Biden, The Democrats and Message First 

A message of dedication, of service, of commitment to doing the right thing to help as many ordinary folk as possible, as he’s done his whole career. 

To do that, he needs to step down as the Democratic nominee for 2024. 

Because right now, Democrats are unable to put their message of a strong economy, a strong democracy and strong rights for women first because of one major weakness. 

One message that won’t go away. 

The message of incompetence 

Just like his age, there’s one inescapable fact of this election campaign if Biden remains in the race – the message of incompetence. 

It doesn’t matter how well Biden performs, it doesn’t matter if he’s the most switched on or engaged he’s ever been, and it doesn’t matter if he knows exactly how to be a leader of the free world. 

Because Biden is doing all of those things. But no-one cares, because they’re looking for incompetence. 

They’re waiting for the next misstep. Listening for that misspoken line. Watching to see if he blanks out on stage. 

They’re eagerly looking for those tell-tale signs of dementia, or Parkinsons or general old age.

And it doesn’t matter what Biden does now. A 2-hour mammoth press conference could reveal a host of policy detail, strategy, insight and political acumen unmatched by anyone else in the US, but the audience will spend all 120 minutes watching and waiting for a mistake. 

The inescapable narrative 

As long as Biden is in the race, his age, his mental acuity and his physical prowess will be the dominant message. 

“Can he do it?” 

“Will he slip up?” 

“Is he too old?”

To combat this, the Democrats’ message has to be reactive. Defensive. It has to be “he’s not too old for the job”. “He’s sharp, he’s on it, he’s not lost it.” 

And of course, when you tell someone not to look down, what do they do? 

If there’s one thing that Americans value collectively, it’s how they look. America is the home of the biggest, the best, the world’s greatest and many more stomach-churning superlatives. 

It’s home to Hollywood, Miami and many more ‘places to be seen’. From Hummers to dazzling white teeth, stag heads on the wall to bum-lifts by the beach, America is a place where the perception of who you are matters. 

As Bill Clinton once said, Americans will always prefer “strong and wrong” to “weak and right.”

Biden and the Dems aren’t able to put their message first. They’re stuck on perceptions and preconceptions. They’re burdened with a narrative they can’t control, and a message they didn’t want. They’re too busy fighting that perception of “weak” to focus on the fact they’re “right.”

The same can be true of your business or brand. 

Think of Budweiser, and the misstep it took with its target audience, placing a trans-rights activist on one of its cans for a publicity stunt that dramatically backfired. They’ve been unable to control that message. 

Think of Peugeot in the 80’s and 90’s, burdened with breakdowns and failures again and again. To this day, my Grandad refuses to drive a Peugeot over fears it’ll clap out half way between home and the bowling green. Unreliability has been a tough perception to shake. 

Or consider Marks & Spencer in the early noughties, losing a large chunk of its target audience as the retailer was increasingly seen as old, stuffy, outdated and unable to keep up with the modern world. 

Remind you of someone? 

Compare me to the alternative, not the almighty

Biden’s strongest message over the last few months has been anti-Trump. 

“Compare me not to the almighty, but the alternative” is one of his favourite lines. 

But even that’s back-firing. 

Trump may be old, but Biden is older. Trump may be doolally, but at least you can understand him. 

Trump may well end up nuking a country somewhere, but at least he’s strong enough to press the button. 

And Trump is a master of message. 

A discussion for another time, but Trump’s command of language, talking points and message discipline is incredible. Tremendous even.

Whether it’s the consistent reference to Crooked Joe and The Biden Crime Family, or his utterance of “fight, fight, fight” with a fist held aloft after the assassination attempt, Trump knows exactly how to put his message first. 

And he also knows he doesn’t need to say anything about his own position, his own message. 

With Biden’s age and ability so dominant a talking point, Trump has stayed uncharacteristically quiet, letting the message of incompetency lead.

Think of that when looking at your competitors’ messaging. If they’re saying something so often and so strongly… would it benefit you to say nothing at all?

So how can Biden put his message first?

It is of course possible to reset the narrative, reinvent a brand and put a new, clear message first. 

M&S have done it in recent years, re-focusing on their core message of better quality within reach. 

Skoda has managed to shake off the shackles of its reputation as a cheap and nasty, inferior alternative to one that’s approaching premium status. 

And Burberry, long burdened with a message of “The fashion choice for chavs and scallies” has slowly moved away from that enforced positioning and re-established itself as a luxury brand. 

If your business is stuck with the wrong narrative, it’s absolutely possible to go back to the drawing board and put a stronger message first. 

It’s possible, but it takes years. 

The Democrats don’t have that kind of time. 

If they really want to put their country first, they need to put message first right now. 

The strongest possible message of democracy, security, hope and peace. 

Biden himself can put that message first. 

He can stand up and talk about how he was the unity candidate in 2020. He can boast about his success in the last 4 years (and his last 50 years as an elected official). 

He can take the higher ground, and use the assassination attempt as a sign that politics needs to change, that a reset is needed and that he can best serve the country by stepping aside. 

By putting that message first, Biden can bow out without talking about age or incompetency. 

A win for him, and a message that could lead the Democrats to victory. 

Because the single, simplest way to guarantee success is always putting your message first. 

And if your business is stuck with the wrong message, you can change it. But you have to act, you have to face the facts, and you have to commit to refreshing it. We can help.