Marketing In The Age Of Sound Bites

Founder and CEO, Pulse Creative.

It’s election season, and I have people in my network asking me for my thoughts on how social media is affecting the daily sentiment around the political climate. In recent years, the landscape of political discourse has significantly transformed, largely driven by the rise of social media and advanced advertising targeting capabilities. This shift has not only altered how candidates communicate with voters but has also contributed to a deepened polarization within society. As we go through political events, we, as marketers, must bridge technical expertise with ethical responsibility.

How We Got To Where We Are

First, let’s take a step back and examine how we got to where we are today. How did social media come to polarize us?

It’s an understatement to say that social platforms have become the dominant arenas for political engagement, with millions of users sharing opinions and commentary. In a way, this is great. Users with diverse backgrounds and histories come together to share their opinions on various political matters. You can find people who are equally as passionate about issues that are important to you. The downside? It also leads to echo chambers where like-minded voters congregate, reinforcing and amplifying each other’s beliefs without challenge. Moreover, algorithms prioritize content that aligns with our personal views. The result is a feedback loop that can—and does—create polarization in our society. Political messages are often stripped of nuance, reduced to sound bites that can easily be shared and reshared. Add the issue of opinions versus news into the mix, and you get an extremely skewed situation.

From my observations, this current election, along with the 2016 and 2020 elections, massively transformed online political marketing. In the same way that marketers can target fitness buffs with online gym advertisements, marketers can now also zero in on the right online audiences for certain political messages. Just think about the targeted political ads you’ve probably seen this year while browsing Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, etc.

This phenomenon is particularly evident during election seasons. By leveraging data analytics, campaigns can identify voter preferences and craft messages that appeal directly to those interests. Marketers can identify user preferences, such as dance and music trends, but can pepper in political rhetoric and visual cues. Strategic targeting enables political marketers to deliver personalized messages that can create emotional responses from their audiences. They can also integrate intentionally polarizing content and/or misleading content. In addition, the misuse of artificial intelligence (AI) also contributes to this conundrum. As noted by the Brennan Center for Justice, “AI-powered tools can generate new text, images, video, and speech from a single prompt to weave into campaign messages. Political campaigns are already using these tools to create messages for ads and fundraising solicitations.” This level of personalization that caters to emotions instead of educating often creates the deepest of divides.

What Political Marketers Should Focus On

To inform audiences, political marketers should focus on several key elements.

First, there’s transparency. Amid much misinformation, consumers are increasingly valuing authenticity. Marketers should focus on providing clear and accurate information that empowers audiences to make informed decisions instead of pandering to them. Hand-in-hand with transparency is creating dialogue. Instead of narrowing their focus to specific demographics, marketers should consider inclusive dialogue that acknowledges the messaging’s broader implications. This can promote civil discourse instead of heated arguments between friends, family members and strangers.

Next, marketers should educate and not manipulate their audience bases. Manipulating peoples’ emotions might yield short-term gains—but it will create a long-term divide. By contrast, providing thoughtful, educational content about stances can facilitate understanding and critical thinking, which is missing when it comes to social media and sound-bite marketing. In fact, political marketers should ask themselves what brand marketers ask: “What will enhance the brand’s reputation and create long-term trust?”

Lastly, as political marketers craft their messaging and navigate the complexities of modern messaging, ethical standards must be diligently maintained. Doing so is paramount to being accountable for the potential consequences of messaging and contributing to the greater public discourse. Political marketers have, in my opinion, a responsibility to inform and educate audiences. There is a difference between provocative political content and misleading content. Accuracy of statements and contents should be a guiding principle.

With Great Power Comes Great Responsibility

Politics is messy, and while winning is the name of the game, the power of social media as a propaganda machine can’t be ignored. The standard for marketers should be creating informative messages that can spur constructive political dialogue. People will have their political differences, and that’s OK. But marketers should do their best not to further drive a wedge between people.

Audience targeting and engagement tools are powerful, but as the saying goes, “With great power comes great responsibility.” This begs the questions, “Where’s the oversight?” and “What level of oversight is needed?” The investment and securities industry is regulated. Having worked with brands in this industry and going through legal compliance for word choices used, I recognize that oversight is necessary in some industries to protect customers and clients. Similarly, as a nation, we should protect the people. I am a proponent of some level of governance and political oversight, especially on social media platforms. Our banks are regulated through the FTC, but the process in which we elect the leader of our country is not held to the same standards. Political advertising on social media isn’t regulated by the U.S. government in the same manner it is on TV or radio, nor is it easy to vet and monitor reposts of manipulated content.

We have learned that misinformation and AI can be used to sway us as voters and consumers. We marketers are doubly aware of this and must educate ourselves accordingly. Social media content development needs to firmly establish safeguards from the dangers of misinformation. Like the latest parental controls on Instagram, levers are necessary to regulate the content. Marketers, it’s time to recognize our power and use it wisely.

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