Learning From Political Marketing and Vice Versa – How Not to Win Customers and Voters

This article is part of a series that identifies direct observation and analysis from political marketing and its application to customer brand marketing and vice versa.

Please note that neither this nor any other article in this series attempts to make a political statement. I'm neither advancing nor supporting any candidate or political party in these articles. Instead, this is about marketing—pure and simple—and what we can learn from each other.

As I wrote last week, “It’s time for the Democratic Party to conduct a post-mortem to learn what’s needed to get back on track for the 2026 midterms and pave the way for a better chance at victory in the 2028 presidential race.”

Okay, let’s start with the obvious.

Would you denigrate target customers who choose a competitor’s brand over yours?

Would you demonize those who don’t purchase or stay loyal to your brand?

Would you call them garbage? Nazi? Fascist? Misogynist? Racist? Extremist? Stupid? Anti-American? Deplorable?

No? Well, I wouldn’t either.

Yet that's what many Democrat representatives, including their leaders and endorsers, did to the roughly 50% of the population who intended and voted for former President Donald J. Trump.

You don't win customers or voters by oppositioning them.

How could you?

How would you feel if someone called you any of those vile names for expressing your preference for another brand or candidate?

You wouldn’t like it.

Nor would you like the name-caller.

Instead, you're highly likely to become entrenched in your views and continue—and maybe even double down—with your choice.

You oppose the brand, political party, and even the candidate. You don't opposition the customers or voters. Ever!

It’s insane! It’s suicide!

And, when you do opposition a competitive brand, political party, or candidate, it's best to use the "tip-of-the-hat" approach.

In the "tip of the hat approach," you acknowledge a positive so as not to offend or demean the current brand, political party, or candidate supporters.

Then, you point out a negative (i.e., problem) of that entity that your brand, political party, or candidate does not have.

You complete the statement with your positive payoff.

For example, an Excedrin brand consumer asks others if they use Tylenol. The Excedrin user admits that she does, too—for minor general aches and pains (ah, the tip-of-the-hat approach). Then goes on to say, "But not for headaches" (the opposition). She's found that Tylenol doesn't work as well as Excedrin for her headaches (the positive payoff).

Never, never, never denigrate voters or target customers.

If you do, they’ll revolt and trash you regardless of whether you're a brand, political party, or political candidate.

THINK ABOUT IT

• Have you ever won the mind and heart of another by denigrating them?
• Can you think of any brand or political candidate that has won those for which s/he shows contempt?

MAKING YOUR MARKETING MATTER MORE

1. If you will employ oppositioning, oppose the brand, political party, or political candidate. For heaven's sake, do not oppose the competitor's customer or voter!
2. If you opposition another brand, political party, or candidate, use the tip-of-the-hat approach.
3. Make sure that your brand can provide a positive payoff to any oppositioning you undertake of a competitor. If you don’t, you’ll shed light on your brand’s weakness and lose credibility.

Interested in reading my follow-up articles on this subject and all matters of marketing? Please follow me on LinkedIn https://www.dhirubhai.net/in/richarddczerniawski/, where I share my perspectives from more than 50 years of successful worldwide “brand” marketing experience across many business sectors.

Avoid Critical Marketing Errors. Read my latest book, AVOIDING CRITICAL MARKETING ERRORS – How to Go from Dumb to Smart Marketing. It’s available on AMAZON.

Peace and best wishes in making your marketing matter (even) more,

Richard D. Czerniawski