Abstract
Australian Labor and Kevin Rudd ran a sophisticated and disciplined co-branding campaign, featuring the charismatic Kevin07, which carried them into office in November 2007. Drawing on campaigner insights, a new evaluation framework and selected communications, this chapter considers the brand strategy and some of the key tactics used by Labor. It finds that both the leader and party brands were carefully evolved and presented throughout the year, but that brand discipline dissolved during Rudd’s first term in office. The deal-breaker was when Rudd effectively walked away from action on the brand-defining issue of climate change, leaving voters with a serious case of post-purchase dissonance. Labor’s brand also suffered because it was closely linked to Rudd’s. Labor failed to maintain a branding campaign throughout the electoral cycle and failed to retain voter support; Rudd paid the price with his leadership.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Preview
Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.
Notes
Jackman, Christine. 2008. Inside Kevin07: The People. The Plan. The Prize. Carlton: Melbourne University Press, 36–38.
Gartrell, Tim. Pers. Comm. (2012, 2014). Former National Secretary and National Campaign Director, Australian Labor Party. Sydney, Australia.
Cassidy, Barrie. 2010. The Party Thieves: The real story of the 2010 election. Carlton: Melbourne University Press, 6.
Spiller, Lisa and Jeff Bergner. 2011. Branding the Candidate: Marketing Strategies to Win Your Vote. Santa Barbara: Praeger, 35.
Gartrell, Tim. 2007. Address to the National Press Club. 4 December. Accessed 14 March 2010. Available at http://australianpolitics.com/2007/12/04/tim-gartrell-analyses-alp-2007-election-win.html.
Milner, Cameron. Pers. Comm. (2012, 2014, 2015). Former Director, Milner Strategic Services and strategist for the Australian Labor Party. Brisbane, Australia.
Loughnane, Brian. 2007. Address to the National Press Club. 19 December. Accessed 14 March 2010. Available at http://australianpolitics.com/2007/12/19/liberal-party-director-analyses-election-defeat.html.
Martin, Nick. Pers. Comm. (2012). Former Assistant National Secretary and Deputy Campaign Director, Australian Labor Party. Canberra, Australia.
Feeney, David. Pers. Comm. (2012). Federal MP and former Deputy Campaign Director, Australian Labor Party. Canberra, Australia.
McAllister, Ian. 2011. The Australian Voter: 50 Years of Change. Kensington: University of New South Wales, 199.
Ward, Ian. 2012. ‘Queensland’. In Julia 2010: The caretaker election, eds. M. Simms and J. Wanna. Canberra: ANU E Press, 217–230, 224.
Keller, Kevin Lane. 2008. Strategic Brand Management: Building, Measuring and Managing Brand Equity, 3rd ed. New Jersey: Pearson Education, Inc., 109.
Utting, John. Pers. Comm. (2012, 2014). Managing Director Australia, UMR Australia and pollster for the Australian Labor Party. Bondi Junction, Australia.
Macintosh, Andrew, Deb Wilkinson and Richard Denniss. 2010. ‘Climate change’. In The Rudd Government: Australian Commonwealth Administration 2007–2010, eds. C. Aulich and M Evans. ANU Epress: Canberra, 200.
Wanna, John 2008. ‘Political Chronicles Commonwealth of Australia: July to December 2007’. Australian Journal of Politics and History. 54(2): 289–296, 291.
Bean, Clive and Ian McAllister. 2009. ‘The Australian election survey: the tale of the rabbit-less hat. Voting behaviour in 2007’. Australian Cultural History 27(2): 205–218, 209–210.
Wanna, John. 2008. ‘Political Chronicles Commonwealth of Australia: January to June 2008’. Australian Journal of Politics and History. 54(4): 609–662, 609.
Stuart, Nicholas. 2010. Rudd’s Way: November 2007–June 2010. Carlton North: Scribe Publications, 54–56.
Bramston, Troy. 2014. Rudd, Gillard and Beyond: Why Labor lost and what it must do to win again and stay in power. Melbourne: Penguin Books, 63.
Wanna, John. 2009. ‘Political Chronicles Commonwealth of Australia: January to June 2009’. Australian Journal of Politics and History: 55(4): 584–598, 585.
Kelly, Paul. 2014. Triumph and demise: the broken promise of a Labor generation. Carlton: Melbourne University Press, 169.
Bitar, Karl. 2010. Address to the National Press Club. 9 November. Accessed 11 November 2010. Available at http://australianpolitics.com/2010/11/09/karl-bitar-national-press-club-address.html.
Scammell, Margaret. 2014. Consumer Democracy: The Marketing of Politics. New York: Cambridge University Press, 79.
Wanna, John, 2010. ‘Political Chronicles Commonwealth of Australia: January to June 2010’. Australian Journal of Politics and History 56(4): 631–681, 633.
Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) Television. 2015. The Killing Season: The Great Moral Challenge. 16 June.
de Chernatony, L. and M. McDonald. 2000. Creating Powerful Brands. Oxford: Butterworth-Heinemann, 74.
Needham, Catherine. 2005. ‘Brand Leaders: Clinton, Blair and the Limitations of the Permanent Campaign’. Political Studies 53: 343–361, 351.
Needham, Catherine. 2006. ‘Brands and political loyalty’, Journal of Brand Management 13(3): 178–187, 184.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Copyright information
© 2016 Lorann Downer
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Downer, L. (2016). Crafting and Crashing Kevin07. In: Political Branding Strategies: Campaigning and Governing in Australian Politics. Palgrave Studies in Political Marketing and Management. Palgrave Macmillan, London. https://doi.org/10.1057/9781137580290_3
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1057/9781137580290_3
Publisher Name: Palgrave Macmillan, London
Print ISBN: 978-1-349-84558-3
Online ISBN: 978-1-137-58029-0
eBook Packages: Business and ManagementBusiness and Management (R0)