Advertising Post-Election

Disclosure first: I sell advertising for a living. It’s in my best interest to believe everything I’m about to write — and to convince you.

At 6am on Wednesday, November 5, I believe it anyway.

Last night on CNN, I watched John McCain deliver a gracious and respectful concession speech. I saw Barack Obama deliver an address that hit all the right notes, to 200,000 happy people in Chicago. I saw crowds dancing in the streets of Harlem… Times Square… and outside the White House. I heard fireworks going off outside my house. I talked to a lifelong Republican who told me that the guy who won deserved to win.

And for the first time in a long time, I felt optimism, and sensed it in other people.

For the last few months, and especially the last few weeks, consumers have been sitting on their wallets. If you’re in the car business… the real estate business… if you sell furniture, gutters, or windows, you’ve felt the effects. For the last few months, all the news has been bad news.

  • This morning, there’s a sense that the system worked. A winner was declared quickly and decisively, with no hanging chads or Supreme Court challenges.
  • President Bush announced that he would assist in the transition, and would leave office as scheduled on January 20. A grateful nation offered to help him pack.
  • Whether we agree or disagree with the result, we now know who’s going to be in charge, and can begin to move forward.
  • The political advertising — so ridiculous and angry that it may have caused listeners and viewers to tune everything out — is gone.
  • The possibility exists this morning that maybe… just maybe… the new guy is smart enough to lead us out of this mess.

All of this may very well cause consumers to start shopping again. Not in 2006-2007 numbers: the economic problems are too deep for that. But a significant number of people who’ve put purchases off may be ready to spend again.

Which may make this a great time for you to get your message back on the air.

Maybe I’m wrong — if you think so, feel free to leave a comment below and tell me so.

But if you’re in the Portland area and think I’m right, and you see the opportunity I see, give me a call at 503-323-6553, and let’s talk strategy.

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4 thoughts on “Advertising Post-Election

  1. Phil you are a poet. Truly. You expressed this so well and I really do believe we may see a turning point in consumer confidence.

    I know a number of companies have put off their marketing (and advertising) over the last few months. It is time for them to get back to business and take advantage of this coming up up swell.

  2. Thanks, Michael. Everyone I’ve talked to so far this morning seems to be in a good mood — Democrats and Republicans alike. That wasn’t true two days ago at this time.

    Let’s hope it lasts.

  3. I think in the case of real estate that it will be after the holidays. The holidays are typically slow and a lot of people want to see how things settle out. But advertising just before the people, hopefully, come back may be key.