How the Independent Group can build the brand for their new political party

Who'd want to be a political party right now? The Conservatives are accused of becoming “Blukip”, while Labour fights a seemingly losing battle against growing allegations of antisemitism. Throw in an increasingly chaotic Brexit backdrop, and it’s not surprising that a breakaway faction has spotted the opportunity to launch a new political movement.

Spotting the opportunity is one thing – turning it into a credible and sustainable alternative is another challenge entirely. History is littered with failures in both commerce and politics.

The Independent Group is entering a particularly competitive marketplace. The challenge isn’t just the oversaturation of competitors that it faces, but the long and deep entrenchment of our two dominant political parties, making any credible alternative that much harder to create.

The flipside to this deep entrenchment is the rising level of disenchantment with the Conservative and Labour parties throughout the political landscape.

This is where the opportunity for the Independents exists – and it will be through offering something genuinely different that they can survive. To do this, the Independents should look first at the power of brand, and take lessons from the world of business.

For a start, the Independent Group must clearly define why it exists, making its manifesto singular and compelling. This is its “brand purpose”, like Nike’s mission to “bring inspiration and innovation to every athlete in the world”. This is the thing that runs through its DNA and ensures that it is meaningfully different from its competitors – the other political parties.

Then what? Well, “the customer is king”, as the adage goes. For the Independents, it is voters that will ultimately decide whether the group makes it, or falls by the wayside.

To win voters over, the Independents must be permanently relevant – not just a Brexit sideshow. They must never forget who it is that they serve. And the group must commit fully and transparently to delivering on its brand promises – otherwise known as policies (no U-turns, please).

Perhaps the greatest brand principle that the Independents might adopt is the horribly-unsexy-but-it-ain’t-ever-going-away art of listening. No brand director has ever erred by listening to customers too much – there is a simple marketing truism of “two ears, one mouth”.

Similarly, the Independents should never err from listening, in this case, to the entire nation.

From dissent often springs opportunity. We see it every day in the commercial world. But this doesn’t change the harsh realities of creating something new.

The most important thing that the Independent Group must do is be consistent, and – in its own unique way – deliver a brand experience for those looking to engage with something different.