In his book Leading Quietly, Harvard professor, Joseph Badaracco, Jr. wrote, “Complexity creates elaborate mazes, with lots of places for skunks to hide.” This quote was never more applicable than with the current state of government.
Think about all of the legislation forced through Congress in 2009. The bills were long on words, cost, pork, and earmarks. They were conspicuously short on feasibility studies and sufficient time to review before the vote. Urgent complexity was a crucial part of the leftist strategy. Instead of solving long-standing problems like immigration or external threats, 2009 legislation had deliberately created new ones. With the intentional expansion of an even bigger government, currently, America faces exponential debt, the devaluation of the dollar, and a shrinking free market. How does all of this mass-market legislation impact Big Government’s already tarnished brand? Is there a skunk in the room?
Marieke de Mooij defines brand as “a network of associations in the mind of consumers.” The association network is the link between consumers and brands” Big Government’s brand was determined by the unreliability of its products: the Post Office, Amtrak, Medicare, Motors Liquidation Company (GM) and Housing and Urban Development (HUD) to name a few. All of these programs are operating at a loss and/or besieged with scandals. “I spy” a skunk.
With the recent passage in the Senate of “ObamaCare,” many of Big Government 44’s supporters are “counting their chickens” about the freebies with universal health care. There are definite strengths with a universal system, but they all belong to Big Government. According to de Mooij, “standardization benefits the organization as it reaps the advantages of economies of scale in procurement, logistics, production, and marketing.” Even with all of these distinct opportunities, Big Government will find a way to bankrupt its newest illegitimate child. Noted business strategist, Kenichi Ohmae believes that this type of standardized system is bad news. He stated, “The lure of a universal product is a false allure. Needs may be universal, but attitudes, motivations and expressions of needs vary.” This is a direct threat to the free market and all that it represents. Me thinks there is more than one skunk in the room?
Frank Luntz, pollster and business consultant, affirmed one branding mistake leaders make is that they do not believe “Credibility is as important as philosophy.” Organizations will pass the trash in the form of “new and improved” products or processes. Is this what the left has done with ObamaCare? Big Government 44 is mimicking the “New Coke” syndrome; take something that the target majority loves, cheapen up the original formula, and pass it off as something better. At least Coca-Cola realized its mistake and pulled New Coke three months after its debut. “We the people” will not be so lucky because the ObamaCare maze is full of skunks. Twenty-nine years after the fact, New Coke remains the poster child of marketing catastrophes. However, Big Government 44 will probably be the immediate contender for the title of the “New Coke” President.
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