Don’t worry, I’m not going to start selling you one candidate over the other. I’m not even going to talk about policy. I am however, going to talk about this crazy election cycle and make a few observations that could help you in your business.

Let’s face it, running for President is all about marketing! Get the product (the person), figure out what is good and bad about it, target your audience, work on strategy, package it up real nice, and begin to figure out what channels to tell your story in. So how is it that Bernie and Donald are able to draw the largest crowds and get the most air time? Message and style.

First, their message taps into the one thing that will get voters out of their recliner and into the voting booth; anger! It is my opinion that people are totally fed up with politicians. This isn’t just about not liking the other party, it has more to do with not wanting to listen to the lies, empty promises, and spin put out by most of these guys claiming to be civil servants. Emotions drive action in politics. Whenever we do consumer research we are always looking for the extreme reaction, not the guy that says “I think that is pretty good.” You want to tap into the I LOVE IT or I HATE IT sentiment because that emotion is what gets people to act. What Donald and Bernie are saying is perceived to be outside of the typical message and that is what people are reacting to. Do people absolutely LOVE what you are producing out there in terms of product and service or is it much like everything else? Can you help the consumer HATE the current solution therefore, turning to you for a better way? Emotions drive action in the purchase cycle as well as the political process.

Second reason these guys are drawing big crowds has a lot to do with style. Both guys are incredibly passionate when they deliver their message. They are good speakers that are not giving speeches per say, they are sharing their fire. A lot of times you see politicians at a podium reading from a prompter but that is not what you get from these two. In addition, they come off as more authentic than many others in the race. Like them or not, they feel a little different than what you typically get from people in Washington. Are you handing consumers a lot of marketing speak when talking about the products that you sell? Is your website conversational or are you selling AT your audience? Do your customers believe that you are trying to help them or just sell them a product? Do they see you as different? Style matters. Always.

I think we are all probably ready for the election to be over as the coverage can get old but alas, we have 9 months to go! Do you have any preference for Donald because he is after all, the only candidate that had his own mattress line. I wonder if Serta regrets their decision to dump Trump. How many beds do you think they would have sold over the last few months given his popularity these days?