Posts Tagged ‘Strategy’

1. Lying as part of your strategy

   Published on Friday, July 9th, 2010

   Will we believe anything they say from now on? Possibly not. I’m talking about the Sea Shepherd organisation announcement publicly severing its relationship with the incarcerated Pete Bethune.

   No sooner had Bethune received what was widely regarded as a light two-year suspended sentence from the Japanese courts, than Sea Shepherd tells us that its statements about casting Bethune adrift were a “strategy”. Rather than being dumped, Bethune is coming home to a hero’s welcome and big party.

   The strategy was to tell a big fat lie. This from an organisation which from the Southern Ocean tells us nothing the Japanese whalers are saying is true.

   Sea Shepherd was out to fool the Japanese, and probably did.

   I have to question whether this was a good strategy.  Certainly it is not one I would be comfortable with, as I’m not sure I will ever believe what this organisation says again.

   What about the next Kiwi who finds him or herself in front of the Japanese court that has been humiliated by Sea Shepherd and Bethune.  They insist that good ole Pete knew nothing of this. Really?

   

2. Government showing deft communication touch

   Published on Friday, February 12th, 2010

   The Government’s handling of the tax changes to be announced in the May budget show a masterly understanding of managing long term communications.

   Delegate the task of putting forward ideas to a third party (a commission) and then immediately reject the most controversial (phew, it’s not going to be as bad as it could be!); talk up some of the remaining unpalatable ideas, and then in the first formal statement of the year reject them too (saved again!).

   Now we have a pretty clear understanding of what will be in the budget some three months in advance, even if we don’t have the detail. By the time the announcements are made in May all the best emotional and rational condemnations from opponents will be out in the public domain, and Government can fine tune its final decisions to ease back on those that will upset us most.

   By the time the changes are finally introduced in October (10 months from raising the issue to their implementation) we will have mentally adjusted, and rather than outrage we will take them in our stride.

   It is good strategy, and the Government’s media managers are demonstrating a deft implementation touch.

   Cast your mind over some of the other contentious issues – mining in conservation reserves; fundamental economic reform to ‘catch up with Australia’ and even the national standards for primary schools have been on the agenda for months.

   When the going started to get tough over national standards, Key & Co showed their ability to up the game aggressively with a ministerial realignment, Key personally entering the confrontation, and outspoken challenges to the teacher’s union and boards of trustees.

   Labour will undoubtedly have the skills to win a few skirmishes as we move into the year, but they are going to need to be at the top of their game to outmanoeuvre National.