9 Marketing Lessons from the 2024 Election

I saw a joke on LinkedIn that there were no articles on this which astounded me considering how unorthodox this season has been (and, thankfully, is finally over). Here are 9 marketing lessons from the 2024 Election.

Ultimately a vote is a purchase. A conversion. A voter is a customer and you only have a limited amount of time before they make a decision for you, your competitor, or to do literally, absolutely nothing. Every business, large and small, global brand or Mom and Pop shop can learn 9 key lessons on people + marketing.

1. A. Be aware of communication trends and changes.

Grab that paper bag. Whether you like it or not, X is here to stay and it is diverse. If you’re not engaged, your business is like a covered wagon trying to make it to Mars. It’s not happening.

1. B. Know wt?? you,re talking about.

X’s community notes created an opportunity where everyone can cite sources to dispute claims. Elon Musk, the President, VP, celebrities, government agencies and more have been cited. If you’re going to claim something, you better be ready to substantiate it. Your competitor or a complete stranger can and will call you out.

2. Stop caring about what you think is important.

Care about what your customer thinks. The customer cared about their finances, safety, health, personal freedom and peace far more than any other issue. If the democratic party didn’t have an unrestricted, pro-choice stance, they likely wouldn’t have anyone left. If you aren’t talking to your customer about what they care about, they’re going to go to someone else who is.

3. Don’t ask for the business if you can’t do the job

Period. If you suck at something. Admit it first, then do something about it. I LOVED Dominos when they said our pizzas suck. They did, and they made them better. If you’re in the role, and crap is still going sideways, you probably should fix it before asking someone to renew a contract / continue to do business. Make sure your house is in order. No amount of telling someone to buy your crap, no matter how amazing your marketing is, is going to fix your sales if you suck at what you do.

4. Fake it till you make it is not a strategy

Cue the fake calls, the staged calls and the completely didn’t happen and your camera is on calls. People are just really good at spotting bs, and no one wants to buy bull shit.

A contractor we work with is small. He can't claim what most people can say, so before and after Hilton (Milton and Helene's Hollywood name if you're not familiar), his message was powerful, genuine and simple. "Let our family take care of yours.". It was shot with his family at his home, and related to people worried about their families and who really will help them care for them. Claiming to be anything else would have been a massive flop, short and long term.

5. Brand consistency is key

Reliability matters. No matter what is going on, what hour of day it is and what is happening in and outside your business, people need to know you're solid on where you stand, what value you offer and what they can expect when they choose your product or service. That needs to resound at all times from messaging, website, customer experience, product marketing - all in unity. No matter how they interact with your brand, there is no question who you are, why it matters, what value you're delivering

6. Trolling is a spiritual gift.

Never underestimate the art of humor. It’s why people paid attention to Wendy’s again a few years back, because it sure wasn’t those square, tasteless patties drowned in mayo. Period. Most importantly, genuinely enjoy doing it.

If you're not genuinely happy or willing to joke on both sides, this is not for you. Bill Maher is such a fantastic example of this. Despite his epic distaste for Trump...

7. Outspending does not guarantee winning

Every media and agency will spend your money as fast as you can. I have been saying for almost 20 years the amount of categorical wasted dollars in ad spend is deeper than the ocean.

Much of this is based on starting with bad/fake/skewed data, choosing the wrong demographics, not looking at genuine efficiency and effectiveness, using AI with zero or minimal human oversight, wrong messaging, wrong timing, wrong frame of mind, all while focused on the wrong measurement and submerged in an absolute boondoggle.

Global brands are famous on Google for case studies of brand lift. You don't have millions of dollars to hope you get a 15% brand lift as a result.

Ask yourself where did this data actually get sourced from? Why can I trust it? Why does this measurement or analytic matter?

8. Fear is not the most powerful emotion, but it is the most harmful one.

Whoopi said Trump would break up marriages. Oprah is telling people they will lose the right to vote. Celebrities cried on stage.

Vice President Kamala Harris claimed women are being arrested for miscarriages and abortions. Women are literally shaving their heads, experiencing categorical anxiety, depression and mental health issues as a result.. They genuinely believe false, horrific narratives that will push them away from receiving medical treatment and life saving prevention.

Fear lost an election, but the amplification of harm is currently ongoing. No one is being held accountable for the harm because of their First Amendment rights

9. Unity over Uniformity

You don’t have to agree on everything. This goes for your marketing team, sales team, customer service team, leadership, CFO. You don’t. You DO have to agree on the destination and the desire to work together to reach the destination together. You have to agree to make concessions, see the value in what matters to them, how it can help you reach your goals and receptive to ideas that can help you overcome challenges because they come from a completely different point of view that you don’t have the luxury to have in your focused role.

Still at a loss?

Bill Maher has the greatest advice. "Look in the mirror" The answer can always be found with reflection and self inspection about your brand and marketing.