Learning From Political Marketing and Vice Versa – Standards of Truth

I’ve been writing a series of articles that share direct observations and analyses from political marketing and its application to customer 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.

This article deals with standards of truth in marketing a candidate, brand, or, for that matter, anything.

The much anticipated and ballyhooed televised debate between presidential candidates Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump is well behind us. It’s rather old news now.

Yet, pundits and supporters are still claiming a win for their candidate.

The candidates have been back on the campaign trail, declaring victory and spinning their story.

But what criteria are they using to assess and declare who “won?”

“Winning” should not be about talking pretty but, instead, about how each candidate deals with substantial issues—namely, the merit of proposed policies to address important issues facing our country and the American people.

Similarly, marketing to customers must address previously untapped needs—critical issues—or ways to better satisfy those needs that drive brand preference and choice.

As expected, the candidates engaged in oppositioning each other to frame their opponent in a most unflattering light so they might gain voter support.

Marketers also opposition their competitors. We refer to this as comparative messaging or advertising.

A key difference between customer and political marketing is that politicians appear to have questionable ethics and, might I say, questionable standards. They say what they want—what they think it will take—to win a vote.

Customer marketers can only engage in comparative claims if they have incontrovertible evidence to support them.

Instead of political fact-checkers—who do not always apply the highest or even acceptable ethical standards and are influenced by confirmation bias—we marketers must deal with regulatory agencies and our moral standards.

Politicians will make promises they can’t or, worse yet, don’t intend to keep.

They’ll take their opponents' statements out of context, engage in hyperbole, spin, withhold their policy positions, and downright tell lies.

If we, marketers, make false claims, we'll face the wrath of regulatory agencies such as the FDA (Federal Drug Administration) and FTC (Federal Trade Commission).

When we, marketers, opposition our competitors and make claims to promote our brands, we must go beyond exercising ethical standards and satisfy legal and regulatory requirements.

We should never proceed with oppositioning and brand claims without legal and regulatory approval.

We must always meet the highest standards of ethics and truth in addressing critical customer needs.

THINK ABOUT IT

• What are your most important issues regarding our country and your position in it?
• How did each of the candidates address your most important issues?
• What untapped or poorly satisfied needs facing target customers can your brand address?
• What incontrovertible evidence do you possess that enables you to deal truthfully in (better) satisfying your customers’ needs?

MAKING YOUR MARKETING MATTER (EVEN) MORE

1. Conduct research to identify unfulfilled or inadequately fulfilled needs of your target customer. Go beyond physical needs to consider psychological needs as well.
2. Select the most critical unfulfilled need that your brand can address.
3. Ensure that your brand has incontrovertible evidence to support your brand’s promise to fulfill the need better than your competitors.
4. Gain approval from your legal and regulatory representatives before making claims.
5. Execute your promise in a compelling way to drive preference, leading to purchasing, prescribing, or using.

Please follow me and my THINK ABOUT IT articles on LinkedIn to learn more about how to make your marketing matter even more, and the relationship between political and brand marketing during this presidential campaign season.

To learn more about doing the right things in the right way, read COMPETITIVE POSITIONING - Best Practices for Creating Brand Loyalty, by yours truly and Mike Maloney, and my latest book, AVOIDING CRITICAL MARKETING ERRORS – How to Go from Dumb to Smart Marketing, where address what it takes to achieve marketing excellence. Both are available on AMAZON.

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

Richard D. Czerniawski