New Thinking. New Politics: Samuel Adeyemi

PR and politics can dance together 

New Thinking New Politics is a mixture of spiritual and intellectual reasoning! It is Africa’s transformation playbook for a new breed of politicians committed to integrity and excellence; called and desirous to use public service with the highest degree of responsibility.

NEW THINKING, focuses on the need to change our thinking in order to see fresh possibilities. Part 2, NEW POLITICS, unveils the strategies needed to soar in the era of new politics.

New politics: What it takes to win

Mind revolution.

The next big thing that will happen in Africa’s political scene will be ushered in by those who have changed their thinking pattern.

This new paradigm, will be ushered in not through bloody revolution as some people have predicted, but through the revolution of the mind of Africans.

“The only true and lasting revolution that will change Africa for good is the mindset revolution. A revolution of the mind across Africa will catapult the continent into the league of world powers.”

Dare to believe.

The future winners in the new politics are those who are audacious enough to dream big and visualize limitless possibilities.

The excessive negativism in the future of African politics has been fueled by the continent’s rascal politicians. But this must now give way to creative visualization of a more productive system and the emergence of a new political class.

Going back to our roots.

“Life started in Africa. Life is coming back to Africa.  I can see a great and prosperous Africa. I can see Africa flowing with milk and honey. I can see African countries united and sending aids to the rest of the world.”

What will it take for Nigeria and Africa to lead the way and stand up to be counted? Contrary to populist thinking, it won’t necessarily take guns and bombs. Surprisingly, the ingredients are compassion, passion, a servant heart and confidence.

“It is compassion that will fuel your resolve to crush every corrupt element feasting on Africa’s destiny.”

Spiritual muscle.

The pathway for this desirable change of political direction is the buildup of intellectual and spiritual capacity.

This is a detailed process. And like PR, it needs to be planned, deliberate and sustained. Authentic spiritualism rather than flamboyant religiosity needs to be the foundation of the new political dawn.

Media and PR power.

The full deployment of the PR machinery is a key success factor in this forthcoming new era of Nigerian and African politics.

Money always talks. And in African politics, money rings a very loud bell. However, without the right media and PR strategy, your money can only travel so far in the world of politics.

The PR ingredients required are strategic messaging, optimal media relations, effective crisis communications, strong personal reputation and making the right emotional connection with the public.

To sign off the book, the author encourages the readers not to live only for the history books but live with eternity in view.

7 top tips on handling political PR

Emotional catch and connection

Voters are emotional. It is not the most logical arguments that sink into the hearts of the electorates, it is the most emotional arguments that do. Therefore, don’t be logical when you are marshalling your argument or canvassing for votes. Couch your message in emotion.

Rapid response squad

Have a rapid response online squad who are constantly scouring the web for mentions of your name in order to quickly respond. Your monitoring system should be able to assign each mention a sentiment: positive, neutral, or negative.

This squad will also be useful in projecting your image across the web.

Invest in data management.

Modern elections are won with data. Understand research and analytics. Know how to crunch numbers and how to catch your target audience precisely.

Focus on long-term goals.

PR relies on a strategic perspective, so you should plan your campaigns from a long-term perspective. Set a goal that will lead your campaign and keep all your efforts on track. This will help you stay on the path and not waste both time and voters’ trust.

Create compelling content

Social media is a representative part of a politician’s work. If you want to bring people closer to a politician, their social media footprint should not be all business. Add a personal touch.

Both President Buhari and former Vice President  Atiku tried to inject a strong personal flavour in the last Nigerian elections.

The political field for 2023 is still wide open with the likes of Bola Tinubu, Abubakar Atiku, Nasir El-Rufai and even former President Goodluck Jonathan all testing the political waters. You can expect a flurry of new contestants in the next few months.

Catch and talk to the younger generation

Young people are the future of society.  Though they do not control much economic clout, their high level of political consciousness can drive overall voter sentiments.

It is therefore it is worthwhile to direct PR activities to this target audience, that go beyond the predictable youth rallies.^[1]

Get the right PR and advertising mix

Integrate PR with other communications strategies.

Integration is key to successful outreach. With the help of public relations, make sure to provide consistent messaging to ensure its effectiveness. Integrating PR with advertising, experiential marketing and all other communication elements is vital to achieving a cohesive strategic whole.