He should’ve wore jeans. I realize if you’re going to hire a high-priced, out-of-state consultant, you should listen to them. But, a suit and tie isn’t the image Doug Burgum has worked so hard to create.
When people think of Governor Burgum, they think of a man that believes ties are for old men of a different era.
When he kicked off his run for President this week, he had an opportunity to show the Nation who he is, and a man dressed like Donald Trump isn’t it.
There were some other obvious mistakes during his announcement.
- Don’t cram 400+ people into a room built for 300+ and have them stand for three hours. Especially if it’s a sweet, older lady behind the stage holding an American flag who faints on-camera due to the heat while cameras are rolling.
- Don’t have an announcement claiming thousands of people are going to be there, and they don’t show up. Setting up big-screen TVs in the parking lot for a handful of people to watch isn’t an image you want out.
- Don’t speak to national media by putting up a couple of old fraternity brothers saying how great you are… everyone knows they love you and would do anything for you. Where’s the big name? A jaw-dropping endorsement to get the nation’s attention is what this announcement needed.
What he did perfectly was put his wife in front of a crowd to speak to women’s rights. I guess disregarding the fact he’d just signed legislation taking away those rights. But, the image and the speech was perfect.
He also did the right thing by placing supporter’s behind him. There should have been kids and people of color. With that said, seeing people excited and applauding was wise.
At the end of the day, this announcement was about getting national media’s attention. It’s about getting on TV. It’s free advertising… and jeans would have been cheaper than a suit.
Good riding with you,
Joel
Comments