In September 2015, I predicted Donald Trump would win the White House because of his mastery of psychology-based marketing. He did not prove me wrong, for better or worse.
While I don’t want to discuss the pros and cons of Trump’s win, I do want to review the lessons his campaign presence demonstrated. Successful branding comes with an understanding of human psychology, which enables us to tap into our audience’s emotions, thoughts, behavior, votes and purchases.
I will reiterate Trump’s successful campaign strategies:
“I’m Just Like You”
Trump’s goofy, off-the-cuff persona made him real and approachable. He was not polished, like the politicians he promised to “drain from the swamp.” Instead, he was candid, said things he shouldn’t have, and sniffed and grumbled, like all of us do. He was human.
Follow the Winner
From the beginning of the campaign all of the way to the end, Trump’s stump speeches all followed the same theme: “I’m winning. Here, there and everywhere. And I’m winning bigly.”
Popularity Matters
Life is a popularity contest and any publicity is good publicity. Trump successfully attracted massive amounts of media attention by acting outrageously: People just couldn’t resist talking about it. The media has played along his whole life — even more so during the campaign. His shenanigans stole attention from Hillary Clinton in the weeks leading up to the election, and that was the last nail in her coffin. He had won the media war.
Trump Campaign Conclusion
These tactics all cater to the basic fundamentals of human psychology. The fundamentals are so powerful that they trumped reason and rationality in this election. Hillary’s campaign rationale — Who could vote for a person like him — fell on deaf ears and silent media channels. I’ll explain why, along with some insights on how these principles can apply to your brand positioning.
Great piece, Jeannette.
I wrote something that is consistent with this on my blog:
http://www.briankurtz.me/the-wall-with-a-door/
A relatively fair and rational article about Trump. Other than insulting billions of people who are religious this article made a lot of sense connecting to marketing. #MAGA
Sorry you felt I insulted religious people. I am among the independent religious so not intended. Appreciate your thoughts and comments. Thank you.
Well when you say that someone who is religious isn’t rational… maybe I read it wrong.
not intended..i should have separated those thoughts better. my apologies and thanks for pointing out
no big deal… I thought it was a good article
Before Trump ever announced, Middle America (and many on the coasts) said:
. . . . . . . . . . . . . .No more Bush; No more Clinton.
Hillary never tried to change our minds. Yes, Trump was brilliant. But Hillary was the worst candidate for major office in my lifetime… worse than Aiken, Murdoch and Walsh of recent ridicule.
Cleaning out the old mail box and enjoyed this piece. Now maybe one on buyer’s remorse? Is your brand causing 45% of your paying customers to think that maybe they’ve made a mistake?