Nov 2012 00:52:31 +0000

You also need to draw a line between the product the GOP claims to be selling, and the product that arrives in the mail.

They offer fiscal responsibility, but spend like crazy. They offer respect for hard working Americans, but enact policies that make it increasingly difficult for those exact people to succeed. They claim to value life, but hack away at the policies that help children and their families flourish.

I would say that, given their product since the late 70s, it is astonishing that US elections are as close as they are.

By: Srini

Srini — Mon, 12 Nov 2012 13:14:42 +0000

Agree – if you are not inclusive you will be exclusive — that should be the tag line from lesons learnt of the GOP2012 campaign…

Marco Rubio may be a shot in the arm for the party in 2016 — so its not only the product mix – the ceo of the company who is selling matters too

By: Mohan Kompella

Mohan Kompella — Mon, 12 Nov 2012 04:36:06 +0000

Yes, ORCA definitely was a big miss for them and probably contributed to some of what happened on Nov 6. But both ORCA and the Democratic equivalent were a last-day get out the vote efforts, from what I understand.

And great point on the 48% that “bought” the GOP product. By itself, as an independent data point, it seems so close to 50% that it appears not to be a problem. But it seems that those that constitute the 48% represent a shrinking population segment, percentage-wise.

Take a look at http://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/the-gops-electoral-map-problem/2012/11/11/35ec162e-2c20-11e2-89d4-040c9330702a_story.html.

Until 1992 the GOP’s loyal consumers constituted a number that guaranteed enough safe electoral votes that they didn’t have to worry about the product. But since then, changing demographics, the aging product and the increasingly vocal “conservative entertainment complex” are driving the unpersuaded consumers to the other side…So the electoral college seems to be slipping away more and more, for the GOP. If the core product is not overhauled I don’t see how they can win going forward.

By: Srini

Srini — Sun, 11 Nov 2012 23:07:09 +0000

Mohan — Nice insights into product, marketing and the approach S-T-P – absolutely critical to succeed.

On the product side — keep in mind that 48% of the nation chose the GOP product (58M – popular vote for Mr. Romney) — I think the S-T-P part is where the GOP campaign machine failed (or came short). IT failed them big — Project ORCA which was GOP’s answer for of Mr. Obama’s smart analytics for micro segmentation, micro targeting using bid data failed miserably…