There are many lessons from the just concluded election that apply to non-political PR accounts. The most important lesson, in my opinion, is not new—it dates back to before either of the candidates, or even American elections, was born. It was stated by the Scottish poet Robert Burns in the late 1700s.
That lesson is from a couple of lines in his famous poem To a Mouse. It was not meant to apply to politics, but it certainly does, not only to the just concluded election, but to all elections.
Mr. Burns wrote, “But Mousie, thou art no thy-lane, In proving foresight may be vain: The best laid schemes o’ Mice an’ Men Gang aft agley.”
A loose translation in English might be “Don’t count your chickens before they hatch.” No one can quibble that this one is not the most important. Because, as in all aspects of life, counting your chickens before they hatch is a mistake; unforeseen things can always happen.
There were, of course, also other lessons learned from the presidential election that can apply to non-political accounts
First, the winner: Donald Trump campaigned like a broken record. He has been campaigning mostly on three issues since 2015—illegal immigration, how illegals were taking away jobs from legal immigrants and others, and tax cuts. It was similar to an advertising campaign, repeating the same ad over and over until it is proven it no longer works.
Conversely, Kamala Harris changed her talking points numerous times, according to what polling showed. Ms. Harris was all over the proverbial political map, promising to give away the key to the gold at Fort Knox in order to win Black, Latino and white votes with far-left proposals, instead of campaigning as a “change” candidate, which has been so successful for Mr. Trump.
In addition, when asked questions, she responded with platitudes or kept telling an audience that wanted answers about how, when she was a little girl, she sat with her mother around a formica table, as if that was an unusual occurrence and somehow prepared her for the presidency.
She also couldn’t explain how she would govern differently from President Biden—who did her no favor by delaying his withdrawal, giving her only a few months to campaign.
Another major mistake was the significant use of the old-fashioned ground game of knocking on people’s doors, instead of via emails, telephone calls, and other more modern means, which can reach many more people.
But her biggest mistake was selecting a little known Minnesota governor, Tim Walz, as her running mate
She chose Walz instead of selecting someone known nationally, like Gov. Joshua Shapiro of Pennsylvania, Roy Cooper of North Carolina, or any number of well-known senators or military officials. Selecting a respected military official would have had two benefits: It would beef up her foreign policy chops and take the politics out of politics.
There’s an important PR lesson that people in our business should remember from Ms. Harris’ choice of Tim Walz. When building an account team, select the most able practitioners available. Do not be afraid of being overshadowed by anyone. If things work out, you’ll get the credit, even if you don’t deserve it, and you’ll be recognized as being a good manager, even if you’re not.
