From a communications perspective, Trump unequivocally has had a positive whirlwind effect. He has done this by leveraging previously disregarded leadership tactics coupled with an understanding of his various target audiences. Trump managed to identify the audience that matters most, prioritize it, and enable it. This was not an accident. Trump's informed and considered leveraging of social media and information operations has been outstanding. He has expertly created a profile that generates engagement, accentuates his points of difference, and therefore generates discussion, which indubitably enhances his agenda.
The age of lazy opinion is over. We now have an incredibly well educated population who are not satisfied until the why and the so what are satisfactorily answered. Trump has been able to galvanize opinion with modern audiences. How did he do it?
- Information environment and the advent of social media. Social media have been among the main reasons for Trump's ascendancy to the presidency. He has correctly identified that the way to drive engagement and build his brand was to talk to people on the same level and by the same means. Social media not only enabled Trump to convey his messages in a timely fashion, but enabled him to relate to the audience.
- Data. The Trump campaign was able to increase the odds of resonance and cut-through considerably through targeted and precise advertising. The role of data in achieving campaign success was identified and effectively utilized from the beginning to the end of Trump's presidential campaign.
- Millennial generation. They are arguably the most important cohort to be engaging with. The role and significance of the marginalized and disaffected should never be neglected. The younger generation today feels marginalized and feels that it has been dealt a bad hand. Trump was able to identify this unrest and concurrently identify that the majority of the youth would be siding with Clinton.
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