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History's Biggest Image Building
Campaign! (By: Zeeshan ul Rub Jaffri)
Although many are terming it a mere change of
skin-color and accent, I believe that Obama
replacing Bush is historys biggest image
building campaign, aimed at projecting a
positive and progressive face of America not
only to the world but to the American public who
were otherwise in grip of grave pessimism and
disbelief about an America which once was a
symbol of liberties, openness and accommodation
of all kind of views and ideas.
In last eight years, under the Bushs hawkish
regime, United States came out to be the biggest
loser in terms of its foreign, defence, economic
and social policies. Look at it from worlds
point of view, America invaded Afghanistan and
Iraq and unlike its claim of bringing peace,
stability and prosperity to these nations
brought unending killings and sufferings to
already oppressed people.
Who was the President during this era? Bush. Who
was responsible for all these failures? Of
course Bush. So this was the message that was
picked, promoted and established by American
Establishment to regain its lost glory and image
among the nations including Americans. Bush was
used as an idiotic instrument by American
establishment to embark upon its worldwide
adventures but in the end when everything turned
out against their plans, they held Bush
responsible for all ill policies and decisions
and embarked upon historys biggest image
building campaign to rebuild Americas image not
only in America but worldwide.
Choosing a black man with the slogan of
change is reflective of American
Establishments realization of grave ground
realities and promoting a black man for
Americas presidency was the real big maneuver
of this campaign.
So what has America achieved out of this well
planned Public Relations activity? Answer of
this question requires a simple SWOT analysis
and then taking into account the tactics, stunts
and most important the obvious and subliminal
messages used throughout the campaign. Since
beginning of his election campaign, Obama upheld
the slogan of change, a change which would undo
all the wrongs committed by Bush regime and
bring back the lost values of liberties, freedom
and mutual respect to America.
Lets take an account of Americas failures
(weaknesses). Today, world knows an America that
failed to prove the reasons or allegations
behind its off-shore adventurism in Iraq and
Afghanistan, it failed to win the hearts and
minds of 1.25 billion Muslims across the world,
it failed to bring peace and stability in the
world, it wasted around 1 trillion dollars in
off-shore adventurism, it failed to secure its
interest in the world, it failed to fulfill its
people basic needs of education, health,
employment and social security, it failed to
fulfill its duty to follow the Kyoto protocols
as biggest polluter of the world, instead it
advocated and followed policies that not only
caused historys biggest financial recession but
also earned unprecedented humiliation, criticism
and hatred to the America.
So what was the strength and the opportunities
available to America after unending list of
failures? Obama was chosen as the biggest
strength and American Elections were made the
best of available opportunities.
Take a look at Obamas speeches, he criticized
Bush regimes policies and repeated the idea of
a New America. Unlike Bush who was not even
aware of basic grammar of his native language,
Obama proved to be an excellent orator and his
long yet spontaneous and mindful speeches not
only energized the badly disappointed American
voters but also impressed the worldwide
audience.
Americans who were sick (and to some extent
accustomed) of Bushs irrational yet
grammatically wrong and mindless rhetoric were
surprisingly happy to have found a man who was
not only an author of two books and a part time
professor but was clear in his thoughts and also
able to communicate them in a dignified manner.
After the slogan of change and New America, it
was second most powerful tactic whose impact had
been felt during the campaign.
Declaring the Iraq invasion a war of no reasons
but politics earned him unprecedented support by
American masses that came to know that their
government had wasted around 1 trillion dollars
on off shore adventurism that only brought
hatred, insecurity and worst financial recession
to Americans. He announced that under his rule
American troops would be withdrawn from Iraq
respectfully. By using Obama, American
establishment not only pave the way for a safe
exit from Iraqi quagmire but also managed to
avert the expected humiliation that was to be
the part of unsuccessful trillion dollar
adventure.
Since it would be a withdrawal of New and
changed America that too under Obamas
administration, so no one would question the
reasons of invasion and account of results.
American establishment had realized that after
all that they lost in last 10 years it was a
life time opportunity for America to change its
strategy on almost all the domestic and foreign
issues. Obama used old rhetoric against Iran but
at the same time showed his resolve to engage
everyone in meaningful diplomacy.
