Worldviews Beat Checklists

Reading George Lakoff’s Thinking Points right now (thank you, Charlie Sneed). While it’s a politically focused book, Lakoff’s perspective on the role of values and language in building a movement is applicable to any marketing effort. What works for candidates works for soap (see Dove’s Campaign For Real Beauty). In the first chapter he plows right into one the central lessons…

Politics is about values; it is about communication; it is about voters trusting a candidate to do what is right; it is about believing in, and identifying with, a candidate’s worldview. And it is about symbolism.

Issues are secondary – not irrelevant or unimportant, but secondary. A position on issues should follow from one’s values, and the choice of issues and policies should symbolize those values.

Something we’ve all heard before…but something to keep in mind. Just substitute the word “features” for “issues” and you’re moving in the right direction.