If the stars are to be believed, then Richard Gordon is going to be the next President of the Philippines. Well, that is according to feng shui expert and Hong Kong-based geomancer Joseph Chau who said that “the “benefactor star” will smile on those born in the Year of the Rooster, like Gordon.”
But if you are more likely to believe surveys by Pulse Asia, then Gordon has a 1 in 100 chance of winning the elections, because only 1 percent preferred Gordon more than any other candidate.
On paper, he seems to be a pretty good candidate. He has a good record on governance, having performed seemingly excellent jobs with Subic, the Department of Tourism and the Philippine National Red Cross. He is eloquent and aggressive in interviews and debates, something that the normal Filipino viewers seemingly enjoy. He teamed up with arguably popular former MMDA Chairman Bayani Fernando. So what is going wrong with his campaign?
If advertising is playing a more than the usual crucial part in this coming elections, as evidenced by the massive popularity of Manny Villar and Noynoy Aquino, could Gordon’s ad campaign be the cause of his popularity woes?
Let’s take a look at his polarizing “Silent Night” TV ad. Aside from the fact that it is very disconcerting to hear a Christmas carol playing in February, most people find the ad boring. People expect more from the man who spearheaded the widely popular and creative WOW Philippines campaign. Spot.ph resident columnist and staunch critic of political ads Lourd de Veyra found Dick Gordon’s to be one of the more “dignified campaign ads” because it was “sober and straight to the point” and admires the use of the “the unexpected, the seemingly out-of-place, to make a jarringly potent effect”. But most people we asked found it just too unmemorable.
Gordon and Bayani have been using “The Transformers” as their official title. We were imagining the use of robots and high-tech imagery as their campaign pegs, something that can catch the attention of younger voters and play on the interests of geeks and the like (a significant market in this digital age). However, this premise has failed to deliver on its promise of an exciting and creative campaign. Aside from the fact that they named their official campaign vehicle Optimus Prime, they have not been able to capitalize on hinging their campaign on this peg. Too bad, because they can actually claim the tag as more than just a gimmick, given both Gordon’s and Bayani’s track record
However, Gordon is not bothered with his unpopularity in the surveys. When he ran for Senator in 2004, he was actually ranked 29th in SWS surveys, but he placed fifth in the COMELEC final count.
“You want to go for the winner just because his ratings are higher? Even if he’s the wrong [choice]? Go ahead,” Gordon said.
His battle cry has always been “look at the track record”. We’ll find out in may if his track record and the stars can beat advertisements and surveys
