By Tom Burke
Herald columnist
Back when I was in the ad biz, before the writers and art directors could begin creating a TV spot or newspaper ad, we marketing types had to describe the commercial’s target audience, product attributes, consumer reaction, and purchase motivation.
We answered three questions, synthesizing data from many, many sources:
Who are we talking to? (Not just demographics, but psychographics as well.)
What do we want them to do? (Buy the product, call for information, ask their doctor for a script, etc.)
Why should they do it?
So, to better understand our president and his followers, let’s pretend we’re crafting an ad for Donald Trump’s 2020 election bid (assuming he’s still in office).
We’ll start with “Who are we talking to?”
Primarily, Trump’s base, he needs ‘em to win.
Demographically, they are mostly white, older, Republican-registered men and women; skewed toward non-college-educated; blue-collar or retired; incomes in the middle three quintiles; some suburban but heavily rural; with a strong cohort of Christian evangelicals.
Psychographically, they are:
• Prime examples of the Dunning-Kruger Effect — they’re not just misinformed (heavy Fox News watchers) but unaware they are misinformed;
• With exaggerated fear responses; about the danger of immigrants, for instance, elicit above-normal fear responses;
• Suffering Terror Management Syndrome, believing lies about extreme threats bonding them to the liar;
• With high attentional engagement they are glued to TV (Fox News for information, “reality” TV for entertainment) and crave ever-increasing thrills and the buzz that outrageous behavior provides;
• Many are evangelistic; a large cohort are Christian evangelicals and believe it’s “God’s will” that Trump is president. White House Press Secretary Sara Sanders, for example, said, “I think that he (God) wanted Donald Trump to become president, and that’s why he’s there.” Secretary of State Mike Pompeo says it too! The base buys it.
• Self-interest matters most: The rich are more concerned with tax cuts; working stiffs believe Trump will bring back blue-collar jobs. Morality and good governance matter not at all.
• They hate the establishment and favorably view Trump as the disrupter-in-chief flaunting all societal, presidential and moral norms.
• They lack exposure to “others.” An in-depth, ZIP code analysis of Trump supporters reveals they live in racially isolated communities, thus predicting higher levels of Trump support.
• Indulging in “magical thinking” Trump supporters are susceptible to conspiracy theories such as pizza-parlor white slavery, voter fraud and the existence of the Deep State.
• Embracing social dominance they’re attracted to a hierarchy where high status groups dominate lower status groups. Example: They embrace Trump’s denigration of immigrants and references to “shit-hole countries.”
• They have authoritarian personalities mostly triggered by fear.
Next, “what do we want them To do?”
• Donate money to a self-described multi-billionaire.
• Vote for Trump if there’s a primary challenger.
• Vote for Trump in the general election.
• Believe everything he says, despite clear proof he’s lying, i.e., John McCain is a bum; he’s already built a lot of wall; there was massive voter fraud in 2016.
Finally, “why should they do it?”
• Because his government shutdown got him his wall.
• Because his “gut” trumps the U.S. intelligence community.
• Because he’s been so successful with North Korea.
• Because he’s brought so many manufacturing jobs back to the U.S.
• Because he’s dramatically lowered our national debt.
• Because separating children from their parents and caging them is the humane way to deal with immigrants.
• Because his tariff war has added millions of Chinese dollars to our treasury and wasn’t paid by consumers buying Chinese goods.
• Because his revitalization of U.S. infrastructure is so dynamic that new bridges, highways and flood-control projects are being completed every day.
• Because global warming isn’t a threat.
• Because he’s been so successful in federal courts.
• Because none of his closest advisers have been sentenced to jail.
• Because he’s set a presidential record (for being under investigation for an illegal personal charity, his inauguration fundraising and spending, business cheating, illegal campaign spending and Russian collusion).
• Because he’s set a second presidential record (for lying more than 9,000 times).
• Because he’s protected Medicare and Social Security (by cutting their budgets).
• Because he won the mid-terms in the House.
• Because he’s lowered drug costs.
• Because he’s solved the opioid crisis.
• Because he drained the swamp (with over a dozen-plus top appointments resigning and three of his cabinet appointments forced to leave for corruption).
• Because his tax cuts benefited rich, middle-class and poor alike.
• Because of his great friendship and “love” for the world’s most notorious dictators: Putin and Kim Jung Un.
So, now, go create an ad.
Maybe something like “God says Vote for Trump.” (Really, who is going to argue with God?)
Better yet, how’s about an extension of “Make American Great Again” to “Make America Great Again; Vote Democratic.”
Tom Burke’s email address is t.burke.column@gmail.com.
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