Xavier Domínguez (Reus, 1974) is the political strategist and consultant behind the campaign of Xavier García Albiol (PP) in Badalona, but he does not marry anyone and combines this with advising other ERC candidates and the PSC. Having just returned to Catalonia after more than 15 years working in 12 Latin American countries and the USA, he says that a good electoral campaign must be based on communicating emotions, values and moving away from ideological corsets.
Does it create problems for you to work for the PSC, the PP and the ERC at the same time?
On the contrary, it would create a conflict for me to work for one. I have no intellectual challenge, working with whom I identify politically.
The strategy is indeed different...
Of couse. What does not change is my firm belief that communication should be about values, not ideology. There is no ideology that gives absolute majorities, which are absolutely necessary.
Is this what Albiol is trying to hide the PP acronym?
Everyone knows he is from the PP, but he has to go further. The "Badalonisme" campaign is an expression of the values shared in a city, which he can represent using the colors of all parties. Values cross borders, challenge the other electorate.
Trias also hides them...
Yes. There are those who got into the mess and those who look down on him, led by him. But in the case of Barcelona, the problem lies with the candidates.
How do you see them?
Colau is better than what the polls say; Collboni suffers; Maragall has not been able to bring anything new to ERC, and Trias is better than Junts, but stagnant in the polls. The campaign will be very long for Collboni, Trias and Maragall.
What do you advise them?
The problem is of origin. The PSC left the doubt that another candidate would get a better result. In the case of Maragall, there is a deficiency with a candidate who starts out run over. Trias is immersed in the Junts corruption debate; either he distances himself or he will suffer. Colau does what he has to do, polarize, but he should be more of a martyr. Today, politicians tend to show that they are not suffering. Colau and Pedro Sánchez are clear examples.
Ayuso's campaign around freedom got it right.
Yes, and this is the future of political communication, whether you like it or not. That is why the alternative to Madrid is More Madrid and not the PSOE. "Ho farà la Rita" is one of the best things that has been done in years. Instead, Reyes Maroto is the imposition to stretch the Government's image, and that is no longer useful.
How should Pedro Sánchez act if he wants to win?
First of all, you need to be more honest. His problem is the excess of security. The electorate would like more empathy, because there is a big difference between Pedro de la Moxilla and Pedro de la Moncloa. Empathy was left in the backpack.
I Feijoo?
He must talk less, of course. Let the party speak, let them campaign. The leader does not always have to talk and answer everything. It is impossible to know everything.
I Yolanda Diaz?
The problem is that he could not say whether he is the candidate of Podemos or of Sánchez in Podemos, and far from looking like a leader, he may end up being a puppet of the tactical power of the electoral process.
