If Congress Were a Brand it Would Be Discontinued

Any good manufacturer would deep-six a brand that has a 17% approval rating.
Any good retailer would show it the door.
Any good consumer would return it and demand a refund.

Unfortunately, congress is a brand that has tenure. We can’t get rid of it. We can
only change its members every two or six years.

An economic bail-out mess has been described as
A failed administration, and
a failed congress,
bailing out failed businesses
that have failed the country,
yet we are assured that it cannot fail!

Our constitution guarantees legislative continuity, but it is silent about competence.

The market is brutal for brands that fail. Over ninety percent of new products and
new stores are gone after two years. Here are some reasons why brands fail. One
could only wish that our leaders would pay attention:

• They don’t stand for anything in particular
• They don’t listen
• They don’t keep up-to-date
• They think they are bullet-proof
• They think they are above the laws (of marketing that is)

I think that politicians should take Marketing #101. (They obviously skipped
Economics and History.) Good brands live by these rules:
• We exist because of our customers and survive at their pleasure
• We offer a promise and we keep it
• We aren’t the boss
• We are trustworthy
• We are accountable, right now, every day

We have term limits for our president, for good reason. Why not for congress? Sure,
we would give up some experience, but we would gain more from fresh air.


I tell my students that if they want to succeed in marketing they should first go out
and sell something. That is a humbling experience. They would learn how to fail---
graciously. They would have to experience the real world. Politicians---likewise?
“Public Service” is a noble calling. But where has it gone wrong with congress?