Re: Need some advice
 

Well, you have a choice at elections, much like you have a choice at the supermarket. The only difference is you can decide to get a kebab on the night if you don't like what you bought at the supermarket.

Oh, and the amount of products to choose from in this country is dismal (in politics, not the supermarket (necessarily)) :)

Re: Need some advice
 

Yep the choice of the voter (consumer) in this argument, may not be about what the voter thinks is best - because the parties are each saying they want to do so much about so many things - but which is the lesser of evils, not just in whether or not the voter agrees to higher / lower taxes but better / worse government services, regulation and so on.

Re: Need some advice
 

Exactly, which is all part of the conumer Decision making process. :) Yes the lesser of two evils it may be, but a decision still has to be made

Re: Need some advice
 

But thats why the NHS is in the state it is---because we have no say about how our money is spent, thus we are not true consumers. We put our money/votes in but what we get out isn't influenced by that.

Re: Need some advice
 

Yes, i know what you mean, the thing is i want to write the theory behind voting to match it with consumerism. I don't really want to write a political review of the Labour party. Do you see what i'm saying? :)

Re: Need some advice
 

So on that basis your subject matter might be viable, but you need to demonstrate that for a proportion of the market the brand is trying to attract, the consumer choice is not the usual promotional strategy of making your product the most attractive, but showing that the alternatives are less palatable than your own.

Re: Need some advice
 

YESsssss, Thank you. You have just given me a basis for part of it. I think that what i have to do is not base the assignment on the Labour party of now, but in 1997 and 2001. I will have to talk about the Tories as well, and their consumer (voters) behaviour at that time

Re: Need some advice
 

Well I don't know how wide the scope of your essay's coverage, but you have a wealth of subject matter even dealing with both elections where not a great deal had necessarily moved on in terms of voter choice. The Labour party were still making promises of action, whilst attempting to discredit the Tories, yet the Tories wernt really in the fight of suitable answers or credibility. The Liberal Democrats and others were just trying to throw spanners in the works. You may find your self better off limiting your subject to just one election, and even then you'll have a wealth of research to do to proove your argument accurately.

I suspect a lot of voter behaviour is about their perceptions and thus the aim of the brand is to create the perception that the choice of one party will be better, or do you less harm, than choosing another.

How you relate such behaviour / perceptions and influence of branding to the traditional consumer "purchasing decision" could well be the interesting bit.

Re: Need some advice
 

MovedGoalPosts i think you are right. Maybe just choosing the 1997 as that was 'The year of change' You have been really helpful, and may have just saved my arse. Cheers

Re: Need some advice
 

Glad to be of assistance, just hope that your lecturer likes the idea and I havent lead you up the garden path

Re: Need some advice
 

I've just emailed her, will wait for a response tomorrow. I don't think you've lead me up the garden path at all, you really have been very helpful. Think i can actually sleep now, without this bleedin' assignment going through my head. thanks again mate

Re: Need some advice
 

Right, off to bed. Looks as though i have an early start tomorrow with this. Want to thank everyone who posted for the advise, i know i was a bit stubborn, but i think i can make it work.
Col

Re: Need some advice
 

So when do we get to find out, if the ideas, and your assignment once submitted, met with approval?