The Democrats' Marketing Mistake

CBS News ^ | November 30, 2004 | Trent Wisecup

[kupia_kummi]

The new fad in American politics in 2004 was data mining. The Republican and Democratic National Committees invested heavily in building large databases that used consumer marketing information to segment voters into groups for highly customized communications.

Given the seriousness of the effort in both parties, it is hard to see how the Democrats ended up being so far off in the messages they delivered to the much ballyhooed NASCAR-dad voter. Clearly, the Democrats attempt to co-opt the marketing techniques of corporate America was undermined by their disdain of big business and the purchasing habits of average Americans.

Next to President Bush, few things anger liberals more than Wal-Mart and Detroit's Big Three automakers. The liberal intelligentsia views Wal-Mart as the most frightening force in corporate America because it maintains a non-union workforce. The Big Three are scorned because they make trucks and SUVs that consume copious amounts of gasoline. Liberals believe America would be a much better country if more of us drove Toyota Priuses to Whole Foods each week instead of hopping into Ford F-150s to get our groceries at Wal-Mart.

[goldstategop]

Liberals are stupid and don't bother understanding their customers. So why are they surprised they keep losing market shares? Like DUH.

[walden]

Bump!

[paudio]

The Liberals, just like other Marxists, think that only economic factors matter since it will lead to the 'class awareness'. These economic factors are in the surveys, etc., but questions regarding people's cultural/religious opinion of the situation usually are not. Failing to understand that people behave (vote) not only by their narrow economic interests, but by other factors as well, resulted in their minority status...

[MeanWestTexan]

A bad product kills a good marketing plan every time.

[goldstategop]

Yep. I think this says it all:

It doesn't take an MBA in marketing to figure out that attacking NASCAR-dad's favorite store and the truck he drives to work every day is not best way to convince him that you share his values. The entertainment, environmental, and academic elites who form the backbone of the modern liberal coalition are driving the party of Franklin Delano Roosevelt and John F. Kennedy off the cliff, Thelma and Louise style. Here's to giving Susan Sarandon a starring role in Michael Moore's next movie.

Sayonara, Democrats!

[goldstategop]

Liberals believe we're too stupid to be like them. They can't stand the fact folks in Flyover Country won't drink fancy lattes and drive hybrid cars and have turned their backs on them.

[mewzilla]

It's not the marketing. It's the message. But they don't get that and never will. So they'll keep losing. Fine by me.

[Eric in the Ozarks]

Whole Foods ? You mean Whole Paycheck Foods...?

[Question Liberal Authority]

The Democrats also made a huge marketing blunder by associating with sleazy and disreputable organizations such as CBS.

[eagle11]

Yeah!

[goldstategop]

True. The Democrats have convinced themselves they didn't put their message in snazzier packaging. All the packaging in the world however, can't sell a product people don't want. Fortunately for us, its good news the Democrats can't seem to figure that's exactly what's wrong with them.

[zbigreddogz]

That's what I was about to say. It wasn't their marketing, it was the product.

[longtermmemmory]

This was no different than a good movie trailer can not conceal a bad movie.

(ala John Kerry end image in commercials using a black and white image with a similar pose as the pope.)

Marketing does not hide reality, the dodge magnum is a STATION WAGON, a mommobile. No amount of slick will change that fact.

So what is the DNC solution? Yell louder, demand more homosexual special rights, scream quotas, demand higher taxes and say its all for the children.

IOW there the go again...

[andy58-in-nh]

You can put horse manure in a Tiffany bag and tie it with a pretty gold ribbon - but it's still horse manure.

[gov_bean_ counter]

The entertainment, environmental, and academic elites who form the backbone of the modern liberal coalition are driving the party of Franklin Delano Roosevelt and John F. Kennedy off the cliff, Thelma and Louise style.

This statement does not reflect an understanding of the changing demographic of the voting public. Over time as more and more of the FDR Democrats pass from the Church Militant to the Church Triumphant they are replaced (at least for the meantime) with voters who have a completely different opinion regarding the roll of government as it pertains to social security, health insurance, etc.

All the slick marketing in the world will not change these facts. Add to that the fact the Dems don't control the news cycle or the flow of information to the American public.

AND THE WHEEL TURNS...

