Donald Trump Surge Thanks To Copywriting?

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Great article about Trump's surprising success.

The author explains how Trump's use of language (not just content, but the actual syntax and diction)sets him apart from the political mainstream.

He goes on to suggest that this is a big part of Trump's resonance with voters.

Many of the things the author mentions, are exactly what I'm learning to do as I study copy.

Things like:
-Short, punch-y sentences. Often no more than 15 syllables.
-Use of specifics over the abstract wherever possible.
-Conversational tone

Which all stands in stark contrast to the focus group tested, abstract, non-committal, meandering language that is such a fixture of mainstream and establishment candidates.

Anyway, thought this forum might appreciate it.
#copywriting #copywriting #donald #surge #trump
  • Trump didn't get where he is today not knowing how to talk to people.

    Has he employed a copywriter to advise him on campaign speeches and interviews? Possibly. But I think it's more likely that he's learned how to talk that way over the years.

    Trump's appeal is multi-faceted. The main thing he's done is tap into a vein of emotion present in many American people. He knows what they're thinking about immigration, international trade, and national defense.

    Alex
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    • +1

      Trump is a master at persuading and communicating to people. Right now its second nature to him.
  • If you enjoy listening to Donald Trump (political views aside) then you would love the book "Words That Work" by Frank Luntz.

    Great read for anyone interested in the power of individual words, with a bunch of references to political campaigns.
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  • Trump definitely knows about marketing. He is a salesman moreso than a developer these days. See below.

    TRUMP STEAKS!!! - YouTube
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    • Trump is really going to town with some pretty impressive persuasion strategies at the moment, whoever is orchestrating his methods is top notch.

      The most interesting thing about his oratory is his use of traditional rhetoric as the vehicle to deliver his emotional triggers - which can be clunky at the best of times - but in his case it's parsed down to a very powerful "essence" (for want of a better word).

      My guess is he's assembled a "dreamteam" of persuasion engineers to pack his punch for him and it's no guess at all to say it must have cost him a fortune to do so.
  • Mebbe.

    I'm just prayin' for the guy's stylist.
  • You don't reach Donald Trump's networth without being an expert at selling yourself and communicating with others. That is a fact.
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  • Surprising Success?

    The guy is a legend in his own lifetime. There should be no surprise at his success.
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    • Yes, interesting times we're living in isn't it ...
      • Where the Kardashians rule the entertainment industry.
      • Where two kids from the Seattle suburbs can win Best Hip Hop Artist of the Year.
      and

      Donald Trump can Win crowds by continually saying ...
      • "I'll be great",
      • "I'll be the best"
      and
      • "It'll be fantastic you'll see".
      (Sigh)

      O.P, I agree with your points except one. Your "use of specifics over abstract" example. That's what has many experts baffled. His 'lack' of specifics. And the more abstract and generalized promises he makes ('I'll be great', "I'm good at the military", "I'll make them pay", etc.) the more his numbers shoot up. I doubt if the average marketer could get away with that and you wouldn't get away with it if you were trying to sell Mr. Trump something either. Trust me.

      The one advantage he's exploiting, most of his competition is as dull as dirty dishwater. He doesn't need to bring his A-game. Just make a lot of exciting promises like those old school late night infomercials used to do.
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  • One thing I hadn't noticed before this campaign run is that Trump and Jordan Belfort sound almost identical in style. Watch Belfort's SLP seminars and you'll find some very non-specific rebuttals..."We've got the greatest company, Our team is top notch, I plan to be the best salesman at this company, you won't be disappointed " etc.

    Trump is of course doing the same on the trail. Possibly folks just don't really want the responsibility of coming to their own conclusions. They just want someone of authority to tell them it's going to be great. There's some psy in this no doubt, but it all comes down to the idea that we buy a person, not what they're selling.

    P.S. You can trust me, I'm right on this. I guarantee it! : )
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  • Am I the only one who's not convinced that he's really running -- that he genuinely wants the job?

    I was sure that this whole thing was a stunt to boost his brand early on... Still not sure he's serious about it. I think if the going gets tough, he's going to deliberately sabotage his campaign (in a way that helps his brand, of course) & duck out of the race... If it gets rocky in the least, I bet he'll quit while he's ahead...
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    • You're not alone in this. Someone on the Nightly Show on Comedy Central made a joke to this effect the other night, that he was just doing his usual PR stunt and was shocked when he actually started polling ahead of everyone else. It would explain why he never has policy specifics as he never thought he would actually make it to the point where he had to get into them.

      His rhetoric only works on the absolute bottom of the low-information-voter barrel. "I will build da biggest, most luxurious military and health care" won't work in a general election. Even Bernie Sanders would roll right over him.

      Right now his base is basically scared older people who probably relate to the fact that he rambles and doesn't complete most of his thoughts, like that guy that stood up and asked about the Muslim terrorist training camps at his presser, and frankly flat-out racists. They can only carry him so far, and I'm not sure how much credit you can really give to copywriting technique here.
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  • Success leaves footprints. Remember the Hope & Change rhetoric?
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  • Interesting article on an analysis of Donald Trump's speeches --4th grade level.

    Linguistics Expert CONFIRMS: Donald Trump Talks Like A 4th Grade Boy | Greenville Gazette

    -Ray Edwards
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    • Trump's speech patterns and choice of words, emphasis, cadence etc are far from a 4th grader's verbal communication. The guy's not stupid.

      What he's doing is speaking direct to the voters unconscious mind with a very simple verbal flow to avoid any critical factor analysis of the message within.

      The unconscious is where the emotions are held, emotions are the bodyguard of beliefs, beliefs control the decision making process. He knows exactly what he's doing.

      In a way, it's a very pared down version of conversational hypnosis designed as such to influence as wide a voting demographic as possible.



      https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Covert_hypnosis
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  • A lilypad of fluff afloat on swamp.

    But hey, c'est persuasion.
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  • Banned
    Vote Christie in 2016.
  • It's so crazy how all of this comes into play. Gotta love the art of politics and media manipulation.
  • I found this interesting:

    Donald Trump’s amazing ‘cease and desist’ letter, annotated - The Washington Post



    PS: I didn't know you could annotate like that in a browser. Opens up new ways to critique copy, doesn't it?
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