I think it’s fair to say that Donald Trump’s victory in the recent US Presidential Election caught most people by surprise. Indeed, large sections of the mainstream media and most political pundits are wondering “What the hell just happened?” and are left scratching their heads.
So, something is going on that’s outside the bounds of “conventional wisdom”. What might all this mean for marketers? A couple of months ago I touched on this in the post…
“Brexit, Donald Trump and What It All Means For Marketers”.
“So what’s happening? Basically a collapse in trust in government and so-called elites. According to Pew Research, only about 20% of Americans “Always or Mostly Trust the US Government”. That’s down from around 80% in the mid-60s and 50% in the early 2000s.”
I went on to make the point that more than ever, it’s important to build a solid relationship with your customers and earn their trust. Also, to be wary of using conventional authority figures to support your own credibility.
Malcolm Auld looks at the election results from a marketers perspective…
“Emotion Trumps Reason – always has, always will…”
“As the world digests the US election results, the TV screens are full of experts asking questions about how it was possible Trump got elected. Using the rational side of their brains, people are trying to explain why it shouldn’t be.
Well any marketer worth their salt will tell you, one of the most fundamental principles of marketing is this – people buy emotionally and justify their purchases rationally.”
Malcolm goes on to make the point that Trump did a far better job of connecting with his audience than Clinton did…
“Politics aside – Trump is first and foremost a promoter. He knows that to win the hearts and minds of the people, you must tap into them emotionally.
‘Make America Great Again’ is a powerfully emotional proposition. Particularly when Trump shouts it as ‘Let’s Make America Great Again’.
Compare it to Hillary Clinton’s – ‘Stronger Together’. This is nowhere near as emotionally appealing – despite all the focus groups used to develop it. The rational discussions in those research panels can easily justify anything – though rarely do they correctly understand human nature.”
Other marketers have made the same kind of point about Trump’s campaign slogan. The great Drayton Bird in an email comments…
“Also for God knows how long I’ve been saying ‘offer a clear emotional benefit’.
Make America Great Again is one. Can you remember what her line was? “
Master marketer Frank Kern posted this very interesting video w-a-a-a-y back in July…
“How Donald Trump Used One Simple Word To Influence America”
It’s a short video and well worth watching.
One other person who noted Trump’s powers of persuasion is Scott Adams (of “Dilbert” fame). Like most people, he started off regarding Trump as a bit of a joke. But when he kept on making progress, in other words “winning”, something made Adams decide to take a look at why Trump was doing well. His conclusion was that Trump is a masterful persuader. Based on that, back on 13 August 2015 he made this prediction…
“Now that Trump owns FOX, and I see how well his anchor trick works with the public, I’m going to predict he will be our next president. I think he will move to the center on social issues (already happening) and win against Clinton in a tight election.”
…in the post “Clown Genius”.
Scott’s “Master Persuader Filter” for viewing the election campaign makes for some fascinating reading and there is a comprehensive listing of his posts on the topic at…
“The Trump Master Persuader Index and Reading List”
One other prescient article worth a read…
“Donald Trump may be the most emotionally persuasive candidate in the 2016 presidential race”
…published in August 2015.
So, much for marketers to learn from Trump’s methods of communication and persuasion…dare I say it…selling.
Talking about methods of persuasion runs the risk of seeming to suggest that Trump won because he somehow “hypnotised” (if being uncharitable, “conned”) a large section of the American electorate. That would be an incorrect conclusion, in my view. Remember that in marketing we are NOT trying to sell products and services to people who don’t want them. Rather we are looking for those people who do want and need what we offer and then get them to take action. Trump won because his message made sense to a large number of people and he persuaded them to back him…despite the pressure not to do so.
I think the real message for marketers from Trump’s victory is that for many people things are NOT OK. “Business as usual” is not acceptable and they are looking for genuine change and results, not glib promises. The so-called “elites” and traditional authority figures are no longer trusted. Returning to the point at the beginning of the post, in the current economy it’s more important than ever to earn the trust of prospects and customers and to be seen as someone who is genuinely on their side. That’s not an easy task in an environment where skepticism and distrust has become the default position for many people.