[From Mandate's Washington DC Principal, direct from the Republican National Convention in St Paul-Minnesota]
 
Prior to last night’s address, Governor Sarah Palin was a mystery to nearly all those watching.  John McCain shocked the nation last Friday when he announced that the little known and little experienced Governor of the state of Alaska would be his running mate.  Never mentioned on the VP short lists, she was certainly not part of conventional wisdom.  Even the mainstream national media seemed almost annoyed to be caught so off guard.
 
After her introductory speech on Friday, Governor Palin went into hiding and would not be heard from again until last night in her formal address to the GOP party convention.  Meanwhile, we all learned over the weekend that 44 year old mother of five was the former Mayor of a tiny town in rural Alaska.  She ruled over a population of just 6,000 residents with a budget of $6 million.  She rose to the governorship just 20 months ago when she took on a scandal ridden Republican administration in the primary, promising reform and an end to corruption. 
 
But the bomb shell came a few days later when we learned that Governor Palin’s 17 year old unmarried daughter was 5 months pregnant.  The news sent the media into a feeding frenzy about her past, and Republicans quickly cried foul over sexist treatment of the female candidate.  Media pundits and talking heads spent the next five days in endless speculation over her family situation, her credentials as mayor and governor, and ultimately her readiness to be Vice President.
 
In a single speech last night, billed as the most important VP candidate speech of any major party convention, Governor Palin gave us some insight into a few unanswered questions:
 
She’s no political novice
Her resume is light, but she is clearly no beginner.  She controlled the stage and commanded the crowd from the moment she stepped out.  She delivered powerful speech that any political pro would be proud of.
 
The Base Loves Her
Palin is a star among the conservative Republican base.  Of course McCain put her on the ticket to appeal to female voters.  But possibly more importantly, she is there to shore up the base of the party with whom McCain has such a difficult time connecting.  She is the pro-life, pro-gun, fiscal conservative that they were looking for.  And it became evident quite early that she was speaking directly to them.
 
A Pit Bull With Lipstick (in her own words) 
The natural role for the VP nominee is that of attack dog on the opponent.  Could an attractive, young mother of five play this role effectively?  Palin put that question to rest immediately, tearing into Obama again and again.  Just a few of the memorable digs:

 ”I guess a small town mayor is sort of like a ‘community organizer’ accept that you have actual responsibilities.”
 
“…this is a man who has authored two memoirs but not a single major law or reform, not even in the state senate.”
 
“This is a man who can give an enitre speech about the wars America is fighting and never use the word ‘victory’ accept when he is talking about his own campaign.”

She’s A Game Changer
Anybody in attendance at the Democratic convention will tell you that it was a scene like none other with an almost indescribable energy in the air.  By comparison, excluding the protesters outside, the Republican convention has been a bit less exciting than a funeral.  But last night was a different story.  McCain made a bold move to energize his campaign.  And for the time being it looks like it worked.  The crowd on the convention floor was as raucus and rowdy as any I have ever seen, including last week in Denver.  And Palin was the reason.  Whether her record and experience hold up to scrutiny is unclear.  But as far as any VP nominee can shake up a campaign, Palin is definitely a game changer.
 
The biggest question for tonight is, can John McCain keep the same kind of energy going?
 

So, after a couple of rather flat days in Denver, the Democratic National Convention really got going last night.

First, in a powerful bit of political theatre, Hillary Clinton interrupted the formal roll call vote to call for the unanimous nomination of Barack Obama as the party’s presidential candidate.

Then Hillary’s husband, former President Clinton (remember him?) came to the podium and – despite a fair amount of tension between the two men in recent months – delivered a forceful, incisive and passionate endorsement of Barack Obama.

Describing in great detail why Senator Obama “is ready to lead America and restore American leadership in the world” (something that Hillary perhaps failed to do in her speech on Tuesday), Clinton successfully went some way towards healing the Democrats’ own internal wounds and unifying the party against its common Republican foe.

He also demonstrated his own well-known campaigning genius (which was perhaps strangely absent in the primary race) in framing the election for the first time as a chance “to rebuild the American Dream and restore America’s standing in the world.” If the election can be fought on these terms, Democrat strategists are confident that despite his personal popularity John McCain is clearly on the wrong side of the public debate.

