Advertising and persona are a big concern for political candidates. A fact that is on display in this well-known 1964 shock ad for President Johnson, for example. The job of campaign managers is to make their candidate stand out, and be represented in the best light possible.
It would be silly to argue against the fact that they are, essentially, marketers. Their brand is a candidate and their content is the political stance of the campaign. But gone are the days of attack ads and campaign posters. Today, we have the internet and candidates (and their campaign managers) have a wider reach than ever before.
Social media, especially, is a catalyst to gain influence in the political sphere. Pew Research shows 61% of millennials get the majority of their political news from Facebook, so how each candidate represents themselves online matters more with every passing election.
Video is Key
Whether it is Hillary Clinton announcing her bid for presidency via live-streaming, or countless news outlets playing clips from the Republican debates on a loop, video is how voters are getting to know the 2016 candidates.
This is a slight deviation from the norm because these aren’t well thought-out campaign advertisements that play heavily on pathos, ethos, and logos. These are moments where the candidates get flustered, slip-up, or out-shine their opponents.
Other than offering immediacy, video can also paint the candidates as slightly less branded and buttoned-up, and more as approachable and raw. Just check out Carly Fiorina’s get-to-know-me videos on Twitter.
Q: What are 3 differences between you and Hillary Clinton? Get more answers at the debate tonight at 8pm ET on CNBC. https://t.co/l1l87V26lD
— Carly Fiorina (@CarlyFiorina) October 28, 2015
Graphics Will Rule Them All
The general rule for marketing campaigns is the more visual, the better. Running for a political office is no different. But with so much information out there on countless issues, how can voters wade through the muck? The answer is a tool content marketers have been using for years: infographics.
Organization is the advantage of the infographic, so it makes sense that candidates would lean on the medium to convey their point of view. While looking at the candidate’s social media presence, it’s clear some excel at this (Bernie Sanders) and some, well … don’t.
Here are some examples of data represented in infographics pulled from the Facebook accounts of Bernie Sanders, Hillary Clinton, and Donald Trump:
Choose the Right Filter
The campaign trail is full of activity, so Instagram seems like a good medium for candidates to show what’s happening from day-to-day. Combine that with the fact Instagram announced targeting capabilities for advertisers earlier this year, and you have campaign manager gold.
Bobby Jindal’s campaign was one of the first to jump on this opportunity, according to The Wall Street Journal. His campaign plans to capitalize on Instagram’s highly visual audience. According to WSJ reporter Natalie Andrews, “much care was taken to make sure the ad(s) fit with the Instagram aesthetic — the ad features the Louisiana governor waving to a crowd at dusk and appears to be filtered — a popular tool used in Instagram photography.”
So to recap, the 2016 Presidential Race is happening largely online. This isn’t a surprise to anyone, but with emphasis on video, infographics, and Instagram, campaigns are relying heavily on visual impact. Does this say something about the state of marketing in 2016? I think so.
