Political Marketing in the 2020 U.S. Presidential Election (Palgrave Studies in Political Marketing and Management)

This book focuses on the U.S. presidential election spectacle, from the primaries through to the November 2020 election and the subsequent events leading up to the inauguration of Joe Biden as the 46th president. A follow-up to Political Marketing in the 2016 U.S. Presidential Election, it uniquely focuses on the political marketing and branding strategies of presidential candidates, with particular attention to how those strategies have changed since the 2016 election. The 2020 election was as much about a continuous strategy of targeting and maintaining voter enthusiasm as it was about swaying undecided voters in the electorate, distinguishing it from the horserace and implications of vote targeting in 2016. Donald Trump had a base of support that was unwavering. Likewise, Joe Biden and the Democrats counted on the same proportion of the electorate to vote against Trump. The election was also a harbinger of major new branding and marketing strategies, including innovative uses of social media and direct appeals to voters. This book presents diverse scholarly perspectives and research, with practitioner-relevant content on practices and discourses that will advance our current understandings of political marketing theories. Jamie Gillies is Associate Professor of Communications and Public Policy and Executive Director of the Frank McKenna Centre for Communications and Public Policy at St. Thomas University in Fredericton, New Brunswick, Canada. He is the editor of Political Marketing in the 2016 U.S. Presidential Election (2017) and co-editor of Political Marketing in the 2019 Canadian Federal Election (2019).-- Provided by publisher Acknowledgments References Contents Notes on Contributors List of Figures List of Tables Chapter 1: Introduction: The Right Candidate at the Worst Time References Chapter 2: Playing Catch Up from a Basement in Delaware: How the Biden Campaign Marketed ‘Joe’ Introduction The One Candidate That Could Beat Trump: The Biden Campaign Until South Carolina Messaging and Marketing After the Primaries The Pivots: First Debate, COVID in the White House, Message Saturation Conclusion: Post-election and Transition to the White House References Chapter 3: Replicating the 2016 “Lightning in a Bottle” Political Moment: Biden, Trump, and Winning the U.S. Presidency Overview Contextualizing Contemporary Political Appeal Identity-Based Versus Issue-Based Positioning Findings Discussion References Chapter 4: The 2020 Campaign: Candidates in a New World Online and In-Person Campaigns The Democratic Primaries Electability and Gender Bias Primary as a Tournament The More Things Change Covid-19 and the 2020 Elections Covid-19 Dominated Conventions Debates A Messy Set of Elections Review of the Elecurator Project Aggregate Prediction Case Study Data and Methods Identifying Key Issues Predicting Electoral Outcomes Implications for Improving Analysis and Election Management Campaigning Platforms Conclusion References Chapter 5: Trump’s Marketing Strategy and Communication in Government and the 2020 Election: Failing to Adjust to the White House and Governing Introduction Theoretical Framework: Market-Oriented Strategy and Communication in Government Trump’s Strategy Delivering on Trump’s 2016 Promises Staying in Touch with and Being Responsive to the Public Create a Fresh Market-Oriented Product that Responds to Voters’ New Needs and Wants for 2020 Overall Assessment of Strategy Trump’s Communication Responsiveness Leadership Credibility Overall Assessment of Communication Conclusion References Chapter 6: Democracy and Disinformation: An Analysis of Trump’s 2020 Reelection Campaign Introduction Literature Review Research Design Analysis Protests/ANTIFA: The Message Protests/ANTIFA: The Coverage Protests/ANTIFA: The Effect Socialism: The Message Socialism: The Coverage Socialism: The Effect Conclusion References Chapter 7: Donald Trump: The Brand, the Disjunctive Leader, and Brand Ethics References Chapter 8: Trump, Populism and the Pandemic Populism: Political Principles and Marketing Practices Trump’s Brand of Populism The Pandemic and Populism Communication During Covid: Selling the Trump Message Voter Targeting: Priorities During a Pandemic Lessons in Political Marketing References Chapter 9: Conclusion: The 2020 Presidential Election and Aftermath Was One for the Ages References Index