[As an aside, President Clinton’s speech was also notable for its electrifying rhetoric – the greatest speechifyer of his generation was back on form with some fantastic language, including the best line of the Convention so far: “People the world over have always been more impressed by the power of our example than by the example of our power.” Fine words, and they sent the convention delegates into a frenzied ovation.]

Next up to address the delegates – who by this time had been whipped up into a frenzy of partisan delight – was Vice Presidential candidate Joe Biden. Mr Biden started by describing, in some detail, his working class, Catholic roots - a none too subtle dog-whistle to the Obama-phobic ‘lunch-pail’ voters in key swing states such as Ohio and Philadelphia. The main bulk of his speech was a withering attack on McCain’s foreign and domestic policy proposals. This is sort of negative, attack based campaigning that the Republicans have turned into an art form in recent years and which was sorely lacking from the Democrat campaign toolkit until Senator Biden stepped up to the plate last night.

All in all, a very good night for the Democrats, who are looking forward to tonight’s main event – an address from The One himself, to 60,000 devotees at the Invesco Field stadium (for the insomniac geeks among you, the speech will be live at around 2.30am UK time).

With the polls neck and neck, and with Republicans gearing up for tomorrow’s Vice President announcement and next week’s convention in Minneapolis, Senator Obama needs to use his speech tonight to convince America that he, and not John McCain, deserves the top job. It will be a challenge.

In fact, it will be a challenge, even for such a gifted speaker, for him just to match the oratory that Bill Clinton showed last night. Surely Bill’s performance couldn’t have been intended to pile even more pressure on Obama, could it?

‘Please sir, will you sit down’ is the request of the chinese volunteer at the Laoshan Velodrome in Beijing. Only thing is, it is fiteen minutes after the last race and only a few Brits remain celebrating the men’s team pursuit gold.

Proof of the celebrations by this author are seen by jealous colleages later that night on the BBC highlights (right).

All the Aussies have sloped off, heading down under. Just like their position in the medal table. When this is pointed out to the volunteer, the request is repeated.  No other English is understood or spoken.

The key phrase and duties have been learnt and cannot accommodate a few happy fans.  It has been fairly typical of the Chinese approach to marshalling in that everything is done to a rule book and the rule book doesn’t cover post medal ceremony celebrations. The Beijing games are in superb venues and amazingly well run. But it is a process rather than a party.

Ten minutes after the cycling has ended they shut the bars. What, no beer?  What’s the point in winning medals if you can’t toast them. But the attitude here is event over, job done. Crowds congregating clearly isn’t on. So we all get bussed back to a town with no supporter focal point.

But this isn’t spoiling it at all, so distracted are we by the gold rush. But it is uplifting how many of the overseas visitors and olympic visitors are already looking to London and anticipating a games that might not be quite as grand in scale, but will be far more fun to attend.

City Hall was shocked by the news yesterday that Boris Johnson’s very own ‘Prince of Darkness’, Tim Parker, has resigned from his role as First Deputy Mayor and Chair of Transport for London.

Parker was brought in as the experienced business figure to run the show behind the scenes at City Hall with an impressive background in private equity and a
reputation for delivering cost savings with ruthless ‘rationalising’. His appointment in May grabbed the headlines and since then we have sat anticipating a rapid series of job cuts at City Hall. For the last three months there has been little evidence of this, and ironically we learned today that the most high profile position that Parker would cull would be his own.

Worryingly for the Mayor, Parker is the third senior figure to leave the administration in as many months, hot on the heels of policy advisor JamesMcGrath and, most publicly, Deputy Mayor for Young People, Ray Lewis.

The Mayor suggested that the resignation was “essential from a democratic point of view” – but inevitably questions are being raised about why the Mayor was so happy to delegate out this level of unprecedented power in the first place. Ultimately Parker recognised that if he was to wield the level of power and influence he was used to from his career in business within the GLA he would have to be given a mandate by the electorate to do so.

However, it is not all doom and gloom for Team Boris. While his opponents may suggest that this is a sign that the “wheels are coming off” or his position is “unsustainable” – the Mayor is still enjoying a honeymoon period and a bounce following May’s election. The media still seems quite fascinated and enamoured by the colourful figure brightening up politics in London. The Evening Standard, who did so much to get Boris into City Hall, only went as far as suggesting that the disappearance of a second Deputy was an “awkward loss” for the Mayor. But there was a parting shot from the Mayor’s biggest media ally as they warned that any further losses to the team will “look like carelessness”. Boris will easily ride out the exodus from his team, but will be mindful that the immunity of his honeymoon will only last so long and upon his return from Beijing everyone will be looking more closely.

