Hizbullah's Image Management Strategy - USC Center on Public ...

HIZBULLAH’S IMAGE MANAGEMENT STRATEGY
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sufficient [for a brand] that they [i.e., the values associated with it]
have a definite meaning for the recipient’. 49
Aaker writes that the strength of brands lies in brand awareness,
perceived quality, brand loyalty, and brand association. 50 Hizbullah’s
brand after 2006 scored high on all four levels. Brand awareness is
not just about recognition of a brand name, but also its dominance in
someone’s mind over other brands. Hizbullah worked to achieve this
through repetition of its victory messages across all media, which
turned slogans like ‘the most honorable of people’ (in reference to
Nasrallah) and ‘The Divine Victory’ (in reference to the 2006 war)
into everyday expressions. The perception of quality was easy to
achieve, following the ‘victory’ outcome of the 2006 war, but
Hizbullah was keen to emphasize added value: addressing audiences
in the victory rally in September 2006, Nasrallah promised that
those houses destroyed in the war would be rebuilt even better than
they were before. 51 This promise can be connected with ensuring
continued loyalty, as those who suffered great losses during the war
could be seen as the most likely to enter a lukewarm relationship
with Hizbullah. The group was keen to showcase people’s loyalty
through rallying thousands to participate in its victory celebrations.
Loyalty was also communicated through cultivating the expression
‘fida al-sayyed’ (meaning, a sacrifice to Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah),
which was mouthed by those whose homes were destroyed or who
lost loved ones during the war whenever they appeared in the media,
to indicate that all those losses were worth it as long as Nasrallah
prevailed—an expression of utmost loyalty to the brand no matter
how dire the circumstances. This kind of rhetoric is what differentiates
Nasrallah from most other Arab leaders; he is not merely the head
of an institution who derives his authority from coercion 52 , he is a
leader whom people follow because they ‘want to’. 53 This bond with
Nasrallah in turn strengthens Hizbullah’s brand association, which
refers to the emotional bonds that link a person to a brand. Such
emotional bonds are important for Hizbullah because through them