Spanish Prime Minister Rajoy Communication

#newCommunication #newLeadership #newPolitics

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communication, strategy & leadership architects

www.ingenia-‐pro.com @ingenia_pro

Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy communication


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5 ideas answering the question: How does president Rajoy's government communicate?

Previous & a starting point: we are in front of the communication & leadership strategy when Mariano Rajoy was leading the opposition & campaigning. Hasn't change anything since then? Is reasonable keep the same strategy?

The first golden rule: "or you lead communication or someone will lead it for you". Explain "who you are" and "where you gonna go" or someone will do it for you. Decisions are made for those who show up. Where you don't show up, someone else will. Talking about Rajoy's presidency, his silences & absences, the frame, the mission and the tale's sailing destination are told by other voices. If you give up to lead you allow other voices to do it. In the Spanish Prime Minister this other voices are: European Political, Financial & Institutional Leaders, the markets, the indignation voice... who articulate, determine y set Moncloa's tempo messages. With silence, every time your message is diluted & trapped in the negative news never-‐ending cycle. In this context, Rajoy only possesses the margin for reaction and going behind the story permanently. Although having the Government spin powerful machine in his favor -‐machine that will be amplified with the privatization of the Public TV & Radio autonomous broadcasters-‐ Primer Minister Rajoy doesn't anticipate & lead the news cycle. He has adopted the same communication executive structure that helped him to lead the opposition & the last campaign. That's the key point of this situation. What was useful to reach into Government -‐amplify opponents faults & weakness plus own silence-‐ seems not to work when you govern and have to face situations & crises. Giving up on leading, draw us an accurate photo of the everyday reality that Moncloa's communication team are facing. One first step to breakthrough this paralysis context is to find & assimilate the Great Mission, the Mantra and the Main legislature Goal.

1. Reaction vs Action

2. Resisting in the bunker: extended feeling castling on the king's side


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In the negative news never-‐ending cycle, the feeling of "isolation" and imprisonment in the bunker is accentuated. The emptiness is growing and will accelerate the need for shelter from the "hostile environment" outside Moncloa will be more pronounced. Popular pressure of public opinion and the circumstances surrounding the president will become increasingly heavy. The vicious circle is consolidated over time and if you don't act you are dragged away by the circumstances. The course for navigation must be set, as the sails and the engine full throttle start. Speaking about chess, one of the most usual playing defensively opening is castling the king to protect him -‐from future attacks-‐ with an advanced knight position. This figure is useful to describe the strategy behind communication policy in Moncloa: isolate the president out of crises and situations, and avoid at all costs the splashing effects getting into him, introducing chess pieces to receive its impact. The president is not showing up, neither expected to. In these key moments that have begun to define his presidency like the Argentinian nationalization of YPF and the Bolivian one with REDESA; the conflict with fishermen in Gibraltar; Bankia's situation; the Spanish differential risky rate prime with the German bonds ; rumor of Spain's intervention and rescue by the European Union... the president has not show up. Two images help us to define Rajoy's leadership: -‐ President "running" of the press in the Senate.

Source: www.cuartopoder.es

-‐ And President Rajoy and Chancellor Merkel photo op in a boat in the Chicago River North Front is a symbolic scene: the teacher lecturing to students (Jordi Moragas, Rajoy' chief of staff, Alvaro Nadal of the Economic Office of the Prime Minister and Secretary Margallo included) while the German team almost back is strategically located and is rarely seen in the picture.


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Source: www.euroxpress.es

What's worst: facing & been exposed or hiding? The answer is clear.

We mentioned before the king's castle move in chess. This defense strategy makes no sense if the knight piece is not advanced in position. Vice -‐ Prime Minister Soraya Saenz de Santamaria is the person who embodies this essential piece of Moncloa's communication operation. She staged the knight piece of the chessboard castling the Prime Minister. She is the one who takes the pressure & the blame of the gaps left by the president: charismatic leading the post Cabinet Fridays meetings press conference; she can attack and defend with masterly control the Congress Government Control sessions and has begun handcrafting her International public profile associated to the tireless figure and role. She's the essential part of the Moncloa communication architecture: she's becoming the de facto prime minister. She'd kill her self for his loving prime minister. Although increasing the pressure falling on her will be more important. Exposing her to so much fire is an excessive danger. The legislature has just begun: the worst is -‐as always-‐ still to come. She's prepared and well equipped with powerful senior management skills. But if the Prime Minister leadership & communication trend does not change, the VPM can become identified with the "toxic load" to carry on, then what will the Prime Minister do without his faithful ally? The president should love her as much as she loves him and not let her be scorched.

