Before I dive into a brief analysis of the Harris-Walz campaign, let me say that this US election excited me for a number of reasons. It excited me as an American, as an elected official, and - this is the lens I am going to apply today - as a design engineer and branding geek.
I have nothing but admiration for the Harris-Walz campaign team. I think the execution was near perfect. The positioning of Kamala and Tim resonated with the intended audience, especially the rebranding of the Vice President in less than two weeks was a noteworthy accomplishment. 👏🏽
The campaign was strong on social media, painting a progressive image to appeal to GenZ voters, Black, Latino and LGBT+ communities and women.
Using Beyonce's song 'Freedom' was one of the genius choices to round off a campaign that was strong on vibes and an emotional CTA to unite the country, to leave the past in the past.
So why did this near-perfect campaign, backed by thousands of supporters, a strong ground game, a catchy online presence and billions of dollars to play with, fail?
She fought the uphill battle so brilliantly that the relatively short time she had to campaign didn't matter. I don't want to turn a blind eye to the sexism and racism that played a part, although I don't think it was the main reason she lost.
Their campaign failed because the Harris-Walz team ignored the marketing fundamentals of research, analysis and strategically building a communications plan that resonated with voters' priorities. They ignored the available data, something the other party in the race did not do.Statistics show a worrying trend among voters called the 'education gap'.
The GOP has a 6-point lead over the Democrats among voters without a college degree. This demographic group has felt the impact of the transition to an economy dominated by technology and 'new jobs' the most. In particular, young white men without a college degree are more likely to support the GOP.
The Harris-Walz campaign also decided to leave the economy out of its messaging mix. More than 30% of Americans cited the economy as a priority in exit polls across the country.These factors, combined with a lack of trusted online creators and pro-Democrat podcasts to amplify the Vice President's messages, led to a disappointing defeat.
Look, there is more to say and analyse, but I firmly believe that this result can be reversed in 2028, but the Democrats need to put in the work now to build a platform that will also resonate with the voters who, at least this time, gave Donald Trump the key to the White House.