Trump's Latest Move Against Biden Is Pure Marketing Genius
This election isn't over until it's over
Back in 2016, a British entrepreneur asked me a question over the phone: "Over here, we think this Trump guy is a total joke," he said. "Do you think he even has a chance of becoming president?"
I answered, with full confidence. "Look, I get what he's going for. The time is near for a non-political candidate. But it won't be this guy. Donald Trump will never be president of the United States."
Trump Is on His Way Out, Right?
I am not a "politics guy." Being raised conservative, but marrying into one of the most left-facing democratic families in the state of Tennessee, I prefer mostly to stay out of the conversation. Still, though, I have eyes and internet access. It's hard to miss what's been going on since Trump's inauguration.
I've seen the Trump twitter typos, the rage quitting of news conferences, the Big Macs at the White House. I've also watched as celebrity after celebrity has refused an invitation to the nation's capital. I've laughed along as Trevor Noah and John Oliver had their fun with various gaffes of America's current commander in chief.
And, frankly, I spend way more time around my wife than the family who raised me. You believe what you are exposed to most often. I believed a one-term exit was inevitable for the reality show president. At least, I did until yesterday.
When I logged into Youtube to start up my writing music, a new video from Donald Trump's channel flashed on top of the page. "What happened to Joe Biden?" Interested, I watched the video in its entirety. It became immediately apparent that this election is much closer than my newsfeed would have lead me to believe.
How to Topple Any Competitor
There are two parts to every good marketing campaign, political or otherwise:
- Positioning of your product
- De-positioning of your competitor's product
Trump has not positioned himself very well during his first 1,306 days in office. It's not that people necessarily believe his policies are bad (most people don't even know what they are). Instead, Trump has a bad reputation because he does not act like a president. In addition to the aforementioned gaffes, he is infamous for his lack of decorum and short temper.
Positioning is important because it was this exact behavior that won Trump the election back in 2016. At the time, America had long forgotten about the turbulence of 2008's economic crisis. We were, largely, too comfortable. Trump would shake things up. He was the wild card, the maverick. There was corruption in Washington, and he was going to "drain the swamp."
Somehow, a billionaire reality television star sold himself as a regular guy. It was a weak position, but it was enough. Why? Because Trump executed Part Two of the marketing plan like a champion. He relentlessly de-positioned everyone. De-positioning is not just about saying "I am better than you are." It's about saying "I am in a league of my own, and you are completely irrelevant."
You probably remember this from 2016. There were a lot of similar-looking Republican candidates, and then there was Donald Trump. He further separated himself by assigning mean nicknames to his opposition. Remember "Crooked Hillary," "Lyin' Ted," and "Little Marco?" Trump's competitors couldn't defend themselves against the name-calling. They also couldn't come up with names of their own because it didn't fit their brands.
The names won't be enough this time, even though he has already started it again. They won't be enough because America does not feel like it once did. Instead, America kind of feels like hell on Earth. With a pandemic raging, riots spreading, and a recession looming, we don't want the maverick anymore. We want safety and security. We want a soothing, familiar voice to tell us we will be okay. We want our mommies.
Biden is the natural choice for these desires. He's been in the White House before. He smiles. He doesn't say scary things on Twitter. He is comfortable. Which is exactly why Trump is going after that reputation.
In the video, Trump is essentially saying "Joe Biden isn't what he once was." This is the ultimate de-positioning. By displaying Joe as a different person entirely, that feeling of familiar comfort he offers fades away.
Yes, Biden is up in the polls. Yes, it feels like Trump is completely transparent in his pandering, what with his pardoning of Susan B. Anthony. Yes, the star power of Michele Obama has energized the Democratic National Convention.
Actually, the feeling is similar to November 8th, 2016, in New York City. On that night, a boat was floating in the Hudson Bay, waiting to light the fuse on a giant fireworks display to announce Hillary Clinton's victory. Those fireworks never launched.
Let recent history be a reminder, when the marketing is well-planned and well-executed, everything can change in a moment.
Thanks to Amardeep Parmar, Niklas Göke, and Jordan Gross.
WRITTEN BY
Bestselling author. Seen on TIME, Inc., CBNC, and in my kitchen doing dishes. Infinite Ideas eBook: https://toddbrison.com/infiniteideas
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