So, it would seem that the pollsters were wrong again, and
people are somehow surprised. Like the
General Election, or Brexit, Trump is a major failing by the insiders to be
right, but by now we should expect them to be wrong. We are in an era where democratic populations
are rejecting the more of the same, the business as usual, the safe
option. The concept of a cosy political
elite that treats us with disdain is causing real frustration and a willingness
to take risks, and weather this class exists or not, the concept it real.
Make America great again.
That phrase will come to dominate how we remember this campaign, because
it is genius. If you are even moderately
well educated, with a more international perspective, and a desire for politics
to be more then empty posturing, then this phrase is nonsense; an orange man in
a baseball cap with a two bit sentiment on it.
America is great. It
is the richest and most powerful country in the world. Its military is untouchable, its corporations
comprise virtually the entire list of global mega brands, its currency is the
most used in the world, and its ideals, morals, and democracy is feared by its
enemies and aspired to by millions.
America is great already.
But you can’t sell anything with that. If someone disagrees with you, they will
never connect with that sentiment; your bit of America might be great, but mine
is rubbish. And even if they do agree,
if you’re already on top, where do you go; where is the idealism, the
inspiration for better?
Make America great again.
It’s negative, it says America has fallen, it’s failed. If you are negative about your nation, then
this can speak to you, can connect to you, and can offer you hope.
Great again.
Trump never mentioned any policy, never said how it would be
great, never defined what great meant.
Just great again. It’s hollow,
but it never needed factual content, only emotional resonance.
This is marketing made god.
Sell images, not facts, sell ideals, not reality. Hillary was the most experienced and well
qualified candidate America has ever had.
Her work in the highest levels of government for thirty years has given
her knowledge, insights, and international credibility that can be obtained in
no other way. Trump never attacked her experience,
or her service, he didn’t need to because as an outside he played this the only
way an outside can, he attacked the system itself, and he could have done that
against any opponent. By making people
question the very system of government they are partaking in, he automatically
tarnishes anyone with a long standing connection to that system.
He never mentioned policy, told lies, contradicted himself,
and seemed only to say what the crowd in front of him at that very moment
wanted to hear, no matter what he had said only hours before.
The irony of a technology that allows everybody access to
almost unlimited information at a moment’s notice is that more and more people choose
less and less engagement with fewer and fewer sources of knowledge. This election has been described as post fact
politics, where anyone can spout any opinion, or make any claim, and all of
them are equal.
Trump has embodied this idea to own every single channel and
outlet for almost a year now. His language
and manner were outspoken, or aggressive, or just offensive, and every online,
broadcast, or printed form talked about him over and over and over again. He attacked the so called main stream media,
who dutifully wrote about the attack, and then wrote about it some more in
their own defence, and then wrote about it some even more in analysis of others
defences.
Billions of video clips where he tried to short cut
democracy by calling for rivals to be imprisoned or murdered, or where group by
racial group he managed to insult almost everyone, flooded social media. Thousands of posts and hashtags every seconds
for months. Industrialised self-aggrandisement.
It is well understood in sales that you buy with your heart,
not your head. It’s why you’ll spend
five times more on a brand over an own brand, even though the difference may be
negligible.
Today we are seeing what happens when you turn yourself in
to a brand and market it perfectly. Let’s
just hope the Americans haven’t bought the last turkey in the shop.
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