Lessons for Marketers in the November 2018 Mid-term elections

It has been a few weeks since the 2018 Mid-term elections resulted in Democrats winning back control of the House of Representatives and several governorships and state legislatures. Republicans managed to hold onto contol of the Senate and even increased their Senate majority by winning two seats in Red states that had gone to Democrats with Obama’s re-election in 2012.

But I have been asking myself what lessons, if any, these elections hold for marketers and I think I have come up with one or two. First, though, some numbers.  According to Newsweek’s November 8 online issue, in House races, Dems got 51.2% of the votes cast (and picked up between 30-35 seats), while Repubs got 47.1% of the votes. Nationally, 2018 results confirm 2016 results: Democrats are now a clear majority party nationally while Republicans are a distinctly minority party.

But what does this mean? There the results offer more ambiguity. Some analysts saw the Democratic wave as a rebuke to President Trump for various actions, most recently his nomination to the Supreme Court of Brett Kavanaugh, the accused sexual predator. Others saw a rejection by urban and suburban women of Trump’s generally sexist positions. (Trump, paradoxically, claimed his nomination of Kavanaugh saved the Senate for Republicans by motivating the Republican base to get out and vote.)

Exit polling by various media outlets found that voters who chose Democratic wanted to place accountability on the Trump administration by empowering a Democratic House, but also that Democrats offered more responsible policies on issues of local and national concern, like preserving Obamacare.

So what might this mean for marketers? Without explicitly advocating for one party or another, marketers can ride this wave of desire for accountability and responsibility by pitching products as responsible and consumers who purchase them as accountable. Dasani, for example, might talk up the environmental benefits of its ‘green’ bottles (basically partially plant-based containers). Rideshare companies like Uber and Lyftmight pitch responsible energy use for those who use the Uber“Pool” option (or Lyft’s “Shared” ride opton). Maybe the NFL can continue to pitch its offerings as over-the-top Trumpianfestivals of excess. I’m not sure how you turn NFL fans into responsible consumers, but teams could talk up their neighborhood and educational initiatives and downplay Trumpian player excesses.

Just some thoughts I’ve had recently about the temper of the times.