Study: Which Presidential Candidate Has the Best Marketing?

America has spoken: Donald Trump is a great marketer.

A new study from Emarsys, a marketing software company, found that 37 percent of American think Trump has the most effective presidential campaign in terms of marketing, the highest mark among the candidates.

Why? Acording to Trump’s supporters, Trump says what others believe but are too afraid to say. And where does he say it? Mostly on social media. In fact, Trump takes to Twitter like a bitter ex, lamenting his country’s sorry state and bashing anyone who tries to overtake him.

As Michael Barbaro writes for The New York Times:

Mr. Trump has mastered Twitter in a way no candidate for president ever has, unleashing and redefining its power as a tool of political promotion, distraction, score-settling, and attack—and turning a 140-character task that other candidates farm out to young staff members into a centerpiece of his campaign.

The real estate mogul and reality TV star even went so far as to trademark his campaign slogan, “Make America Great Again,” a version of which was first used by Ronald Reagan in 1980. Like Trump, Reagan also established himself as an on-screen personality before putting in a bid for the presidential seat.

Besides Trump, Americans believe Bernie Sanders (21 percent) and Hillary Clinton (20 percent) have the strongest campaigns. Sanders’s campaign site has a similar feel to Trump’s, with tabs to find out more about his campaign and short posts about his most recent updates.

However, Sanders deserves recognition for his in-depth articles full of graphs and charts that outline and justify his political positions. He has longform takes on 16 issues, while Trump only explains his positions for three topics—immigration, tax reform, and the second amendment.

Meanwhile, over on Clinton’s site, you’re asked to sign up for her email before you even access any of the content. Plus one for prioritizing email, but minus one for the hard sell.

In addition to the political analysis, Emarsys also used the survey to cull some information about the advertising landscape in general, which probably applies just as much to swaying voters. A whopping 81 percent of Americans said they would also take steps to prevent unwanted email from retailers and e-commerce companies, with 65 percent saying they would unsubscribe immediately from a company’s emails.

For brands, the key here is to listen to your consumers (or constituents). Instead of telling them what they want, it’s probably more effective to make the case that you understand them better than any of your competitors. Apparently, that strategy has been working for Trump. Regardless of what you think about his politics, hair, and general lack of respect for most people, it’s clear that he knows one thing: the power of content.

Image by Mark J. Terrill/AP Photo
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