Public Speaking | US Presidential Campaign Marketing & PR | Newsjacking | Fanocracy
Today and tomorrow are the second round of Democratic Presidential debates in the 2020 cycle. Over the past few months, I've traveled to candidate town halls to ask each candidate a simple question: “Outside of your work and your family, what are you a fan of, what are you passionate about?" Today we share what Beto O'Rourke told us.
O'Rourke is one of 20 candidates qualified for this week's debates. He represented the Texas 16th congressional district in the US House of Representatives from 2013 to 2019.
At the town hall events, the vast majority of questions are predictable. The same is true at the debates. Candidates are asked about the issues of the day such as climate change, income inequality, taxes, healthcare, the opioid crisis, and so on. Each candidate already has already worked up the answers to these questions. Heck, you can find the answers on their websites.
But our question is unusual. They aren’t ready for it. After we pose the question, the candidate frequently pauses to think. You can feel the tension as they consider how to answer.
My daughter Reiko and I thought it would be fun to learn from the Presidential candidates and as of this writing we’ve asked 16 candidates and have all the answers on video. It’s a question they’ve never been asked on the campaign trail, until now!
Reiko and I are co-authors of Fanocracy: How to Turn Fans into Customers and Customers into Fans Reiko which will release January 7, 2020 from the Portfolio division of Penguin Random House.
We've released several other candidate videos so far. I really like what Elizabeth Warren is a passionate fan of.
Here is more about this project What Are The U.S. Presidential Candidates Passionate Fans Of?
Important note: This is a marketing blog, not a political blog. I am not commenting on any candidate’s views on the issues nor am I publicly supporting any candidate. I write about the US Presidential election because it is a massive marketing case study playing out for several years, not because I voice my support for any candidate over another or one party over another.
For more of my posts about US Presidential election marketing going back three election cycles, go here.
