I am officially addicted to watching the U.S. elections.
So much, that I need a fact checker to see if I have used that opening line in any of my previous 2016 blog posts. Unfortunately, no fact checkers are available until December as they have been put on 24/7 Melania surveillance. Regardless, my addiction is incessantly increasing its power and has an unshakeable hold on me.
Every waking, and many sleeping, minutes of my day I am reaching for my devices to read the latest twist and turn in the Trump Trainwreck. I have had to exercise unbelievable restraint for not adding to #trumpsacrifices on an hourly basis. Does that constitute a #mh3sacrifice? Park for a minute my fear that he will win, which is dreaded in 19 of the G20 countries, except for Russia (shocking), according to a weekend poll. Park for a minute my disgust at his recent attack on the Khan family. Park for a minute my amazement that America has let this get this far. Park for a minute that Republican after Republican is criticizing Trump’s words, but not the man.
Park all of that and take a look back at the conventions of the past weeks. The practice of the U.S. nomination convention is unique in scale, emotion, breadth, and drama in the world. Dignitaries from around the world who attended the 2016 coronations, as there was no contesting to be held, marvelled at the emotion and boosterism of these events. Shockingly, the substance-thin Republican convention provided Trump with a historically unparalleled boost in the polls. More shockingly, the tremendously flawed Hillary staged a convention that enabled her to soar over Sanders protesters, doubters about her own past, and baggage around her insider status.
As a marketer, I think they are pretty magical affairs. Assemble a cast of well-known speakers. Some who have all the credentials in the world. Others who are on stage purely for their celebrity power (that doesn’t mean you Scott Baio). Prep each of them to say amazing things about you. Or not so amazing things about your opponent. Add in countless parties, dinners, closed door events, receptions, and VIP shakedowns. Emerge from the shadows on a massive national stage to read a speech written for you (or someone else…) by the best writers in the world. Try to ensure you dominate the Twitter and TV feeds during primetime.
What a machine. It’s why live sports and award shows command huge TV audiences. It’s why telethons used to be the most powerful form of fundraising. It’s why the Beatles were introduced to North America on Ed Sullivan.
The conventions then throw their star subjects into heavily branded buses where they will effectively live for the next three months, crisscrossing the continent in the most impactful and riveting experiential marketing tour in the last four years. They will greet crowds armed with branded collateral, they will mount stages branded to a T, and they will feed social media channels to the gunwales.
Selfie counts will reach new records. Word of mouth will leave people breathless. Daily flash reports of their effectiveness will be microanalyzed by tour managers ready to make midnight tweaks to wardrobe, itinerary, key messaging, even destinations.
Few, if any, brands will ever be able to mount a campaign on the scale of a presidential election. But every brand should consider their programs to be at that level. Where no medium is unturned. Where no moment is left under utilized. Where no volunteer is left untapped.
Brand Clinton, Brand Trump.
Those words will be on a thousand resumes come this December. Only time will tell which will be worth hiring in the future.