What the 2016 election teaches us about being positive

I don’t know about you, but positive vibes have seemed rare these past few weeks. I’ve been feeling a lot of negativity and I know exactly why. It’s the dumpster fire that has since spread to adjacent buildings and now threatens the entire neighborhood that we call the 2016 Presidential election. Somehow it’s supposed to feel like it’s normal, but it doesn’t. Instead, this is how we are suppose to operate:

The constant hate and vitriol that is spewed from our televisions, the Internet, our social media feeds, and newspapers (what are those again?) affects us all, even if we don’t realize it.

If we constantly consume trash from news and other media, then big surprise, we start feeling like trash. And that’s something important to remember, not just for yourself, but for your company as well.

What you feed your audience is how they will feel

Politicians are the kings of negative ads. Heck, just Google the term “negative ads” and you’ll get hit after hit talking about the use of mudslinging tactics trying to sway voters. The idea is simple; get voters to associate negative feelings with the opposition so they won’t vote for them. It’s not about making you look good, it’s about making your opponent look bad.

I personally am not a fan of these types of tactics. That’s because, as this seemingly bottomless pit filled with garbage and scorpions of an election cycle has shown, the reasons as to why someone is qualified for a position are lost.

“I get it, Candidate A is terrible,” I say. “But why should I vote for you, Candidate B?”

“Because Candidate A likes to offer ice cream cones to children, then laughs while throwing the ice cream on the ground and stomping on it just to watch them cry,” Candidate B replies.

“How does that qualify you to be President?” I ask.

“…”

“…”

All this does is make us feel awful about both candidates, as proven by both candidates’ astronomically abysmal approval and trust ratings.

Leave your audience feeling good

So what’s the take away from this? Well, if feeding your audience negativity makes them feel awful, then feeding them positivity will make them feel good. It’s that simple. And who wants to feel bad? I guess anyone who went to see the Robert De Niro vehicle, Dirty Grandpa.

That’s why I like this commercial from Axe. It’s a positive, uplifting message. You are unique. You have your own thing that makes you, you. Don’t try to be someone else. That makes me feel good about myself. And I recognize that Axe gave me that feeling of positivity and I now associate that positive feeling with Axe, endearing me to the company.

That’s how you build brand loyalty, with great, positive messages. If you make people feel good, they’ll come back to you because they want to feel that again and again. People want to laugh, feel good and have their emotions touched in positive ways. They don’t want to be bombarded with negativity, terrible news and garbage until they lose all hope for the future. That’s why there’s a huge sigh of relief once the elections are over.

Your company can be that source of positivity for your audience. With the right messaging, they’ll come back to you time and again to feed themselves a steady diet of good feelings. And that’s what you want. You want to be the go-to for your audience.

-sk

Only 13 more days and it’s finally over…