Perhaps Boris’s honeymoon period is finally drawing to a close?

Maybe I missed the end of the global economic crisis. Or the moment when our energy needs were met for future generations. Or the decision that sorted out the housing shortage in the South East. They must all be solved because Gordon Brown is now diverting his attention to writing another book, this time about his favourite topic: Britishness.

As people have rightly pointed out, Brown doesn’t actually write a lot in ‘his’ books. This latest effort will include contributions from JK Rowling (a friend of Brown’s), Ian Rankin and will be edited by Spectator editor Matthew D’Ancona. Given that, it’s difficult to see what’s left for Brown to write.

Two things jump out at me about this latest publishing wheeze. One is Brown’s unfailing (and slightly desperate) attempt to link ‘Scotland’ with ‘Britain’, at exactly the same moment that the Scottish Labour Party is verging on collapse. Co-opting some famous Scottish authors into a writing project will not stem the tide of Alex Salmond’s SNP.

The other interesting thing is a more overarching point: just why is Brown doing this? Does Britain really want a bookish Prime Minister? Brown already has a reputation as a detail man, someone who works unfeasibly long hours to get on top of issues. Why is now the time to add something else to his overloaded and groaning in-tray? Brown is clearly a highly-educated and well-read man - but surely full concentration on the main task in hand, i.e. running the country, is required.

Lots of Prime Ministers have written books after leaving office. Indeed some, Churchill being the most obvious example, are literary figures in their own right. But I can find no evidence (well, Google can’t anyway) of a modern Prime Minister publishing books while in office. And this is Brown’s second following Courage last year. If you can think of any PM’s who have published while in office then do leave a comment.

Nothing a Prime Minister does can ever be apolitical - and indeed the chosen subject matter of this book is deeply political. So why not just knuckle down to the politics and leave the book writing to other people. As ex-Prime Ministers know only too well, there is plenty of time for writing once you leave Downing Street.

Isn’t Evan Davis likeable as the newest member of Radio 4’s Today programme?  The Guardian says (with either sycophancy or cynicism) that he’s “slotted in rather effortlessly to the hallowed Today presenter team.”

But however skilled Evan is at making the transition from BBC economics editor to Today anchorman, he still betrays that news-journalist-weakness that can only see the immediate as important. 

On Saturday morning, August 9th, comedian and activist Mark Thomas, Times columnist David Aaronavitch and Evan used the start of the Olympics and the climate camp in Kingsnorth as hooks to discuss what makes a good protest.  Various options and strategies were mooted with Evan closing the slot by saying, “Aw, they all just want to be on the news.” 

And here is where I think he is wrong.  Just wanting “to be on the news” isn’t the answer to any point that needs making or any issue that’s worth protesting about.  Almost inevitably, there will be complexities which will be glossed over in the usual broadcast three to four minute slot.  Soundbites can be memorable, but they won’t tell the whole story and can often be misleading. 

As all good communicators know, campaigns need feature stories; in depth analsysis, reasoned arguments and time for exposition.  News on its own just isn’t enough.

So, Evan, you’re great at telling the news, but maybe don’t be so glib when you’re analysing it. 

Olympic fever swept the Mandate offices this lunch time with the explosive start to the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games.   The Games burst into life with a breathtaking display of fireworks, music (er, anyone else confused by the choice of bagpipes) and dancing.

In the lead up to the Games the Chinese made clear their intent to host the “best ever” Games and today’s opening certainly lived up to hype.  The Chinese sure know how to throw a party - today’s festivities were complete with a military band, dancing puppets, a 16 tonne globe and 20,000 fireworks.

The Mandate office cheered on Team GB as they entered the Birds Nest led by five time Olympian Mark Foster.  A sweepstake was shortly in full swing and the supremo of Enging Running, Ben Cummings, is the lucky owner of the USA.   I on the other hand will be supporting Namibia for the next 17 days.

