There is an interesting link between marketing and political campaigns. When candidates run for office, they are essentially marketing themselves to the voting public. A candidate’s goals are to solve problems (or a set of problems) in the lives of voters. This way, they can identify the value they bring to the table. The same holds true for marketing.
This further explains the prevalence of political campaign advertisements during election cycles. Presidential and midterm elections both generate tons of ads every couple of years. Political campaign ads in America date back to the 1952 Presidential election. During this election cycle, Dwight Eisenhower’s campaign relied heavily on short spot ads, rather than extended periods of television time. Eisenhower won the election, and future candidates adopted the advertising strategy.
While every American voter is likely familiar with these ads, they may not be as well-acquainted with the decision-making that goes into them. Political ads are a form of a marketing campaign based on tone and messaging. Ads might vary, from positive endorsements of a candidate, to negative attack ads against an opponent. Each type of political ad has different effects on the voting public. And those effects can teach us some valuable lessons about how messaging can affect marketing campaigns.
Using Messaging in a Marketing Campaign
For many voters, the messaging of political campaign ads becomes grating very quickly. But they continue to be used, in tremendous volume, year after year. This simple fact should tell us that they are effective at achieving something, but what? Political campaigning is highly strategic, with each party taking different marketing approaches to sway voters in their favor. But how exactly does political marketing work?
Studies about political campaign ads have suggested that their most significant impact is voter turnout. Many voters’ opinions about a candidate are not swayed by these ads. However, the decision of whether or not to vote can be impacted by the types of ads they see. Positive ads tend to increase voter turnout in targeted regions, while negative “attack” ads often see a small decrease in voter turnout.
The impact of these ads is not overwhelming. Estimates suggest the change in voter turnout is less than 0.1% in any given election. But even a small increase or decrease in voter turnout can swing certain elections.
What this might tell us is that a positive message can inspire people to get out and vote. Negative messages, on the other hand, may act as a deterrent by convincing voters that their preferred candidate is not worth voting for. The implications of studies into the effects of political campaigning are interesting. They continue to inspire much debate about politics in America. But, if we view these political campaigns as a marketing campaign, we can also draw some interesting conclusions.
Political Campaigns as Marketing Campaigns
The numbers about messaging in political campaigns suggest that positive messaging has a positive impact on voter turnout. For marketing purposes, this highlights the importance of positive messaging.
The goal of any marketing campaign should be to persuade customers that your product or service offers value. A marketing campaign that focuses on positive messaging, then, may be more likely to convert more shoppers into customers. What does this look like, exactly?
The key to positive messaging in a marketing campaign is to focus on solutions, rather than problems. This means highlighting the ways in which your product can improve the lives of your customers. A more negative message would focus on the problems which necessitate the service in the first place.
Of course, this messaging does need to acknowledge the negative side somehow. If there is no problem, how can there be a solution? Political campaign messaging has taught us that placing more emphasis on the positive side is more effective at inspiring action.
There are always exceptions when it comes to messaging in marketing campaigns, and there is always a balance to messaging. Humor can be used to offset negative messaging in marketing campaigns, for instance. Negativity should not be neglected entirely, as it is still a useful tool for relating to your audience. There are many common concerns, fears, and problems that your target audience faces each day. Acknowledging those problems in a marketing campaign can be useful. Finding a positive way to inspire action to correct these problems is the ultimate goal of most marketing campaigns.
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