To start with, Obama announced his presidential
bid on the steps of the Old State Capitol
building in Springfield, Illinois, where Abraham
Lincoln spent a large part of his political
career symbolizing his aspirations. Obama
adapted very aggressive yet mindful tone
throughout his election campaign especially
during his presidential debates.
At an occasion he said that "We are one nation;
we are one people; and our time for change has
come". He repeated the words of former president
John F Kennedy: "The world is changing. The old
ways will not do. It is time for a new
generation of leadership." He aligned all his
speeches with the values and policies followed
by elders of his nation. In almost every public
appearance, Obama constantly referred to Abraham
Lincoln, John F Kennedy and Martin Luther King
to remind Americans that he will follow the foot
prints of their ancestors who built a great
America.
Having followed a carefully planned PR and Image
Building Plan Obama kept on going with PR stunts
such as appearing in a famous yet low-priced
caf. Arriving Washington in a whistle-stop
train tracking Abraham Lincoln's historic route.
It was ensured that world see a celebratory
crowd braving subfreezing weather to salute
Obama along his train journey from Philadelphia
to Washington, D.C. The trip included a stop in
Delaware to pick up Vice President-elect Joe
Biden and a stop in Baltimore for a speech in
which he pleaded "let us seek together a better
life in our time." During this train journey
Biden said that "Folks this is more than an
ordinary train ride. This is a new beginning."
President-elect was shown on television dropping
his children to schools, which was interpreted
by media that he would give priority to
education for nations children. He was also
shown painting walls of a school, yet another
sign of his commitment to education and social
security for Americans. All these PR stunts were
adding more and more value to Mr. Obamas
personality.
After all the Change and New America
rhetoric, with one hand on Abraham Lincoln's
inaugural Bible, the 47-year-old son of a Kenyan
father and white American mother, Obama, the
first-term senator with little experience of
national and international level, ultimately
managed to create history by pledging the Oath
of Office before a hopeful nation and a global
audience of billions becoming the first
black-American and 44th American president.
Billions of people watched the black person
taking control of worlds most powerful nation
and world media showed it like a religious duty
and left millions of people in awe and tears
surely with deep respect for American nation for
having elected a black president. What more
would one like from elections which were made
the biggest Image Building campaign of the
history?
Media wrote analysis such as: In a moment of
genuine historical significance, Barack Obama
was sworn in as the first black President of the
United States today. Or President Obama
invoked the struggle and sacrifice of America's
pioneers as he vowed to meet the challenges that
now face him.
Shortly after being sworn in as the first black
president of the United States, Obama himself
said that in his election, America had chosen
"hope over fear, unity of purpose over conflict
and discord".
I met hundred of people in Karachi alone, who
were not tired of discussing each and every
minor detail of Obamas greatness and Americans
open mindedness for having elected the black
president. Newspapers and televisions were full
of praising views and analysis about a new
America under great leadership of Obama. What
else does one want out of a calculated Image
Building Campaign?
Thats true that Pentagons billions-dollar
project to win the hearts and minds of Muslims
across the world failed miserably during the
Afghanistan and Iraq invasions. Embedded
journalists in Iraq, fake letters from US
soldiers in Iraq and Afghanistan and fake
stories and editorials from pseudo intellectuals
from Muslim world could not work for Pentagons
objective but this election campaign has been a
mega success in terms of forming positive
opinions about American government and nation
and to some extent has given a new lease of life
to America.
Someone once said that Image building is good
if it reflects reality. In Obamas case
Americans seems to have taken unprecedented
advantage of the available opportunity by
turning a bad-as-pig image into a New America
with its values and glory. Currently America is
in a sea of problems and the positive image
earned by promoting a black man with a vision of
change, can only be sustained by some real hard
actions which would demonstrate that a journey
towards new America has begun in reality.
According to the Public Relations rules, one can
create a positive image of a product, service,
corporate or personality by PR stunts and Media
support and persuade masses to buy our argument
or advocacy once, but, if the promoted product,
service, corporate or personality doesnt
maintain the reputation by keeping the same
quality as promised in the message campaign, the
product would fail to survive even for few
weeks.
American establishment should be happy to
achieve its Image building objectives, but it
must not forget the basic principles of Public
Relations. A reputation built in years can fall
like a house of cards in the times of crucial
decision-making moments.
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