The One Lesson Every Marketer Should Learn from the Presidential Election of 2016

[This is not a political post – the author’s political opinions are private, and do not relate to the content of this blog post. This is not an endorsement of either candidate.]

Four words. Seven syllables.

Those were difference-makers in the recently completed US Presidential election. After all the policy debates, and the heated rhetoric, the deciding factor is one thing: A unifying message. Every marketing executive and practitioner can learn this lesson, because it applies to how people think, and how they make decisions.

The reason that the "policy wonks" were focused on all the wrong aspects of this campaign is that they, like many in the business world, believe that people make decisions based primarily on facts, logical thinking, and analysis. In fact, as we have learned though many behavioral science studies, of the two primary dimensions of decision-making (emotion and logic) most of the decisions we make in life are dominated by emotion.

So, when a marketer or political candidate formulates a strategy, it is best to start with the unifying theme that will connect their target to their brand on an emotional level. We are well aware of those rare successful commercial marketing themes, such as “Just Do It”, the trademarked brand message of Nike Corporation. Another classic example of a successful marketing message is the original Apple Mac message - "Think Different." A careful examination of these two messages reveals that there is no mention of the product in these messages - they are all about the customer.

Without that frequently-heard, and frequently-read message, the audience is much less likely to form an emotional connection to the product or the brand. This message is not a "product tagline" - it is a message that is at once both aspirational and inspirational. A tagline is an advertising catchphrase, but usually relates much more to the product or company than to the intended audience. For example, the popular Bounty paper towel tagline is "The quicker picker-upper." It is easy to remember, and it works for that product, but it is neither aspirational nor inspirational.

We don’t all have to interpret the message equally, but people in the target market each need to find something important in that message that resonates for them. When marketing the product, or campaigning as the candidate, each segment of the market has its own set of prioritized values. A truly successful message is simple (usually very few words, without any complex terms) and is general enough to allow each demographic or psychographic segment to attach their own important values to the high-level message in such a manner as to mean something personal to them.

When the weekend warrior puts on her Nike running shoes, her version of “Just doing it” is “just getting off the couch and going for a run.” When the professional athlete dons her Nike racing shoes, her interpretation is “Just push yourself to break that record – no excuses!” Both connect emotionally and at the same time individually to the same brand message, and to some extent, even to each other.

To succeed in marketing, it is not about persuading the market that the product is the very best in its category - rather, it is critical to connect them emotionally to a message that resonates.

Asking for votes requires an emotional connection, just as it does when asking customers for their trust. In order to achieve these results, there needs to be one very simple inspirational vision that can be articulated succinctly and repeated with ease and confidence.

So, as a marketer, think about the two candidates in the 2016 US Presidential election – which candidate’s brand message do you know and remember?