Trump isn't just campaigning. He's selling his supporters a glamorous life. - The Washi... - 0 views
www.washingtonpost.com/...5-bc08-3e03a5b41910_story.html
demagogue icon appeal lifestyle brand glamour
shared by Javier E on 20 Mar 16
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an important part of the story is Trump’s positive allure — the way the candidate taps into, and projects, the most fundamental outlines of the American Dream.
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Understood correctly, glamour is not a particular style — different styles seem glamorous to different people — but, like humor, a form of communication that creates a specific emotional response. Glamour generates a feeling of projection and longing: “if only.”
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one definition of “vulgar” is “of or relating to the common people,” and a lot of folks find Trump their kind of tycoon: a totem of success in whom they can imagine their ideal selves.
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“Trump,” in other words, doesn’t refer just to a literal human being or the campaign promises he’s made. It signifies an ideal life. In a commercial context, the name represents aspiration and visible quality.
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His branding efforts permeate everything he says, with his repetition on the campaign trail of certain words: “win,” “respect,” “strong,” “powerful,” “rich,” “leader” and, of course, “build.” The right words can cast a spell, even if they don’t really make sense.
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Even more than fashion and film, the real estate and travel industries — where Trump has made most of his money — employ glamour as a tool of persuasion and sales. With carefully crafted words and imagery, marketers invite customers to project themselves into a different, better setting and, through it, a different, better life
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Passikoff’s June 2015 Brand Keys Human Brands Survey found, for instance, that adding the Trump name to a golf or country club membership raised its perceived value by 35 percent, while the perceived value of a real estate property went up 28 percent.
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Although Trump’s working-class support gets the attention, many enthusiasts are, like Kelly, small-business owners.
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Supporters see instead a competent high achiever who works with all kinds of people to accomplish great things. Trump represents who they’d like to be. “I have a great amount of interest and respect to anyone that can grow a business with that many people — a wild amount of respect,”
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All you have to do is sign the contract, buy the dream and not think too much about what all that glamour is hiding.