How Has Political Marketing Changed
story by Kai Thomas & Kam Schindewolf-Broyles, design by Zoey Ryan
Buttons, signs, TikTok trends and even soap babies! Over the years the tactics used for political campaigning have evolved from traditional speeches and rallies to celebrity endorsements and viral internet trends. These new ways of marketing change the way voters view and connect with politicians, but they can also raise some suspicion about the sincerity of the individuals up for election.
Common Campaigning Techniques
According to CWU’s Professor and Chair of Political Science, Todd Schaefer, in general, a political “campaign is the attempt by candidates, their parties, organization, etc, to get people to vote for them [and to] communicate their message.”
In the early days of presidential campaigns, it was actually considered rude to campaign for yourself and outright ask voters to vote for you. Instead, it was up to supporters to organize these “campaigning” events and speak on behalf of the candidate that they were voting for, according to the website The Origins of Modern Campaigning. But as the years have gone by, politicians have come up with multitude ways to promote themselves to voters.
Travel Campaigning
A current example of this method of campaigning are the rallies hosted by President-Elect, Donald Trump. These kinds of rallies may be good for media and publicity, but maybe not so much for actual votes. Schaefer says, “They might make a difference [in] getting people to tell their other friends. But... they're so small relative to an electorate in any area.” These rallies do their job of gaining attention and drawing a crowd, but the information given the same things that you can find with a quick Google search.
According to the The Origins of Modern Campaigning web, the first presidential candidate to campaign on the road was Whig party candidate William Henry Harrison in 1840, who traveled by horse to give 20 speeches. After him was Abraham Lincoln, who visited with his supporters and aided in publishing prints of himself which helped to teach potential voters about the values and goals of the Republican party. As time went by it became normal for candidates to hit the road and host speeches and rallies to defend their cause.
Buttons and Pins
A tried-and-true campaigning method has been a classic button or pin. A 2016 article on Time Magazine’s website reports that these became popularized before elections in the United States even started, dating back to George Washington’s inauguration when his supporters bore metal pins with Washington’s initials on them, as well as pins with the phrase, “Long live the president.” This specific phrase was chosen as a bit of a play on words, as the people of the freshly independent United States were used to chanting, “Long live the king.”
Later, Abraham Lincoln also jumped on the wagon, getting pins made with a photo of him during his candidacy, according to Time. This made him the first person to have a button that showcased a presidential candidate's likeness. The trend of buttons continued: McKinley and Bryan’s pin-back celluloid buttons, Dwight Eisenhower’s “I Like Ike” pin, all the way down to grassroots buttons made by civilians who wish to either uplift or beat down a candidate.
Gimmicks
Along with the typical campaigning methods that candidates have employed, there are oddities as well. Gimmicky campaign techniques are used when candidates want to try and stand out from the rest of the people running against them. They’re used to create a buzz and get people to start talking about the candidate, with the idea being that voters will remember these gimmicks.
Soap Babies
Perhaps no novelty is odder than the soap baby. According to the Smithsonian Museum, these were used during the 1896 election between McKinley and Bryan. For this product, a piece of soap was molded into the form of a baby and placed inside a cardboard box. On the cover of the box was a slogan that read “My Papa will Vote for McKinley” (or Bryan).
It was assumed this would be a technological marvel in a time where soap no longer had to be bar-shaped. Instead, the product looked like a dead baby in a coffin. The fact that these babies had their arms crossed on their chest didn’t help the controversial look. This idea was later abandoned as voters found the product disturbing.
Clicker Toys
The Smithsonian also highlights that Richard Nixon came up with an idea to integrate toys into his campaign. During the 1960 presidential election, clicker toys became a popular giveaway thanks to him. A clicker toy is a metal clicker that makes obnoxious clicking sounds. Nixon came up with the brilliant idea for “Click with Dick” to be his slogan of choice, and it was plastered all over these toys.
Mac and Cheese
The popular brand, Kraft, known for their macaroni and cheese, decided to dip their toes into the campaigning pool. According to the Smithsonian, during the Democratic and Republican National Conventions in 1996, Kraft handed out boxes of mac and cheese as a souvenir. The noodle shapes were different depending on which party you wanted to represent. The Republicans had elephant-shaped noodles, while the Democrat noodles were donkey-shaped. Stars were also added to each box.
Social Media
In the early 2000s, the United States was entering a new technological era. Those born around this time grew up in an age when technology was integrated into their daily lives. People now had portable computers that fit soundly in their pockets with access to the internet and answers to all of their questions. People could now communicate with anyone around the world with just the click of a button. Simple novelties like button and bumpers stickers are no longer as effective when it comes to communicating with young voters. Politicians are realizing that if they want to attract a younger audience, they need to reach out to them in a way that they would understand. Social media was the way to do that.
When Barack Obama ran as the Democratic candidate during the 2008 election, he is widely considered to be the first presidential candidate to use social media to his advantage. Facebook, YouTube and Twitter were his social media sites of choice. He uploaded videos, sent out emails and set up fundraisers. Because he engaged with his supporters so directly, social media is considered to have contributed significantly to him winning the election.
Fast forward to this election year, which has been one of the most social media heavy campaign seasons in history, from Kamala Harris’ “brat summer” to Donald Trump clocking a shift at McDonald’s. Both candidates have done these stunts in order to garner the attention of voters. Todd Schaefer says, “This is why we've seen Kamala go on... [popular podcast Call Her Daddy], right? So that's the target: single women.” He adds that “they have to figure out how to advertise online... So, when you're looking at your websites, you'll get ads targeting your demographic, right? And that's very expensive, figuring out internet ads, paying these people on how to target them.” This is why it’s so common to see candidates pulling these kinds of ‘stunts,’ following celebrity trends and doing such a wide variety of public appearances – they want to appeal to all the groups whose votes they’re courting. Just like Nixon, McKinley, Lincoln, Washington and others before them.