When Everybody Gets It Wrong

Individuals get it wrong. Brands get it wrong. What happens when everybody gets it wrong?

Let’s start here: this is not a show about politics. Let’s be honest: this is a show about politics. There has been nothing more polarizing than Brexit and the Trump Campaign, when it comes to our world this past year. If you can put politics aside (which is not easy), what happened here? The data, the analytics, the analysts, the pundits, the media and more. Like many, the armchair quarterbacks are abound. Those who were pro-Trump are now inflating their own tires, many who never expressed an opinion are now saying that they nailed it. Still, the vast majority of people, brands, analysts and media did get these two events wrong. Very wrong.

What does this mean?

Without a doubt, branding, marketing and communications in our digital age played a vital role in this outcome. How the presidential candidates were positioned, leveraged their own platforms and worked with agencies that brought us to this surprising conclusion. On this week’s Beancast, I joined host Bob Knorpp and guests Farrah Bostic (founder of The Difference Engine) and Sloane Kelley (Senior Director of Content at the PGA Tour) to discuss how everything went in the polar opposite direction of what we were told, what the marketing lessons were, what they mean for brands going forward and what we can all learn about building, scaling and proving your brand value in our complicated marketplace. We tried (desperately) to not get too political. 

Take a listen: Beancast – #424 – We Got It Wrong.