Joe Biden Presidential Primary The effective use of free and paid media strategies will be critical in getting Biden through the primaries and into the general election to face off against President Trump. This will include get out the vote plans and polling strategies to obtain a clear idea as to how Biden stands with voters in each of the key demographics. Where Biden will need to impress early on is with core Democrats, both older and younger, the idea being to energize the base early and provide it with legs so that the enthusiasm builds with his lead in the primaries. Voters do not want a candidate they cannot rally behind—and the key message in the primaries will be: What does this person embody? Can this person defeat Donald Trump? Does this person reflect the values of the upcoming generation? Biden comes across as a likeable politician who combines years of experience with genuine affection for people of all classes and races. To drum up support for Biden, however, Biden’s camp needs to drum up social media activists, as this is the key market for generating connectivity[footnoteRef:2]—which is exactly what is required for building enthusiasm over the long haul. This paper will describe the key media markets for the Biden campaign and how free and paid media strategies can be used to help Biden in specific parts of the country at specific times of the year to get through the primaries and ultimately to face off against the President. [2: Enli, Gunn, and Chris-Adrian Simonsen. "‘Social media logic’meets professional norms: Twitter hashtags usage by journalists and politicians." Information, Communication & Society 21, no. 8 (2018): 1081-1096.]

Key Media Markets

Social Media

As the election of Donald Trump in 2016 showed, when it comes to mobilizing voters, social media is the place to be. Since the election, social media has received a great deal of focus from pundits and even Congress as concerned parties try to figure out whether unfair use of social media led to negative images of Clinton being projected onto the public consciousness.[footnoteRef:3] Whether there was collusion or not is beside the point: social media matters and the next president, whoever it is, will win or lose based on his or her ability to cultivate public opinion via social media.[footnoteRef:4] 14% of adults cite social media as their most important source for election-related news.[footnoteRef:5] However, 65% of adults are active users of social media[footnoteRef:6]—which means whether they think their political views are being shaped by what they see and read and hear on social media or not, the fact is that they are. People who consume old media are not anymore conscious of their beliefs and views being affected by something they casually read—but the same pattern holds true, just as it does in advertising. Bernays showed the power that marketing has on the consumer,[footnoteRef:7] and this is the mindset to have when considering how to market a politician to the voting public: the best venues with the highest opportunities for marketing are the places where the most people will be. Just as Super Bowl spots sell for millions to advertisers, social media, where two-thirds of the American public are focusing their attention today, must command the attention of politicians. This is where Joe Biden’s campaign has to hit the ground running to be effective in the primaries and beyond. [3: Enli, Gunn. "Twitter as arena for the authentic outsider: exploring the social media campaigns of Trump and Clinton...

1 (2017): 50-61.] [4: Youmans, William Lafi, and Jillian C. York. "Social media and the activist toolkit: User agreements, corporate interests, and the information infrastructure of modern social movements." Journal of Communication 62, no. 2 (2012): 315-329.] [5: Allcott, Hunt, and Matthew Gentzkow. "Social media and fake news in the 2016 election." Journal of Economic Perspectives31, no. 2 (2017): 211-36.] [6: Perrin, Andrew. "Social media usage." Pew research center(2015): 52-68.] [7: Conrad, JoAnn. "Consuming Subjects: Making Sense of Post–World War II Westerns." Narrative Culture 2, no. 1 (2015): 71-116.]
To use social media effectively requires constant engagement, and that means having an organized team to facilitate promote and get out the message via social media is essential. These teams can use Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, Instagram, SnapChat, and others to spread information, news, photos, videos and positive messages to drum up support for Biden. They can also be used to leverage quick jabs at Biden’s opponents in the primaries with a view to leveraging attacks on the President in the general. Free social media coverage through user generated content supplied by grassroots campaign supporters will be instrumental in spreading the message of the Biden campaign, but paid social media marketers should also be used to make sure the messages gaining traction are positive and are conveying the right image to attract Millennials and women voters ahead of the primaries.

Television

TV spots are important for reaching that segment of the population that has not cut the cord. TV spots are particularly important for places where viewers have no control over the cord—i.e., in public places, such as restaurants, bars, airports, arenas and so on. TVs are not just appliances of the home and are more effective as tools of propaganda. TV spots should not be directed to the choir but rather to fence-sitters—individuals who have not yet made up their mind about how they will vote. For that reason, TV spots should say as much with images as they do with words (most people will not hear the words in public places anyway—but the images will stick with them).[footnoteRef:8] TV will work mostly with Baby Boomers, but since they are not the key critical target market (though their support will be needed for the primaries), the TV spot should focus on stitching together images and video of Biden as the American leader Millennials have been wanting since Trump took office. [8: Ibid 80.]

Print

Print media including signs, posters, and pamphlets should be made available to campaign support at the grassroots level to assist in the get out the vote early drive. Signs must feature the Biden name with positive colors and warm tones to contrast with the bold, bombastic and sharp connotations of the Trump brand and campaign. Biden has to focus all aspects of the campaign on the final goal—the general with Trump. This will distinguish him among primary contenders who will be looking to square off versus one another. Biden will show maturity and statesmanship to enter into the primary election with no other focus than on defeating Donald Trump, paying minimal attention to his contenders, almost as though they did not exist. By exuding an air of confidence and minimizing any negative attacks aimed at members of his own party, Biden will be seen as a unifier—and…