[OldFriend]

Did anyone ask you what kid of car they should buy, or where they should do their grocery shopping?

You sound like the perfect lib.

[gogipper]

But all of us get to make that decision, right. And other factors come into play for our fellow citizens in addition to fuel milage. Perhaps some pickup drivers need that kind of vehicle to haul stuff for work. Or maybe they haul some recreational items.

Maybe its irresponsible to drive an unsafe little car which provides insufficient protection to children.

Let the market work, let us make our own decisions with nobody made to feel guilty.

[ladyinred]

Why can't liberals let people live as they wish? They pretend to be the tolerant ones, but detest Wally world because they choose not to go union.

[TexasCajun]

The Democrats' Marketing Mistake

Using Michael Moore to sell their Beauty & Hygiene Products!

[N. Theknow]

And this is from CBS *achoo* news *achoo* website *achoo* (I'm sorry, I'm just allergic to bullshit.)

Best line in I, Robot.

[donmeaker]

I kind of hanker after an F-150, cause when I shoot wild pigs, the blood doesnt smear up the upholstery.

Wal-mart groceries tend to be cheaper. A belly full of walmart groceries do me better than a half a belly full of whole wheatery stuff.

But I don't get much of my meat at walmart....

[GoBucks2002]

The point here is that the Democrats talk down to Middle America.

My mother drives a very fuel-efficient car, shops at organic stores, listens to NPR, is a member of a labor union-- and votes Republican! (She is staunchly pro-life and was highly offended by Clinton.)

Since she is a registered Republican, she gets lots of mail from the GOP. This year, however, some of the other above traits landed her on Demo/lefty mailing lists as well. I've never seen one voter get so much mail before!

[230FMJ]

When you show me how to fit my tools and a 4'x8' sheet of plywood in the back of a Prius, I'll listen to you. Until then, live your own life, and stay out of mine.

[Eric in the Ozarks]

Wal Mart pays its suppliers in 180 days. The suppliers stock the shelves in many locations.

[Nick Danger]

Using Michael Moore to sell their Beauty & Hygiene Products!

You certainly have opened a can of worms there. Imagine that there was such a thing as "Democrat Beauty and Hygiene Products."

We could start with whatever Terezah the Ketchup Queen uses to make her hair so, umm, interesting. Then there's the Susan Estrich skin creme; that'll be a big seller. Then we got yer Botox for women, Botox for Metrosexuals, and Botox for your cat. Then there's all those Michael Moore exercise tapes. Watch just one, and you won't be able to eat for a week. Think of the weight loss!

I think the Democrats might be the first political party in history where the men are prettier than the women. You can see why the gays all vote Democrat; just take one look at John Edwards. And his wife.

[Chemist_Geek]

Until then, live your own life, and stay out of mine.

Wrong. Driving gas-guzzlers endangers America's energy security, by needlessly consuming excess oil.

Oh, and here's your answer:

[MississippiMan]

Is anyone denying that this is, in fact, true? Honestly, you don't have to be a liberal to think it would be a better idea for people to use less fuel and better food.

Yes, I deny it. If it's better for you, great. But I buy my gas and I'm willing to buy more of it if that gives me the additional comfort or performance that I want. As for food, maybe I don't think the food at Whole Foods IS better. Dunno for sure, since I never heard of Whole Foods.

MM

[lepton]

but if Detroit made a good hybrid, I'd encourage everyone I know to get it.

Is it really a good use of resources? ...and what is "a good hybrid"? Are hybrids really any better than stripped down diesels?

[lepton]

Wrong. Driving gas-guzzlers endangers America's energy security, by needlessly consuming excess oil.

Not near as much as the effective ban on nuclear power. Heck, reverse that, and electric/hybrid cars might become practical.

[JusPasenThru]

"Liberals believe America would be a much better country if more of us drove Toyota Priuses to Whole Foods each week instead of hopping into Ford F-150s to get our groceries at Wal-Mart." Is anyone denying that this is, in fact, true? Honestly, you don't have to be a liberal to think it would be a better idea for people to use less fuel and better food. Maybe not buying foreign automobiles, but if Detroit made a good hybrid, I'd encourage everyone I know to get it. And, the food it categorically better at Whole Foods. I prefer to shop there, where I know exactly where, in the US, the food I'm buying comes from - a luxury not afforded to me in Wal-Mart.

Are you a bobo in paradise?

[rdb3]

The liberal intelligentsia views Wal-Mart as the most frightening force in corporate America because it maintains a non-union workforce.

The "liberal intelligentsia" looks at Wal-Mart this way? FR must be full of liberal intelligentsia! Who knew?

[swilhelm73]

bttt

[TChris]

A bad product kills a good marketing plan every time.

Hmmm... Microsoft could probably teach you how you are wrong. A strong marketing department can work miracles. A two-term Bill Clinton is another good example of this.

[jerry639]

I agree that it sounds like a lib statement.
I buy and drive the type of vehicle I want and buy my food wherever I want. It's my money and nobody should be telling any of us what to do. Who wants to drive a vehicle with a lawnmower engine? Own two vehicles, both over 200 hp.

[MeanWestTexan]

A monopoly does not need a marketing plan.

[TChris]

A monopoly does not need a marketing plan.

True. But how did it get in that position? Only a masterful marketing department can get you into the position of a monopoly without living in a communist country. ...especially with ho-hum products to sell.

[MeanWestTexan]

IBM was, for all practical purposes, the entire business market at the critical time --- as they said, no one ever got fired for buying IBM.

IBM went with MS DOS b/c it was handy. No marketing involved, particularly. Just one meeting where Bill Gates lied about DOS's capability --- after stealing the underlying code for DOS from someone else, I recall.

He kept the license for the code, 'cause IBM believed there was no money in software, let alone a stupid operating system.

Of course, IBM was esentially a communist country at the time. Promised lifetime employment, in fact. Well, lifetime or whenever IBM went broke, whichever came first.

So I guess your premise holds.

[TChris]

Yes, I am quite aware of the history of MS-DOS and Microsoft in general. It is, after all, my profession. Your synopsis does nothing to explain how Microsoft successively dominated each and every viable competitor in the PC OS and productivity markets; Digital, IBM, Apple, BEOS, AMIGA, Novell, SCO, Word Perfect, Lotus, DBase, etc.. These are not lightweights. Microsoft beat ALL of them. The quality of their competitors' products is unquestionable; many repeatedly reviewed as superior to Microsoft. Many are still. But none of them did as good of a job selling. Their superior products did not win the game.

[Chemist_Geek]

I agree that the de facto ban on nuclear power plants in America is a terrible danger to our security.

Even with nukes, though, I don't think pure EVs will ever be practical American vehicles. Perhaps in Europe or Japan, where distances are shorter and people have different ideas about what a vehicle's supposed to do...

Please note that hybrid vehicles do not need to be plugged into the wall socket, ever.

[chris1]

My view is that if they made this mystical vehicle people would just drive much more, essentially using the same amount of energy. Plus, you would have more traffic related injuries and deaths from these unsafe little go carts colliding with regular sized vehicles and other road hazards.

[chris1]

I think Rush has the best take on this. He says that the liberals always explain their losses to the fact that they are not getting out their message. Rush, knowing that the RATS will not take any advice, says that the RATS problem is not that they can't get out their message:

THEIR MESSAGE IS THEIR PROBLEM!

[MeanWestTexan]

No, IBM beat all of them --- or rather, corporate inertia of using IBM beat all of them.

Microsoft went along for the ride.

Competitors of IBM had to use Microsoft because IBM used Microsoft, and those few people who would get off on a limb by using some hardware other than IBM had to answer the question from their boss "Will it work with our IBMs?"

And a monopoly was born.

[lepton]

Please note that hybrid vehicles do not need to be plugged into the wall socket, ever.

I understand that. I was just envisioning a different type of hybrid that might become feasible with more practical recharging available.

[lepton]

IBM went to OS2, and MS stomped em.

[MeanWestTexan]

OS2 was after IBM ceased to be a monopoly.

By the time 0S2 came around, the montra changed from "No one gets fired for buying IBM" to "No one gets fired for buying Microsoft."

It's all about risk-aversion, not marketing.

[Excuse_My_Bellicosity]

The Democrats' Marketing Mistake

This is why the DemonRats are in one hell of a bind right now. They think their electorial defeat is a marketing problem, not a problem with their fundamental beliefs and "principles".