Doug BennettDoug Bennett

Donald Trump ran the most unconventional presidential campaign in political history. But when it came to public relations and marketing, Trump actually drew upon some pretty conventional thinking. Let’s take a look at the tried and true practices that The Donald employed in dealing with The Media.

Feeding a 24-hour news cycle. Much was made when Trump tweeted at 3 a.m. It was nothing more than responding to news as news occurred. In the past, candidates had the luxury of answering the media on their own terms. They could strategize and refine their messages over time. But when news cycles compressed, campaigns had to get faster. No one knew this better than Bill Clinton, whose famous war room left no charge unanswered. Trump followed suit, even if it meant logging onto Twitter at 3 a.m.

Embracing social media. Speaking of Twitter, no candidate ever employed social media as joyfully, recklessly and effectively as Trump. The good news is social media allowed Trump to share his message unfiltered. The bad news is social media allowed Trump to share his message unfiltered. As a result, Trump gained more than 16 million followers, but committed some big gaffes, too.  In the final few weeks of the campaign, Trump’s team finally built some discipline around his Twitter use and the campaign benefitted.

Using surrogates effectively. When the Access Hollywood scandal broke, Trump originally responded early on a Saturday morning through an apology video, protecting the candidate from being cross-examined. By the time the Sunday morning talk shows arrived, campaign surrogates Rudy Giuliani and Newt Gingrich took the heat on Trump’s behalf. Even Trump’s often press shy wife, Melania, was enlisted in subsequent days to support him. Meanwhile, Trump kept a mostly low profile until the scandal cooled.

Leveraging friendly media. Rather than wasting capital on confrontational outlets, Trump returned time and again to the friendly confines of Sean Hannity and Fox News. At first glance, that might seem wrong-headed given Trump’s need to broaden his base. However, when you consider his need to unite a divided Republican Party, it makes perfect sense. Plus, by skipping opportunities with media outlets that he was never likely to convert, Trump conserved resources for campaigning in key states.

Embracing the use of slogans. Perhaps no one this side of a 60s ad man has enjoyed a slogan more than Trump. He launched his campaign promising to “Make America Great Again,” making some promotional marketer with a gross of red trucker hats rich. Trump closed his campaign by promising to “Drain the Swamp.” This became an apt metaphor for Washington corruption. Since Trump’s election, this slogan has been co-opted by his opponents, but that doesn’t diminish its effectiveness.

In fact, perhaps the only surprise here is Trump never commissioned a Donald Trump jingle. No doubt it would’ve been huuuuge.

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Based in southern Indiana, Doug Bennett Jr. is a political enthusiast and a public relations executive with more than 15 years of experience, primarily in the health care industry.