The Marketing of an American President

In 1952, advertising guru Rosser Reeves convinced Dwight Eisenhower that airing TV commercials on popular programs would reach more voters than other forms of advertising. Eisenhower's opponent, Adlai Stevenson, in contrast, was quoted as saying, "The idea that you can merchandise candidates for high office like breakfast cereal is the ultimate indignity to the democratic process." Needless to say, he was a two-time loser to Eisenhower! Therefore, as with consumer product marketing, political advertising via television was initiated emphasizing the USP or "unique selling proposition", the key feature that would differentiate the product (candidate) from the competition. This 6-week course will highlight the marketing principles and strategies utilized to run political campaigns in the U.S. Although the course primarily will focus on the stages of Presidential races, including polling, fundraising, communication strategies, media, and television commercial evaluation, the marketing techniques employed can be applied to congressional, state and local elections. Students will analyze campaign case studies from the 2016, 2012 and 2008 election cycles, and any current ones that may become available, and examine the results of the 2024 Presidential campaign and key Senate and House races, based on the above criteria. Guest speakers will enhance the learning experience by providing their individual expertise on the specified topic. Regarding fundraising, for example, the New York Tri-State Finance Directors for Joe Biden, Hillary Clinton and Obama demonstrated the marketing tactics employed in that arena. Mitt Romney’s National Finance Director addressed techniques utilized in his 2012 Presidential campaign. Other speakers have included Senators Richard Blumenthal and Cory Booker, former Senators Evan Bayh and Joe Lieberman, Obama for America’s Digital Director, Teddy Goff, who ran Hillary Clinton’s digital campaign, John Anzalone, Joe Biden’s top pollster, who also served as a pollster and message strategist for President Obama and Hillary Clinton, and Donny Deutsch, a frequent panelist on MSNBC’s, Morning Joe, and advertising/branding expert. Finally, there will be a team project where each group chooses a Presidential campaign and analyzes the effectiveness of the communication strategies utilized for both the winner and loser.