3. Vice -‐ Prime Minister as de facto Prime Minister


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"You campaign in Poetry & govern in prose". The campaigning commitment to an "open and transparent government" (#ogob and #transparencygob) was aesthetically noted in the Popular Party (PP) -‐ Prime Minister Rajoy's party. This is an irreversible trend direction and must move to Governments, Institutions, Enterprises, Social Organizations -‐ and Campaigns and Political Parties. Few months after taking office, Prime Minister Rajoy facts gives us a picture of a non-‐accessible and transparent leadership & communication policy. Despite the pressure for the president to appear publicly from the first day in Office, accentuated for weeks, Moncloa made deaf ears. Rajoy tried to calm things down with an informal meeting -‐without microphones or cameras-‐ with reporters at a bar near Congress. But the move didn't convinced much people. We started the week with a curious appearance in PP General Headquarters in Madrid. This appearance suit us to ask three questions: -‐ Why the Party Headquarters and not at the Government Palace? Did the President just feel safe & stronger at his Party headquarters? Is it the best place to send a message to the citizens, leaders and European institutions, markets, investors ...? -‐ Why only ONE question per journalist? The attitude of overprotection and discomfort in a public appearance cannot be hided by the PM office. There is a stage fright and panic feelings will be increased. (Again refer to the photo of the president hiding from reporters in the Senate is impressive and meaningful at a time.) -‐ When will the prime minister appear again? The shortage of public appearances moves pressure forward next intervention, and favors seeding rumors mill. One thing is to say you want to move towards a scenario of openness and transparency. Quite another to do so. Against this backdrop of growing uncertainty and the social and economic situation becoming more serious, the best strategy to the current scenario goes through strong leadership and combative leadership -‐Sarkozy style, not soft as President Rajoy. A New Leadership to face situations & be accountable, to be brave and treat People as the adults they are -‐ if they are explained, they will listen. Will he convince? That's another issue, but the later you try the more difficulties and mistrust will find out Moncloa.

4. The Open & Transparent Government Myth


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What about Spanish Government net and the digital communications? Moncloa digital tools also follow the same pattern as the election campaign set up: is used only as a broadcast approach. Period. Nothing else: Prime Minister & Cabinet schedule, public statements, appearances, live streaming of Cabinet press conferences... This fact is not surprising, neither exclusive of Rajoy's government: politics (from across the ideological spectrum) and institutions (almost all ideologies) have been left with only the "exhibitionist" and insignificant digital paradigm: only issue -‐ "look how good & great I am". This digital communication policy only walks & steps forward with one leg: Politicians, Political Parties -‐ and rare Campaigns-‐ do not believe and distrust the process of promoting the public-‐electoral-‐citizens key space of prominence that the #OldPolitics ignored. Moncloa doesn't listen, not monitor the digital universe. Moncloa has give up on sparking the debate, to set the agenda, to influence, to create opinion and lead the news cycle. Those e-‐supporters that led Rajoy to electoral victory, are being ignored & sleeped, allowing the spirit and mood of the movement to be dissolves. The @whitehouse has implemented examples of successful practices that have made citizenship and decisions more accessible: -‐ Scanning and monitoring 24/7 the digital universe. Anticipating crisis and having time & space to react and maneuver. -‐ Leading the news cycle, not only winning the argument and selling the news of the day in the big media outlets, but also daily contact with journalists, bloggers and digital influencers is at stake. -‐ The Press Secretary press conference begin with the First Question coming from the Social Networks. -‐ #WHCHAT: President's advisors themselves take the voice and lead to explain, answer questions and doubts of the digital community organized on the topics of specific policies. -‐ Transparency and access to citizens. Town-‐hall meetings with the president answering direct questions from the Digital community. -‐ E-‐actions according to the president's political agenda: a gesture to keep active and motivated volunteers and supporters of the president.

5. Moncloa's digital communication


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Spain has a Prime Minister & a Government, but need, like the air we breathe, emotional and moral leadership, able to build & transmit trust, courage, determined and able to start drawing a recovery scenario on the horizon, not a person who has reason to hide. Without direction, without new leadership, neither a machine nor a communication operating up to the "storm" the omens are not good. Rajoy can now scream & shout loud that "Spain will be neither intervened nor rescued." Another thing is that these words convince and convey confidence.

@aleixcuberes is an @ingenia_pro partner & consultant.

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Spanish Prime Minister Rajoy Communication

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