The PR strategies you missed in 2016 U.S Elections

If you ask a voter if they were likely to vote for Hillary Clinton or Donald Trump, they would have probably taken a quick moment to think about policy, but what it really comes down to is how they feel about the candidate. They’ll be asking themselves questions like:

  1. Could I trust this candidate?
  2. Will this candidate listen to me?
  3. Does this candidate understand my needs?

Strategic PR is an integral step to creating a brand that people can support. 

All it takes is one tweet

What kind of relationship is this anyways?  

Hillary Clinton embedded her PR strategy into every aspect of her social content. From her Twitter to her Instagram, she consistently shared her eagerness, experience and intentions for her presidency with her followers. By taking a quick look at Twitter, we see her reinforcing her policies and political values. This tactic translated into a presidentially-focused and ‘no-nonsense’ temperament which voters often desire in their president.

On the contrary, President-Elect Trump’s  voice on Twitter was not-so political. By speaking without a filter, he distanced himself historically from any other presidential candidate.

And let’s not forget the hashtags. Hillary Clinton’s #ImWithHer  bound people together by their values, while Trumps’ #MakeAmericaGreatAgain leveraged the patriotism of the American people.

The X-Factor

Who are you going to trust, the celebrity or the celebrity endorsement?

lena

Since the Obama election, celebrity influencers have been an effective tool to gain millennial attention, support and votes. It’s no surprise that in this historic election, celebrities were directly involved in social and digital campaign strategies. The Clinton camp had a number of celebrities, from Miley Cyrus to Jay Z and Beyonce to Lady Gaga, who supported her candidacy. The Clinton Camp also went the extra mile to have celebrities send emails, attend and perform at her rallies.

Celebrities sent out pro-Clinton email invitations to fans. With various subject lines and intended target audiences, we can see the Clinton campaign use celebrity influencers to reach a diverse voter demographic.  

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Credit LittleMight.com

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Photo credit: Forbes.com

The media frenzy began long before the election with post-reality TV Star, President-Elect Trump  taking over headlines. Trump uniquely combined his business persona with celebrity status to boost his profile worldwide. His anti-media stance and off-the-cuff statements were a media goldmine, continually propelling him on the front page of newspapers and news stations around the world.

The Face Behind the Candidate

A picture says a thousand words.

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Photo credit: CIO

Maintaining integrity, transparency and authenticity is more important than ever before. This may be why the Clinton camp has made humanizing and personalizing Hillary Clinton a key component of their campaign. With experience as lawyer, First Lady and senator, relating to the majority of Americans required diligent and purposeful strategy. From Snapchatting with Jimmy Fallon to snapping a vintage childhood photo (view on right), Clinton took every opportunity to dial back her professional persona and reveal the human behind the candidate.

Although we know President-Elect Trump as an businessman, towards the end of his

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Photo Credit: The Daily Mail
Photo Credit: The Daily Mail

campaign he influenced voters to view him  as the All-American family-man. Going above and beyond to appeal to American voters by incorporating his family into his speeches, attending debates and rallies as well as having his wife interview with Anderson Cooper of CNN

 

Conclusion

As the results begin to settle in, we come to terms with a valuable lesson: it’s all about how the public views you.[/fusion_builder_column][/fusion_builder_row][/fusion_builder_container]

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