Politics is something that can usually easily be avoided. It’s easy to turn over Question Time or turn the news over, but in the run up to this year’s election, swerving the views and opinions of our main political parties has just got a whole lot more difficult.
In an attempt to reach an even wider audience than ever before, politicians are pulling out all the stops and in addition to the hard hitting, politically-focused programmes you’d expect to see them on, they can now be found popping in for a morning coffee with Lorraine, and snuggling up next to Phillip and Amanda on the This Morning sofa.
Now I understand that our politicians are currently working hard to spread their messages far and wide and day time TV shows provide a platform for them to communicate their key messages via a controlled and friendly format. But what’s next, afternoon tea with Alan Titchmarsh? A guest spot on the Cobbles?
As a B2B PR consultancy, we understand the need for an organisation’s spokespeople to use a number of different platforms to ensure their messages are communicated far and wide, but are we really going to make our decision on how to vote based on a chat with the Prime Minister sandwiched between an item on Summer fashions and tips for hosting the perfect barbeque? My view is that these day time slots are all too safe, stage-managed and non-confrontational for politicians to effectively air their views and their time and efforts would be better spent defending their opinions in a more challenging environment. Come back Paxman! Our politicians need you!
Fiona Whyatt has worked in B2B PR for many years. She loves blogging!
