Politics for Drummies

In this latest episode of Politics for Drummies, Best For Britain's executive director of marketing Cal Roscow outlines his thoughts on the challenge of balancing rational argument with emotional engagement in political messaging and recovering from the damage of Brexit.

US expat Marshall Manson cut his teeth on Republican campaigning. Now he is chair of corporate affairs at Fleishman Hillard in the UK with 20 years of election insight. In this fascinating and timely episode he and Alastair discuss just why the American civic arena is so embattled and whether democracy survives another bitter election night.

Mike Nellis of Authentic has won more than 70 awards for political campaigns. And he's worked with California prosecutor Kamala Harris on her way to the top. His super popular White Dudes for Harris campaign raised over $4m in one go in July and caused quite the spat with Elon Musk. In this quickfire episode he tells Alastair just why he believes Trump’s destiny is to lose.

Katie Harrison of WRTHY does important work. From holding tech companies to account for spreading child sexual abuse material to empowering women in the climate crisis, social impact campaigns really matter. In this enlightening episode, Katie takes Alastair on the journey from advertising planning to making social change global. 

Ryan Davis of People First is an influencer marketing expert. When trust in media and government is low, voters make decisions based on friends and family. Ryan chats with Alastair about how everyday people like teachers, single moms, and firefighters can be more effective than celebrity endorsements, which might just make the difference in the Presidential election.

Rhiannon Ruff from Lumino Digital is an expert in Wikipedia the world’s largest crowdsourced encyclopaedia. She joins Alastair on the pod for a masterclass on how politicians try and fail to get round the rules and what brands can do when it comes to reputation management where neutrality and authenticity is all.