November 2024 is being called the “Influencer Election,” and there is no question that non-traditional media played a huge role in the communications strategies for both candidates. Gone are the days of the “big sit down” with the evening news broadcast – in are the days of podcasts with voices that command audiences larger than most news networks. So how are communicators looking ahead to 2025 knowing that the playbook has changed?
First, they’re beginning to shrink their audience. Traditional communications programs targeting specific demographic sets of people are now finding ways to get even more granular. Data curation and smart targeting programs are emerging in key communications markets – and they’re changing the game. It’s no longer about finding retirees that want more affordable drug prices, it’s about findings those retirees that live in a specific zip code, because of how influential their elected official is on the issue. Smarter targeting means smarter budgets and more effective communications.
They’re also looking to find ways to reach audiences in less traditional ways. Forget pitching an op-ed to the Wall Street Journal – even though every client on the planet wants one – instead top communicators are telling us about curating specific lists. These are lists of specific news outlets that include podcasts and Substack newsletters that are increasingly authored by journalists. Many of which have online elements that can be found on YouTube – looking an awful lot like traditional television interviews – satisfying those clients that so want to be “on television.”
So, as we look ahead to the employment outlook of late 2024 and into 2025, whether you are a hiring CEO or a for-hire CCO, be thinking ahead as it relates to new and better ways to communicate.
Want to read more about this trend? Here are few articles we found intriguing.
https://san.com/cc/news-ratings-down-after-election-msnbc-sees-54-fall-cnn-down-36/
https://www.usatoday.com/story/entertainment/tv/2024/11/12/chris-wallace-cnn-joe-rogan/76225336007/
