While Hillary Clinton is certainly the frontrunner for the Democratic party in the 2016 presidential election, her campaign marketing team still has a huge battle to fight. It was said that in 2012, the youth vote decided the outcome for Barack Obama. Swaying this notoriously hard-to-reach audience has forced Hillary’s team to use a less traditional approach to her campaign marketing, particularly in her e-commerce strategy.
Hillary’s online store is full of the standard bumper stickers, lawn signs, and t-shirts. In addition, there are many items that were on my college shopping list for the past few years: backpacks, lanyards, iPhone cases – not to mention Red Solo cups, koozies, and bottle openers. It is clear that Hillary needs the millennial vote to reserve her spot in the Oval Office for 2016, so this e-commerce strategy must be carefully crafted to match her audience’s interests.
In the spirit of back to school, here’s a report card for Hillary’s presidential e-commerce strategy thus far:
You don’t have to be a marketing guru to know that millennials are connected now more than ever. Personally, social media is one of my major sources for political information and news in general. I can remember first seeing Hillary’s “Chillary Clinton” koozie on a Snapchat Live Story during a major event. It could be the fact that Mrs. Clinton was my namesake, but something drew me to visit the online store. Using these platforms to enhance her e-commerce strategy is going to be critical to reach young voters.
Hillary claims to know that college students are notoriously broke (given her promises to lower interest rates for existing student loans), but prices in her online store certainly don’t match up. Millennials know that phone cases can be found on Amazon for less than $10 (plus free Prime Shipping with a .edu e-mail address), so I find it hard to believe that the same students would be willing to shell out $40 for a phone case or $50 for the “College Pack” of stickers, plastic cups, and yet another logo t-shirt. Many items on the online store seem much more appropriate as giveaways at campaign events on college campuses, and would likely generate more positive feedback.
It’s hard to picture every frat house and college dorm stocked with Hillary’s branded cups and stickers, but with a solid B average, this strategy could certainly sway young voters next November. Having lived in college dorms for the past four years, something I can attest to is the power of peer influence and imitation. If even one Hillary bottle opener is found in a dorm hallway, it’s likely that to get people talking and buying their own.