To read this content please select one of the options below:

The Brand Has Left the Building: The Cases of Governing PASOK, ND and SYRIZA at a Time of Economic Crisis (2009–2019)

The Emerald Handbook of Digital Media in Greece

ISBN: 978-1-83982-401-2, eISBN: 978-1-83982-400-5

Publication date: 22 October 2020

Abstract

From a relational political brand perspective, newly elected governments are primarily concerned with maintaining the trust of the electoral coalition that brought them in office in order to secure their re-election. Hence, as Needham (2005) has suggested, governing parties tend to employ a political communication strategy aimed at promoting an effective brand consisted of six components: simplicity, uniqueness, reassurance, aspiration, values and credibility. In this context, this study examines the communication strategies of three Greek governments (PASOK, New Democracy and SYRIZA) in the period 2009–2019 that failed to be re-elected once they implemented the bail-out packages, against the six branding criteria. Following a qualitative methodological approach, this chapter analyses the key speeches of the respective prime ministers along with polling evidence and secondary data. It argues that all these three governments failed to be re-elected once they implemented the memoranda, not only because of the unpopular nature of the austerity measures but also because of their failure to fully retain their political brands in office since they hardly succeed to deliver on their promises, though it is unclear whether they employed self-consciously such a branding strategy.

Keywords

Citation

Koliastasis, P. (2020), "The Brand Has Left the Building: The Cases of Governing PASOK, ND and SYRIZA at a Time of Economic Crisis (2009–2019)", Veneti, A. and Karatzogianni, A. (Ed.) The Emerald Handbook of Digital Media in Greece (Digital Activism and Society: Politics, Economy And Culture In Network Communication), Emerald Publishing Limited, Leeds, pp. 245-258. https://doi.org/10.1108/978-1-83982-400-520201048

Publisher

:

Emerald Publishing Limited

Copyright © 2020 Emerald Publishing Limited