1. “Tonight, what we have seen is a new day in American politics,” Huckabee told supporters. “People really are more important than the purse. What a great lesson for America to learn. … It wasn’t about who raised the most money.”
In politics, it’s about who raises the most money. In marketing, we always used to think it was about the company that spent the most. Today, more than ever, I think it’s about the company who spends it the wisest.
2. “We have seen two candidates (Clinton and Romney) who thought their money would make them inevitable.”
Money doesn’t make you inevitable. Connecting can. Listening can. Responding can. Honesty and intergrity can too. But even these alone aren’t usually enough to make you inevitable to your audience. Put all together and you’ve got yourself a better chance.
But remember, going from inevitiable to irrelevant is only one slip-up away.
Have you ever looked to politics for marketing inspiration? I know Drew has. What do you think?
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January 8th, 2008 at 8:45 am
I loved hearing that as well, Mark. I think it’s also a tribute to the power of non-traditional media (or at least the decline of traditional media).
Before 10 years ago, money *did* matter. The more you could spend on TV and print ads, the more exposure you got, and the more people knew about you. Now we have YouTube, blogs, unlimited online editorials, podcasts, etc.
If people want to find out about you, they will. They don’t need you (the candidate) to spend millions of dollars so they can hear your voice. All that matters now, is what you’re saying and doing when we find you.
January 8th, 2008 at 9:07 am
True, Ryan. But I think that money does matter. What’s more important than just spending it, though, is spending it wisely.
On this, I think we agree.