In this 10‑minute video, a brand and creative strategist evaluates Donald Trump and Kamala Harris as political marketers across three criteria: storytelling, celebrity/influencer endorsement, and podcasting. The host defines modern storytelling as unscripted, relatable content, and argues that Trump’s spontaneous on‑camera moments, the viral McDonald’s appearance, and fast‑advertising (the garbage‑truck stunt) make him the superior storyteller. Kamala’s campaign is praised for its joyful DNC messaging, viral catchphrases, and a massive Instagram growth, but the host still votes for Trump. For celebrity and influencer marketing, the host notes Kamala’s A‑plus roster (Taylor Swift, Beyoncé, etc.) versus Trump’s less‑glamorous but consistent endorsers (Elon Musk, RFK Jr., etc.), declaring a tie. Regarding podcasting, the host highlights Trump’s three‑hour Joe Rogan episode (46 M YouTube views) versus Kamala’s smaller‑scale podcast appearances (≈2 M views), giving the edge to Trump. The final score favors Trump (2‑0‑1‑1). The video concludes with actionable takeaways for marketers in 2025—emphasizing fast‑vertising, long‑term influencer consistency, and leveraging natural‑conversation formats—and a call‑to‑action for consulting services.
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Who was the better marketer, Trump or Kamala? In this video, I'm gonna break it down for you to tell you who was the better marketer so you can leverage these learnings for your future campaigns. Here are the 3 criteria to see who did it best. And to be clear, I'm not advocating for either candidate, I'm a brand and creative strategist looking at the marketing. Number 1, who was the better storyteller? Today, the best storytellers don't script. Their content isn't highly produced or staged, it feels natural. They are relatable and they make people feel more connected to what they're saying. When Trump is on camera, he's spontaneous, he's in the moment, and it feels like a conversation. It doesn't really feel scripted. So clearly, voters like this. Voters also love that he put together two amazing viral stories right before the campaign. The first was his appearance at McDonald's in Pennsylvania. It reinforced his image as being relatable and grounded, particularly among working-class and younger voters. He clearly understood his audience. He also did something called fastvertising, a marketing strategy that involves creating content quickly in response to a current event or trend. When President Biden called Trump's supporters garbage, Trump became the garbage man and they created a garbage truck. This shows his nimbleness, his ability to tap into current events, making it an amazing fast advertising campaign. So how did Kamala tell her story? The Harris campaign tapped into joy and positivity using goodbyes during the Democratic National Convention. Harris's campaign catchphrase, "We're not going back," and Oprah's one-liners like "common sense over nonsense" also went viral. It was an amazing start and created a tremendous amount of momentum. Her storytelling on social media was also excellent. It was visually appealing, relatable, and connected with people. Her Instagram following, in fact, went from 4 million to 20 million during the course of her campaign. So, who was the better storyteller? Well, my vote goes to Trump for his ability to tap into media culture more effectively and his ability to be in the moment. And the number 2 criteria for who did it best? Is who does celebrity endorsement and influencer marketing better? Kamala crushed it when it came to getting celebrity heavyweights to endorse her. It doesn't get much bigger than Taylor Swift, Beyoncé, George Clooney, Leo. A+ across the board. Trump's best endorsers are Elon Musk, RFK Jr., Tulsi Gabbard, Vivek Ramaswamy. Not really the celebrity status of Kamala's endorsements, but they did something different. They were in it for the long haul and were incredibly frequent and consistent when it came to campaigning. So the messages really hit home when it came to the ballot box. When you run influencer marketing campaigns in 2025, think consistency, familiarity, and frequency with your influencer messaging. It's much better to have influencers that are in it for the long haul and drive your message home versus just a one-and-done. So for celebrity endorsements and influencer marketing, I'm going to give it a tie. Kamala for an A+ celebrity list and Trump for his consistency and longevity. The third and final criteria for who did it best is who leveraged podcasting better. So why is podcasting so important? Because a natural conversation between two people in an open format is very compelling in today's media landscape. Mainstream media is not nearly as impactful as it used to be. So whether you're a presidential candidate, a business owner, or a large brand, you need to connect with your audience, and the more natural the environment, the better. Kamala did this on a number of occasions. She went on such podcasts as All the Smoke, Call Her Daddy, and The Breakfast Club. But the reach of these was reasonably small, generating 2 million views on YouTube. Trump, on the other hand, spent 3 hours on Joe Rogan's podcast right before the election, generating 46 million views on YouTube. He used the platform to go into more depth on a number of issues, which voters appreciated. I think it was a huge miss for Kamala not to go on Rogan. She could have gone into much more depth on her plans and allowed voters to get to know her better. So in terms of who leveraged podcasting better, I'm gonna have to go with Trump. And the final tally is Trump 2011 and Kamala 0211. So how can you take advantage of these learnings and transform your marketing to scale your business? There's no better time to do this than in 2025 because there's a once-in-a-lifetime disruption on how customers are connecting with brands. The window of opportunity is open right now, but it's gonna shut. If you want to get ahead of it, contact me at the link in the caption and I'd be happy to schedule an exploratory call. Cheers.
