--- title: Marketing Success is about targeting & messaging, not the spend description: "For this election, I paid particular attention to the marketing and especially the spend and \"bumper sticker\" messaging. " image: https://www.derbymanagement.com/hubfs/voting%202024.jpg --- [![Derby Management](https://www.derbymanagement.com/hs-fs/file-2618089236-png/derbymanagement/derbylogo.png) ](https://www.derbymanagement.com/)                                                  [![Social media-LI logo](https://www.derbymanagement.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Social%20media-LI%20logo.jpeg?width=26&name=Social%20media-LI%20logo.jpeg) ](https://www.linkedin.com/in/jackderby/)[![Social Media-Twitter ](https://www.derbymanagement.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Social%20Media-Twitter%20.jpeg?width=25&name=Social%20Media-Twitter%20.jpeg) ](https://twitter.com/derbymanagement)[![Social Media-Facebook logo](https://www.derbymanagement.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Social%20Media-Facebook%20logo.jpeg?width=27&name=Social%20Media-Facebook%20logo.jpeg)](https://www.facebook.com/derbymanagement/) **Working with you to create success in 2026!!!  ** # Derby Management's "Competitive Edge" Blog # Marketing Success is about targeting & messaging, not the spend Posted by [Jack Derby, Management Coach, Tufts Professor, Entrepreneur, Author](https://www.derbymanagement.com/blog/author/jack-derby-management-coach-tufts-professor-entrepreneur-author) on Fri, Nov 08, 2024 ![](https://app.hubspot.com/settings/avatar/26cd8d7f79473708399ec213226dad66) Find me on: [LinkedIn](https://www.linkedin.com/in/jackderby/) [Twitter ](https://twitter.com/JackDerbyTEC) - [Tweet](https://twitter.com/share) ![voting 2024](https://www.derbymanagement.com/hs-fs/hubfs/voting%202024.jpg?width=300&height=168&name=voting%202024.jpg)No matter who you or I voted for, it's good to have this election behind us, so we can get back to work.  -too much division -too much distraction -too much caution Time to get back to work and focus on moving ahead! For me, I paid particular attention to the marketing and especially the spend and "bumper sticker" messaging.  Trump's repeating Ronald Regan's very effective rally cry of *"Are you better off today than four years ago?"* is brilliant in its simplicity and cost effectiveness. This election set unprecedented records in both overall spending and the allocation of funds toward marketing and advertising. Total expenditures exceeded $15.9B, $800m more than in 2020. Approximately, $10.5B was directed toward campaign advertisements across various media platforms. - **Digital Advertising Growth **saw huge growth with its share of political ad spend doubling compared to 2020, rising from 14% to 28%. - **Platform-Specific Spending:** Both campaigns invested heavily in digital advertising. The Harris campaign spent more than $1 billion between July and September, significantly outpacing the Trump campaign.  - **Impact on Consumer Brands:** The surge in political advertising led to increased advertising costs and reduced effectiveness for consumer brands, particularly in swing states. Many brands adjusted their strategies, shifting focus to platforms like Amazon or specific states to avoid the competitive and costly advertising environment in key battleground areas. When you have the time, take a look at the detailed results (today's WSJ for example) of the massive shifts in voting demographics.  All of those shifts come down to very targeted marketing to very selective personas on the streets and on the farms of very specific cities.  Trump's campaign had this down to a science; Harris not so much appealing to much broader categories, but in much more global messaging. As we look at our own marketing planning for 2025, take these lessons to heart:  Success is about the targeting; not about the spend!  **Enjoy the weekend!**    ### working on your 2025 Marketing & Sales plans! ![Our Sales Planning Meeting-1](https://www.derbymanagement.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Our%20Sales%20Planning%20Meeting-1.jpg?width=352&height=256&name=Our%20Sales%20Planning%20Meeting-1.jpg)For a few ideas on your own sales and marketing planning for 2025, click here for our ["Writing the Winning Sales Plan](https://www.derbymanagement.com/sales-productivity), and [Writing the Winning Marketing Plan](https://www.derbymanagement.com/marketing-optimization)[, ](https://www.derbymanagement.com/marketing-optimization)outlining ideas on structure, models, process funnels, productivity tools and how to recruit, hire and onboard the best.  Give me a call and let's discuss having us facilitate your 2025 planning process. I drive a ton of miles and there's nothing like a quick call as I challenge the end of day commute out of Boston to talk about your current thinking for this quarter with a few specific ideas.  [www.derbymanagement.com  ](https://www.derbymanagement.com/) [D](https://gordon.tufts.edu/entrepreneurship-center)[erby Entrepreneurship Center at Tufts.](https://gordon.tufts.edu/entrepreneurship-center)   Tags: [Derby Entrepreneurship Center at Tufts](https://www.derbymanagement.com/blog/topic/derby-entrepreneurship-center-at-tufts), [2025 Business Planning](https://www.derbymanagement.com/blog/topic/2025-business-planning), [2025MarketingPlanning](https://www.derbymanagement.com/blog/topic/2025marketingplanning), [2025SalesPlanning](https://www.derbymanagement.com/blog/topic/2025salesplanning) ### Subscribe Here! ### Most Popular Posts ## Share this Page [![Share on Facebook](https://static.hubspot.com/final/img/common/icons/social/facebook-24x24.png)](http://www.facebook.com/share.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.derbymanagement.com%2Fblog%2Fmarketing-success-is-about-targeting-messaging-not-the-spend%3Futm_medium%3Dsocial%26utm_source%3Dfacebook) [![Share on LinkedIn](https://static.hubspot.com/final/img/common/icons/social/linkedin-24x24.png)](http://www.linkedin.com/shareArticle?mini=True&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.derbymanagement.com%2Fblog%2Fmarketing-success-is-about-targeting-messaging-not-the-spend%3Futm_medium%3Dsocial%26utm_source%3Dlinkedin) [![Share on Twitter](https://static.hubspot.com/final/img/common/icons/social/twitter-24x24.png)](https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?original_referer=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.derbymanagement.com%2Fblog%2Fmarketing-success-is-about-targeting-messaging-not-the-spend%3Futm_medium%3Dsocial%26utm_source%3Dtwitter&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.derbymanagement.com%2Fblog%2Fmarketing-success-is-about-targeting-messaging-not-the-spend%3Futm_medium%3Dsocial%26utm_source%3Dtwitter&source=tweetbutton&text=Marketing%20Success%20is%20about%20targeting%20%26%20messaging%2C%20not%20the%20spend) [![Share on Email](https://static.hubspot.com/final/img/common/icons/social/email-24x24.png)](mailto:?subject=Check%20out%20https%3A%2F%2Fwww.derbymanagement.com%2Fblog%2Fmarketing-success-is-about-targeting-messaging-not-the-spend%3Futm_medium%3Dsocial%26utm_source%3Demail%20&body=Check%20out%20https%3A%2F%2Fwww.derbymanagement.com%2Fblog%2Fmarketing-success-is-about-targeting-messaging-not-the-spend%3Futm_medium%3Dsocial%26utm_source%3Demail) ## Recent Blog Posts