Review of Our Brand Is Crisis (2005) by Belén A — 15 Jun 2007

"Our Brand Is Crisis" (2005) is an extremely interesting documentary that tells us about the campaign of Gonzalo Sánchez de Losada to become president of Bolivia. How did he become president, and why did he decide to "brand crisis" in order to run a successful campaign? What role did the American political strategists he hired played in the 2003 Bolivian elections? And what ended up going wrong, after he was elected? The answers to those questions, and more, can be found in this dvd.

I would like to highlight the fact that this documentary is made out of real life footage of meetings between Sánchez de Lozada and his advisors (before, during and after the campaign), and also contains some footage of the events that led to his resignation. This is not fiction, but reality, and that is one of the reasons why it is so illuminating.

I believe that this dvd should be seen by those who are interested in political campaigns, political advertising or mass media, but also by the kind of people who like to watch an engaging documentary that helps them to understand the world we live in. "Our Brand Is Crisis" shows us that a presidential candidate is promoted in more or less the same way a product is advertised. However, if you buy the wrong product you can always return it. If you choose a president that is not good for your country because you believe what a wonderful advertising campaign designed through polls tells you, your country suffers.

All in all, I am very happy I watched this dvd. It is the kind of documentary that you don't forget, and that gives you food for thought. Highly recommended!

Belen Alcat.