The Olympics will undoubtedly dominate screens across the country for the next 17 days with the BBC showing a staggering 2,750 hours of Olympic highlights and if that isn’t enough you can see all the action from live sites across the country.

We will all be watching with baited breath as the UK takes the baton from Beijing as the next host of the Games with Mayor of London, Boris Johnson receiving the Olympic flag - no pressure, just 1 billion people worldwide watching the handover!

The excitement of the opening ceremony only serves to remind us that we are next and all eyes will soon fall on London. 1,482 days and counting…..

During this period, the need for papers to fill space to satisfy advertisers makes normally innocuous stories prominent ones.  Witness yesterday and today’s furore over an Early Day Motion, the weakest of Parliamentary instruments, to abolish the Oath of Allegiance.

The origins of the term are unclear, although the phrase pops up in other countries.

In Germany we hear of sommerloch (summer (news) hole) in Germany. The French dramatically term this the dead season la morte-saison, while in Sweden there is an August ‘news drought’ - nyhetstorka.  A silly season news item is called Mätäkuun juttu in Finland, literally meaning “rotting-month story”. 

Most bizarrely, it is called the Komkommertijd - or “cucumber time” - in Holland and similarly in Norway and Poland, Hungary.  

An inspirational quote from Liverpool and England superstar Steven Gerrard, receiving his honorary fellowship from Liverpool John Moores University last month:

“I am very proud to become a Fellow of Liverpool John Moores University. Not only has LJMU done so much for this city and the people of Liverpool but it has given the science of football international credibility.”

Now, like all people who do what I do, I’ve ghosted quite a few quotes in my time for a variety of different people (including, incidentally, England footballers). The trick is to get your key message across in an interesting and ‘human’ way, something that Gerrard’s quote above does well. However, the most important thing about a news quote is that it has to reflect the voice of the person who is associated with it – authenticity is key.

And while Steven Gerrard is renowned for many things – footballing genius, Herculean on-field exertions, inspirational captaincy – he is not known for phrases such as “it has given the science of football international credibility.” With this choice of words Stevie G’s PR man, sadly, stretches the boundaries of the reader’s own credibility.

But at least Gerrard’s quote was on the record. The recent weeks of fervid speculation around Westminster has seen the return of that journalist’s friend (and truth’s enemy), the anonymous briefing. You can’t open a paper without reading about “senior Brownites”, “friends of Miliband” or even “sources close to Geoff Hoon” attacking, opining, or plotting.

These quotes can wield a huge amount of news traction, given that the reader actually has no idea where they come from, or how senior the “senior” source is. As David Aaronovich rightly asks in today’s Times, ’since when was any source ever described as a “no-mark backbencher”, a “convenient quote-hanger” or an “inconsequential former minister”?’.

David Miliband – famously described by Tony Blair as “the Wayne Rooney of the Cabinet” - proved last week that the only thing more newsworthy than an anonymous quote is an on-the-record statement. And if you want further proof of that, think how many column inches would be filled if Steven Gerrard chose to label Wayne Rooney as “the David Miliband of the England team”.

Thank heavens for the Engine Group’s Marketing Information Department which sifts and digests enormous helpings of marketing speak and trend stuff, to serve us with just the juicy appetisers.  Here’s one you may have missed.

This week, an American “futurist” said something interesting and another said something incomprehensible in the same article in “Strategy” magazine (where else?).

Marian Salzman says that the relationship between brands and products is changing with the latter assuming more and more importance.

“This doesn’t sound earth-shattering at first.  But it’s revolutionary when you consider the vast amounts of money, time and energy spent on creating, sustaining and updating brand halos, to say nothing of what’s spent in the quest for big brand ideas.”

She’s correct, of course.  A (re) focus on product entails, “compelling demonstrations and credible recommendations” and demands its own consumer, information-based dialogue, which is tricky for commodities and low interest items.  She warns that consumers will become increasingly rational in their choices and will listen less to the emotional pull of brand imagery. 

This is great news for PR people, as we instinctively and practically understand that facts matter.   As we all know, facts are the foundation of B2B and corporate campaigns.  Consumer campaigns may be differently constructed but facts (created or otherwise) can usually be found somewhere.

Faith Popcorn, adding weight to this trend, said, “Most important, and most ignored, is the idea that culture is, in fact, the new media.”   Which sounds great, but I just don’t get it.  Does anyone?