The US Presidential race is well and truly under way, with Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump campaigning relentlessly for support. Rather than yet another discussion of politics, today the team took a closer look at the marketing strategies of each candidate.

Sarah Mitchell was recently in the US and signed up to the campaigns of both Trump and Clinton to see who was winning the campaign from a marketing perspective.

Here are some key take-outs:

• Clinton’s website provides a large array of merchandising options, whereas Trump sticks to a few basic staples of buttons, signs, hats and T-shirts.
• Supporters wanting to buy merchandise also have to provide personal details, including home and email addresses. This information was then used by both parties to target the supporter.

“This is something that companies generally don’t do very well in terms of the follow up: they get the email address and then they never correspond again.” — James

• Both candidates embrace email correspondence enthusiastically. Trump sent out upwards of 60 emails that all followed the same set template and said the same basic information. On perhaps a positive note, Trump’s message is kept simple and to the point.
• Clinton’s campaign involves an even greater quantity of emails but with different formats and varying content. Influencer marketing features strongly with the Obamas, Anna Wintour and Barbara Streisand lending support. There is also an emphasis on fundraising from Clinton’s camp.

“The 40 years of political experience (of Clinton) is really showing here in its style and quality.” — Nic

• It’s rare that you see two companies side-by-side competing for the same goal. This experiment provided a unique opportunity to compare and contrast marketing methods of direct competitors
• Clinton requests for money from supporters, starting at just $1, whereas Trump does not explicitly ask for any funds.

“Hillary wins hands-down. More personalised, more varied… I know a lot about her campaign. I know a lot about what she stands for, about the policies that are important to her. With Trump, all I get from him is he needs me to come to his appearances and he’s really good at name-calling.” — Sarah 

Have you heard the one about…

Recently James, Sarah and Nic took a close look at PR disasters.

And here’s a discussion about who we trust, and why.

Like what you’ve heard?

Please subscribe and leave us a review on Apple Podcasts. Or subscribe on Spotify, Stitcher, Google Play, Overcast, Pocket Casts or wherever you listen to your favourite marketing podcasts.

For more information about the show, visit the Brand Newsroom website, where you can join the Brand Newsroom Community and receive exclusive content and opportunities to meet James, Nic and Sarah.