Is the marketing industry out of touch with the public? In the wake of Donald Trump’s re-election, which caught many in marketing by surprise, editor-in-chief Gordon Young argues we must take the blinkers off.
Once again, the US election has spotlighted a glaring disconnect between the marketing community and the very market it aims to understand. As half of America voted to re-elect Donald Trump, many in our industry reacted with shock and disbelief, revealing a troubling truth: the industry is out of touch.
It’s tempting to blame the market when a strategy fails. And many commentators – and I have to admit some of our own columnists – have implied that Kamala Harris’s defeat is down to an electorate that is irredeemably sexist or racist. This narrative not only oversimplifies the complex motivations of voters but also absolves the industry from scrutinizing its own missteps.
Marketing’s foundational principle is to understand consumers – not …