Entrepreneur, David Birchall is a proponent and expert in Influencer Marketing and Authority Positioning in the UK and has not been too surprised how Trump has managed to hog the limelight and stay ahead of the competition. Neither is Brian Horn.
Brian Horn, from Authority Alchemy Group, the entrepreneur credited with being one of the founders of Authority Marketing has said in a recent article:
“We all know that Trump isn’t really an imbecile, no matter how much evidence he might put forth. After all, no idiot can make as much money and be as successful as Trump.
No, Trump is not a dummy. He lets his opponents think he is though, as part of his strategy. He does this to trick his opponents into not preparing well for him.
For example, if everyone else on the debate stage considered Trump a genius, they would likely prepare really well to face him. As it stands, they don’t, and as a result, Trump can sometimes surprise them with a pertinent point, which they are not prepared to counter”.
Donald Trump has certainly created a Brand within the campaign in much the same way it has been used in the businesses. Love Trump or hate Trump, it’s almost impossible to get the man off the news or TV screens at the moment due to the way Authority and Influencing techniques are being employed.
Trump sets out to polarize with comments that people sometimes detest but the public still watch and listen. The skill being used in the marketing process is to portray Trump as not being like other politicians! People are sick of the sight of politicians and Trump is creating differentiation by not giving the usual sound bite answers to the questions voters want answering. While the opponents look towards the White House as a goal Trump’s only goal is the Nomination, the White House is not part of this game it’s the next Big Game.
Trump makes calculated statements that either chime with the psyche of many, or stop others in their tracks and it’s used to throw opponents off countering the arguments. As a result, Donald Trump is seen as being decisive while the opponents are seen as hesitant and therefore by default, indecisive and slow.
Birchall says; “An observer will see in Trump’s game How Authority & Influencer Marketing can be used effectively, and that should trigger ideas for smaller businesses on ways to stand out from the crowd but without the need for the negativity and aggression used currently with Trump’s campaign”.
However, Birchall questions whether Trump will succeed now the campaign is running into stiffer opposition as it begins to attempt the final hurdles in the race for the nomination. Trump’s opponents are catching on to the methodologies of Negativity and Aggression employed by the campaign and negativity and aggression always has a limited half-life.
So it remains to be seen whether Trump chooses the right messages and formats of Authority and Influencer Marketing for the rest of the campaign to hit a home run or be knocked off base.
The Republican Hawks are circling, their talons are out and it will make a real interesting run in.