The Cross Between Business & Elections
In 2012 I wrote an article. “Why I won’t vote.”
2011: “Politics is a Scam.”
2016: “Politics Has Nothing to Do With Politics.”
I don’t have to write these articles anymore. Because Phillip Stutts spells it out for me. HE won’t say politics is a scam.
I didn’t ask.
But I think he votes.
(Phillip, do you vote?)
He’s worked on campaigns with presidents, senators, and every other political office.
He’s won.
And lost.
I wanted to hear about both.
His company is Win Big Media. And his book is “Fire Them Now: The 7 Lies Digital Marketers Sell…and the Truth about Politics.”
He’s going to tell you how digital marketers are spying on you (it’s changed in the last few years). You’ll hear where they’re gathering your data from now. And the new ways they’ll use it to target and persuade you. He’ll also say why corporate marketers all need to learn from political campaigns.
I asked him, “What’s the biggest mistake you see business marketers do that political markets avoid?”
“Oh geez,” he said. “They sit around a table and brainstorm! I never brainstorm ideas unless I’m looking at data first.”
So that’s one lesson: brainstorm with data.
Unless you’re practicing your idea muscle. Those should be bad ideas. And the process should make your brain sweat.
One more big lesson from Phillip:
Facebook isn’t going to be your biggest manipulator in this election.
“Facebook was the end all, be all for a good three-year run,” he said. “And now it’s Google. It’s YouTube.” And streaming will have the biggest impact.
Because picture this.
You watch an ad that bashes Elizabeth Warren. Then YouTube tells her campaign. They buy the data. And target your IP address with opposite ads to make her look good.
So… may the best persuader win.
Here’s a list of everything Phillip and I talked about.
And here’s what he said about the interview:
- How to get my new book “Side Hustle Bible” for free [0:00]
- Episode preview [1:46]
- I welcome Phillip Stutts back to “The James Altucher Show” [5:29]
- I share with Phillip the purpose of this episode: to figure out who’s going to win the 2020 election based on patterns he’s seen over decades of political campaigning [7:07]
- How political disruption leads to corporate disruption [7:21]
- Phillip shares the biggest innovation in political marketing [8:39]
- How consumer data is used to influence people [10:32]
- The most disruptive campaign in political marketing history [11:25]
- How the Obama campaign used consumer data, voter data and social media to win [11:58]
- How incumbency plays a role in campaigning [14:23]
- Target marketing: Then and now [16:21]
- The approach corporate marketers are missing [17:49]
- The ad Phillip created in 2016 that you couldn’t even think up in 2012 [18:32]
- Why Phillip says, “Facebook sucks now.” [19:41]
- Why YouTube is the new No. 1 platform for marketers [20:50]
- How Samsung, Roku and Hulu are using your data against you [21:17]
- The new leaders in target marketing [23:00]
- How your IP address is like your digital fingerprint—and companies are using it to target you [24:20]
- I ask Phillip whether it’s better to market harder to the people who like you or don’t like you [25:01]
- The five-step process Phillip uses for all marketing campaigns. And how he finds out what voters/customers actually care about [26:43]
- I ask Phillip the role negative ads play in campaigning [29:01]
- The biggest mistake business marketers make. And how to be extremely outcome-oriented with your marketing [29:32]
- Phillip breaks down how candidates use negative advertising to attack their competition… and why it works [33:08]
- How Trump used negative ads to attack his opponents in 2016 [34:53]
- I ask Phillip about voter suppression ads [34:41]
- We dive into the 2020 election. Plus: Phillip’s assessment of the candidates running in the Democratic primary [36:57]
- Why the national polls don’t matter at all— these are the only states that matter are Iowa, New Hampshire, South Carolina and Nevada [37:25]
- What is a caucus? [38:15]
- Second-tier vs. top-tier candidates. And the power of the underdog [40:32]
- The most favorable candidate for caucus-goers. And who’s got potential [42:04]
- Phillip’s take on Biden vs. Warren [42:59]
- The key to the whole election… [43:39]
- Political candidates who self-destructed [45:01]
- How a primary candidate achieves momentum [46:49]
- The importance of the African-American vote [47:47]
- Will Democrats elect an old, white person? [48:32]
- The likelihood of Kamala Harris becoming a vice-presidential candidate [48:53]
- We start talking about electoral math. And Phillip’s predictions going into the general election [49:15]
- The states Trump is trying to win (that he lost in 2016) [50:12]
- How Democrats are going to try to win over working-class white people [51:55]
- We discuss Trump’s tariff’s policy [52:35]
- The impact of the economy on the outcome of an election [54:18]
- Why personality will end up controlling the election [54:59]
- I thank Phillip for coming back on the show [56:34]
- Go check out Phillip’s case studies on his website. And read his book, “Fire Them Now” [57:00]
Links & Resources:
- “Fire Them Now: The 7 Lies Digital Marketers Sell. And the Truth about Political Strategies that Help Businesses Win” by Phillip Stutts
- Check out Phillip’s site: phillipstutts.com
- Get your free company audit from Phillip at phillipstutts.com/audit
- Follow him on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn