Political Marketing Plan

For Hillary Clinton

Presidential Elections 2016

Content
1. Market Research

2.
3.
4.
5.
6.

7.

1.1.
Elections in the USA.
1.2.
The results of the last four elections in the USA.
1.3.
PEST analysis of the USA.
Factors that will influence the elections 2016.
The Candidate.
3.1.
SWOT analysis of the candidate.
3.2.
SWOT analysis of the competitor.
Setting a Goal
Targeting the Voters
5.1.
Geographic targeting.
5.2.
Demographic targeting.
Developing the campaign
6.1.
Basic goals of the campaign.
6.2.
Communication tools.
6.3.
Time grid of the communication with voters.
6.4.
Campaign structure.
6.5.
Campaign budget.
References

Report
1. Market Research
1.1. Elections in the USA.
The United States is a federation, with elected officials at the federal (national), state and
local levels. On a national level, the head of state, the President, is elected indirectly by the
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people, through an Electoral College. Today, the

electors virtually always vote with the popular vote
of their state. Each state, plus Washington DC, is
awarded a certain number of electoral votes based
roughly on size. California, America's largest state,
gets 55 votes while sparsely-populated Wyoming
gets only three. All but two states use a winnertakes-all system, so if you win the most votes in a state you take its entire haul of Electoral
College votes. There are 538 Electoral College votes in total and the candidate to get a majority 270 - becomes president.
The vast majority of America's states are considered solidly committed to one party - for
example California is unfailingly Democrat while Texas always goes Republican. But others,
like Florida, Ohio and Iowa, are open to persuasion. The campaigns will focus their time, their
money and their resources on winning these swing states and voters there will be bombarded
with advertising and endless visits from the candidates.
1.2.

The results of last four presidential elections in the USA.

As it was mentioned before each state usually has its own party preferences. The results
of the four previous four elections can prove it. In order to show the actual picture of the votes
which both of the parties received during the campaigns of 2000, 2004, 2008 and 2012 we
decided to use colors and map of the country. In red are shown the states carried by the
Republican in all four elections. Mostly these are the central states with lower amount of
Electoral College votes. In pink you can see the states carried by the Republican in three of the
four elections. These are North Carolina and Indiana. In purple are the states carried by each
party twice in the four elections. These states should attract much attention while preparing
presidential campaign. In light blue are the states carried by the Democrat in three of the four
elections (New Mexico, Iowa and New Hampshire). These three states should also be considered
as important ones as there are still people who doubt regarding their party preference. And the
last but very important states are those which showed the greatest support for Democrats. In blue
are the states carried by the Democrat in all four elections. These are our supporters, it is very
important to mention that these states are crucial for the American identity.
The Presidential Elections 2012 were a success for the Democratic
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Party and showed really good results for the candidate

Barack Obama. He received 303 Electoral College votes
and beat his competitor for 97 votes.
1.3.

PEST analysis of the USA.

Political Situation
USA has a
strong democratic structure and operational rule
of law, with elections that are considered fair and
transparent. The country enjoys massive political
and economic influence over both national and
global policymaking, and is recognized as the
leading superpower in the world. However, the
country faces international criticism for its
interventionist policies regarding the War on Terror which is souring foreign relations, and at
the same time fueling terrorist groups, increasing the threat of terrorism.
Economic Situation
With a GDP of over $16.760 trillion, the US is the largest economy in the world.
The economic system is well-developed and gathers its strength from its services and
manufacturing industries. The recession in 2009 adversely affected the economy of the country
and unemployment rates soared to an alarming point. But the economy bounced back with a
growth of around 4% in the third quarter of 2014 as consumers and businesses have stepped up
spending. However, the increasing budget deficit puts the economic prosperity of the country at
grave risk as the deficit currently amounts to a staggering $506 million.

Social Situation
Like most developed countries, the US faces the problem of an aging population which can
lead to a serious labor shortage and rising tax rates in the future. Nonetheless, the education
and healthcare system is one of the best in the world. A majority of the population has a liberal
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mindset, but rising racial intolerance is a serious concern. Additionally, increasing illegal
immigration is another concern, as there are currently more than 11.7 million people living
illegally in the US, further increasing the risk of racial discrimination.

Technological situation
Innovation and technology are the cornerstones of the US economy. Since its inception, the
country has been leading in terms of adapting and applying technology. Though the country faces
strong competition from rising economies, it is expected it will continue to retain a technology
supremacy over its competitors. Additionally, the US has also been at the forefront in enhancing
and developing technologies in areas such as nanotechnology, environmental technology and
biotechnology, which opens up massive opportunities for companies with expertise in the
mentioned fields. IT is another field the US has been excelling in. However, it has also been
facing intense competition from countries like China and India.
So, in this PEST analysis of USA, we examined briefly the various factors that are affecting
the external macro environment of the country.

2. Factors that will influence the elections 2016.

The main factor which concerns voters

nowadays is the policy regarding national
security. As it can be seen from the Picture
4 people are mostly afraid for the physical
safety. Jobs and economic grows is also
rather crucial for average American
family, especially after the economic crisis
2008 and recent fluctuations with the price
for oil. Immigration and Religious issue
are of less importance for the active voters within the country. But these are the recent results of
the polls conducted by the end of 2015, but they were not like that at the beginning of the year.
At the beginning of the 2015 the most concern
of the Americans was the economic situation in the
country. Especially it was a concern of the middle
class. The stock market was up, unemployment was
down and economists are giddy about prospects for
America's economy to grow in 2015. But while
economic indicators were glowing, how middle
class voters benefit amid the recovery would shape
the presidential campaign. So far, many had not: the
typical American family's income was 8 percent
lower than it was before the recession hit in 2007.
That helped, in part, to explain President Barack
Obama's stagnant approval ratings, and could be a problem for Hillary Rodham Clinton or any
other Democrat expected to defend his, and therefore the party's management, of the economy.
But everything has changed. As it is noticeable from the Picture 5. In December 2015 after the
worsening of the situation in Syria and massive attacks in Europe people became more
concerned about the security issues rather than economical ones. The rest of the indicators
preserved their places, which meant that their importance did not change for the active voters in
the USA.

Another important issue which

was also caused by the political and
economic environment in the world is
the personal ability of the candidates
to show the readiness to express
compromising solutions towards
burning topics. As per Picture 6
people in 2010 average American
would prefer the candidate strong in
his or her positions without even considering the possibility to find joint solution. But in 2014
Americans are more likely to vote for the candidate who will compromise.
3. The Candidate
The Candidate who was chosen to be promoted by means of this plan is Hillary Clinton.
Hillary Diane Rodham Clinton (born October 26, 1947) is an American politician who served as
the 67th United States Secretary of State under President Barack Obama from 2009 to 2013. She
is the wife of the 42nd President of the United States Bill Clinton, and was First Lady of the
United States during his tenure from 1993 to 2001. Clinton subsequently served as a United
States Senator from New York from 2001 to 2009, and is a candidate for President of the United
States in the 2016 presidential election.
Hillary stands for equality. She always expresses her positive
attitude towards providing opportunities for disabled. She never closes her eyes on the
immigration issue. She supports enstrengthening of labor unions and freedom of choosing
partners. Also Hillary stands for financial independence of every person in the USA. She claims
that every citizen will have a possibility to get high education without getting into a lifelong
debt. She is always positioned as a caregiver and the one with high sense of humanity. She
expressed absolutely positive attitude and strong position towards fairer health care system,
environmental protection issues, education for all the children and international security.
In order to identify the main aspects of the Hillary`s
brand our team decided to use Brand Identity Prism (elaborated by Kapferer). As a brand
archetype Hillary was identified as a Caregiver. It was based on the opinions and identity Hillary
already has, as well as those we want people to see in her. The physique aspects are those we
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want Hillary to look like and which emotions she should promote, they
are: ex-first lady, US Senator New York, and 67th US Secretary of State.

The Personality aspects show the character of the candidate, they are: strong, tolerant, and smart.
The Cultural aspects are those which establish link between candidate organization, they are:
family values, equity, and American way of living. The Relationship aspect is the relationship
between the candidate and voters. There have been identified the following one as Hillary is a
partner in achieving joint prosperity. The reflection aspect is the stereotypes which voters see in
the candidate`s personality: protector and the one who cares and ready to work hard to reach the
goals. And the last aspect is the Self-Image, it the very important one as it expresses how those
who vote for Hillary perceive themselves. In this prism they were described as those who have
democratic views and considered as open-minded.

3.1.

The SWOT analysis of the candidate

Strengths
Bill Clinton. Bill was president for two terms and still has a strong presence
among American people. Additionally, Bill has the speaking skills in order to help persuade
people that Hillary is the number one candidate.
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Experience. The fact that Hillary has experience both in the White House
and as a Senator makes her a very strong competitor. The plans she proposes are backed up by
experience and she can use this against her opponents.
Money. Hillary Clinton has raised more money than any of the other
candidates for the primaries. This gives her significant leverage when campaigning.
Being a Woman. Simply by being a woman, Hillary Clinton
is able to establish a connection to women throughout America and offer them something they
have not been offered before. As a woman, she can help close the gender gap and gain respect for
women throughout the world.

Weaknesses
Iraq. Although Hillarys current plan is appealing to people who want the war to end, she
has gotten significant backlash due to the fact that she did support the war in 2002. She has
become the new flip-flopper.
Being a Woman. Being a woman can also be a weakness for Hillary because she is
scrutinized more than the male candidates by the media and many people dislike her simply
because they are not ready for a woman president.

Opportunities
Gain support from critics.
Through various campaign events
and advertisements Hillary Clinton
has the opportunity to gain more
support and possibly win the
primaries and go on the win the
presidency.
Threats
Bill Clinton.
Although Bill is a valuable asset to
Hillary; he also poses a threat due to his infidelity during his presidency. Many women dislike
Hillary simply because of how she handled the situation.
As it was discussed and proved before
Hillary has a big political and social luggage. She is well-known in the USA and worldwide.
There are many people who support her and those who do not. Of course situation changes all
the time, but the recent polls showed that actually people changed their minds regarding this
candidate and comparing to 2008 the indicators of her popularity and positive attitude have risen.
3.2. Competitors
The main competitor of Hillary for the Presidential Campaign 2016 will
be Donald Trump. Donald John Trump, Sr. (born June 14, 1946) is an
American business magnate, billionaire, investor, socialite, author, and
television personality. He is the chairman and president of The Trump
Organization and the founder of Trump Entertainment Resorts. Trump's
career, branding efforts, personal life, wealth, and outspoken manner have
helped make him a celebrity.
SWOT analysis of Donald Trump
In order to understand the competitor it is essential to collect as much data is
possible and analyze it correctly. As a member and representative of a Republican Party Donald
Trump possesses the following strengths: financial status, fame and credibility, great negotiatior
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with sharp tongue, experienced executive, creator of an impressive bussines, expert at gaming
system, strong involvement in social media. All of the mentioned above points are crucial while
planning the campaign against him. He is well-know as smart and sucessful leader. He has
created and successfully runs his own business which gives him a picture of a candidate who can
bring changes and make country prosperious. When it comes to his weaknesses it is important to
mention the following: quick to anger, bluntess, autocratic, he has an inferiority complex, he
would not be taken seriously by some.Indeed, unlike the most of the politicians in the modern
world he is too easy to be irritated and blow up in front of the society. At some point it is easy to
notice that Donald does not care about anything except himself, he is too obsessed with his own
opinion and is not ready for compromises (which is crucial for Americans nowadays Picture 6).
As a candidate though Donald Trump has lots of open opportunities: he eems like outside the
political norm, successes in negotiations and gaming systems nationally and internationally,
media skills will ensure support from the electorate. Nevertheless, it is obvious that our closest
competitor also has enough threats which should be taken into consideration as well: as a person
he is very tactical- he can easily lose track of the strategic goal which is very important for the
politician, trump himself is a gretest thread as he is too explosive and sometimes it plays against
him, another very important point is that he is too obssessed with people who challenge him,
which should be highly used by our candidate while preparing for debates.

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While performing the research it has

been stated that Trump has support in the
USA. The main idea of the research was to
understand who would be the biggest
supporters of this candidate are and who will
vote for the most. As it can be observed from
the picture on the right men of any age do
prefer him as a US President, absolutely
different opinion express women from the age
of 18 and older. The results show that they
attitude him very negatively. It is obvious to have such results as Trump always positions himself
as a big sexist.
So what are the chances of Hillary Clinton versus Donald Trump? On the 3rd of
November another poll by The Wall Street Journal took place and the results showed that Hillary
would win 10 points against Trump.

4. Setting a Goal

The total population of the USA: 322,267,564 (2nd December 2015).

The total number of voters: 235,248 (as per 2012). Turnout 54,9%.
Expected turnout in this election: 56%.
In order to win the elections it is important to get at least 270 votes from the Electoral
College. We expect to gain 300 votes. The states which will most likely vote for Hillary:
Washington, Oregon, California, Minnesota, Illinois, New York, Vermont, Massachusetts,
Washington DC, Maryland, Delaware, New Jersey, Connecticut, and Rhode Island 247 votes
all together. The states we might get some votes are New Mexico, Michigan, and Wisconsin 31
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votes all together. States which most likely will vote for Donald Trump but we still have a chance
are: Florida, Virginia, Nevada, Colorado, and Iowa 57 votes all together.

5. Targeting the Voters

5.1. Geographic Targeting
Based on past elections democrat candidate can expect to do well in the states like
Nevada, California, Oregon, Washington, New Mexico, Colorado, Minnesota, Iowa, Wisconsin,
Illinois, Vermont, Massachusetts, Washington DC, Maryland, Delaware, New Jersey,
Connecticut, and Rhode Island.
Based in past elections the opposition can expect to do well in the states like Texas,
Oklahoma, Nebraska, Kansas, North Dakota, South Dakota, Missouri, Arkansas, Mississippi,
Alabama, Louisiana, Georgia, North Caroline, South Caroline, Kentucky, Tennessee, Missouri,
Indiana, West Virginia, Idaho, Montana, and Wyoming.
Based on the past elections, the following states will be areas where we will have to
persuade the voters we need to win: Florida, Virginia, Nevada, Colorado, and Iowa.

5.2.

Demographic Targeting

The following demographic groups will be our base support: Female, white, AfroAmericans, Hispanic, age 18-44, educated, income from 20.000- 29.000 $ per year, and those
who have their own homes.
The total percentage of population of all of these demographic groups is 57%.
We can expect to receive the following number of votes: 55%.
Our opponents can expect to attract votes primarily from the following
demographic groups: male, white, age 25-44, educated, income 55.000-75.000$ per year, and
those who have their own homes.
6. Developing the campaign

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In order to build a proper plan and elaborate the correct message we have taken into
consideration all the results from the polls mentioned before. We carefully planned every step to
be performed, every tool to deliver the message to the voters. Campaign will be built on the main
values of the Hillary and her main differences from the competitors. We will use all her strengths
and weaknesses of the opponent. Our message is short, trustful and credible, it shows real
contrast with the opponents and directed to the main audience.
Campaign name: It is THE time.
The main slogan of the campaign: Let the woman fix the men`s world
The main message of the campaign: It is the time to bring the changes to the country and
clean the mess.
6.1.

Basic goals of the campaign

In order to win the votes of the target group we have set the most important goals of the
campaign. The first one is to prove that woman can bring changes and it is THE time to do so.
We need to stress the main gender difference from the rest of the competitors. Prove that males
have been ruling the country all the time before and probably only woman can bring prosperity
and peace. In the posters, commercials and other advertising tools we will emphasize that new
ways will be used, women ones. Another important goal is to provoke empathy, understanding,
solidarity, sense of belonging, trust. This is an essential goal for any politician in every country,
people should trust their candidate. We will express deep knowledge of the expectations among
the voters and act accordingly. We will show the tolerance but not blindness on the main
burning topics. Such as gender and race issues, we will not ignore the main opinion that USA
is the aggressor country, we will try to prove that Hillary will be able to reposition the image and
gain more respect, but not fear on the international arena. By means of any piece of
communication with the potential voters we will develop fundamental trust in every single piece
of action. And of course apart from keeping the votes of the supporters we need to focus on
winning the votes of those who did not make any choice yet.
6.2.

Communication Tools

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The main goal of any campaign is to attract attention of the potential voters. Apart from this
it is important to deliver the correct message to the correct people target group. It is also very
important to make voters think that this piece of information was created and delivered specially
to them to solve the burning problems of every separate citizen. That is why it is necessary to
plan the communication tools properly in order to keep those who support and gain those who
still have doubts. With regard to achieve the communication goals our team has decided to use
the following communication tools:
Traditional Media
It is a well-known fact that people spend a lot of time watching TV, listening to the radio and
reading newspapers. We will use only those tools which are very popular among the target group.
All of the commercial will be broadcast at a prime time.
On-line tools
Internet became an essential part of every person`s life. Social Media channels and Web-site
should be used intensively during all the campaign. We will use individual approach. Cookies,
search data, social media personal information will be carefully analyzed and users will see only
those commercial which will comply to their interests and preferences. All the official pages will
be personalized, so the visitors will be able to see and feel the soul of the candidate. All the posts
will be made as by real candidate, not the moderators. The main idea is to create the opinion
theta personal info, photos and opinions will be shared personally by Hillary.
Endorsement
The main idea of the campaign is rather risky. It might provoke negative feedback from the
male population of the USA. That is why it is very important to explain that it is not about
Hillary being feministic, it is about giving a try to somebody new to bring the changes. In order
to deliver this message the campaign will be presented by honorable and smart men who could
achieve great results and success in their lives. These men should be an example for the rest of
the gender, they should be admired, so the voters will follow. Apart from using endorsement of
successful men it is important to use endorsement of the strong women who brought changes
into the country, those who could solve some problems and gained respect from the society.
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Expert Opinion
Politicians, ex-presidents and other experts will be used to express faith and support to
Hillary Clinton in social media and traditional media broadcasts.
Speeches/ Debades/Press-Releases
All of these are extremely important, that is why every event will be carefully planned
according to the main idea and message of the campaign.
6.3.

Time Grid of the Communication with Voters

The campaign will be launched six months before the elections. At the beginning we will not
be very aggressive and focus the efforts only on a traditional media, online tools, speeches and
press releases. On this phase we need just to introduce candidate, her views and strategy. In the
middle of the campaign, three months before the elections we will become much more
aggressive and will use all the possible tools to deliver the messages to the voters. Some of the
tools like traditional and online media, will be used through the running campaign. Others like
endorsement activities and speeches will be necessary only at the end, closer the election date.
The media planning was created the way to gain best result at a low costs. Any of the tool will be
extremely expensive, that is why it would be much wiser to share the portions of the information
to be delivered by different means to different voters.

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6.4.

Campaign Structure

Campaign Manager. The campaign manager will oversee all aspects of the campaign
including day-to-day operations, the hiring and management of staff, the coordination and
implementation of the fundraising operations and ongoing coordination with the candidate. He
will also be responsible for creating and managing the campaign budget.
Finance Director/ Fundraiser. The finance director will be responsible for raising the
money that will allow the campaign to accomplish its goals. The finance director will work
closely with the candidate, campaign manager and a finance committee to meet the financial
goals of the campaign. He will be in charge of keeping the candidate on track with fundraising,
preparing for and staffing call time, and overseeing all fundraising events.
Communications Director/ Press Secretary. The communications director will be in
charge of all of the campaigns interactions with the media. He will build relationships with the
press, communicate with the media as the key spokesperson, set up interviews and identify
media opportunities for the campaign.
Field Director/Voter Contact. The field director will be in charge of making sure the
campaign gets its message out through direct voter contact. His main responsibility is to develop
a comprehensive plan that includes door knocking and phoning in order to ID voters and
persuade them about the candidate.
Volunteer Coordinator. The volunteer coordinator will work closely with the Field
Director to identify, recruit and manage volunteers to help with various campaign activities. He
will help coordinate the work the volunteers, utilize their skills and talents well and provide
motivation.
Political Director/ Constituency Organizer. The political director will work with specific
constituency groups to organize their involvement with the campaign, for example labor,
seniors, educators, veterans, communities of color, new Americans, environmentalists, and
college students, etc. He will help to develop a voter contact plan in coordination with the field
director for particular communities by building relationships with the existing organizations that
represent these communities.
Scheduler. The scheduler will be responsible to accepting and acting on all invitations,
seeking out potential events and putting together the candidates schedule. The scheduler will
make sure that the candidate is briefed about each of the events and is given proper directions,
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contact information, and collects briefing information from the other team members on each
event. The scheduler will also ensure that candidate call-time and voter contact time will remain
the top priority.
Technology Manager. This information technology manager will coordinate and manage
all aspects of the campaign with regard to technology web site, database, computer
infrastructure, etc. The IT managers responsibilities might range from maintaining the web site
to developing the database to providing a computer network for the staff.
Legal Advisor. It is important to have a legal advisor who will be versed in all aspects of
election law and campaign finance.
Office Stuff. People who will be dealing with routine responsibilities connected to the
main activities of the campaign.
Volunteers. These people will be working with voters on the field to gain as many votes
as possible.

6.5.

Campaign Budget

The total cost of all the voter contact activities is: $100 million
The total administrative cost (headquarters, staff, machines, etc.): $10 million
The total research cost is: $3 million
The total cost of the campaign: $150 million

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