Trump's victory makes advertising agencies think they're disconnected from rural consumers

A campaign featuring employees of Johnsonville
Sausage in Sheboygan, Wis., has been successful.

Donald Trump's victory, fueled by large rural support, has advertisers "reflecting on whether they are out of touch with the same people—rural, economically frustrated, elite-distrusting, anti-globalization voters—who propelled the businessman into the White House," Alexandra Bruell and Suzanne Vranica report for The Wall Street Journal. It has them rethinking the idea that everyone wants to live in big cities or emulate those who do.

Harris Diamond, CEO of giant ad agency McCann Worldgroup, told the Journal, “So many marketing programs are oriented toward metro elite imagery.” He said marketing needs to reflect less of New York and Los Angeles culture and more of Middle America.

"Some marketers, concerned that data isn’t telling them everything they need to know, are considering increasing their use of personal interviews in research," Bruell and Vranica write. "Meanwhile, some ad agencies are looking to hire more people from rural areas as they rethink the popular use of aspirational messaging showcasing a ritzy life on the two metropolitan coasts. One company is also weighing whether to open more local offices around the world, where the people who create ads are closer to the people who see them."

Robert Senior, worldwide chief executive of Saatchi & Saatchi, a creative firm owned by Publicis Groupe, told the Journal, “The election will have spooked the liberal elite away from high-concept, ‘Make the world a better place’ kind of advertising to "a more down-to-earth ‘Tell me what you will do for me’ approach." (Read more)