Did Trump's Ad Strategy Win the '24 Election?
It’s that time of year: election analysis season. In the spirit of this festive period, I’ll graciously say that some of these are better than others.
A recent New York Times analysis is compelling, albeit while presenting an oversimplified and unsubstantiated narrative. Namely that Donald Trump’s victory should be attributed to a superior advertising strategy, particularly his use of precise individual targeting on streaming platforms.
At the same time, Kamala Harris’s campaign is portrayed as inefficient due to its reliance on broader geographic targeting.
I would argue that the Times‘ central comparison between Trump’s individual targeting and Harris’s geographic-based targeting is fundamentally flawed. Each campaign tailored its approach to its unique audiences, circumstances and goals.
Trump’s campaign, facing a financial disadvantage, focused narrowly on undecided voters. Harris’s campaign, with greater resources, adopted a broader strategy aimed at both persuasion and mobilization audiences.
Declaring one strategy inherently superior based solely on the election’s outcome is a post-hoc rationalization. Had Harris won, the same data could have been used to craft a narrative praising the efficiency of her broader approach.
In fact, after nearly every modern presidential election, this same argument has happened over narrow-versus-broad targeting. A couple recent examples:
Trump’s 2024 digital ad strategy underscores the importance of leveraging technology to amplify conservative values and reach voters in a meaningful way. By prioritizing precision and focusing on micro-targeted messaging, the campaign demonstrated how data can be a powerful tool to counter the liberal dominance of mainstream media. Conservatives have long understood the value of bypassing gatekeepers to speak directly to the people, and this approach reflects that commitment. It’s a testament to the effectiveness of blending traditional values with cutting-edge methods to energize the base, persuade independents, and push back against the left’s narrative dominance.
~Political Media