Only something ‘Once in a Lifetime’ could upend daily life in the United States. Seemingly years ago, but in fact, just a few months, who would have imagined that ‘Dinner and a Movie’ could only mean ‘who’s turn is it to cook?’ and ‘what can we binge on Netflix tonight?’
Not only has the Coronavirus – otherwise known as ‘Covid-19’ – forced almost surreal changes to societal norms of entertainment, dining, and gatherings of family and friends, it has also utterly silenced what was sure to be the MOST deafening, and some might say, pervasive political campaign season to have ever occurred in America.
Ironically, Covid-19 has no political ambition, nor does it respond to political or social pressure. It does not pay attention to party affiliation of candidate or voter. It is totally unaware of its effect on campaign strategy.
In fact, Covid-19 is such mammoth oblivious monster, it’s not even a little bit worried about how tv and radio are going to try to change the laws of physics in order to squeeze 70 minutes into an hour – so they can schedule enough commercials to compensate for the ongoing loss of revenue currently inflicting those mediums.
Political campaigns – although much less visible in the broad spectrum of media at the moment – are adapting to this drastically altered landscape, by using more digital technology to offset the limitations imposed by social distancing restrictions.
As we move into mid-April, the science of it all is starting to lend itself to the notion of a not too distant future in which life might return to some semblance of ‘normal’ – potentially minus the handshake – in the US. Political campaigns of every scale will rally, canvas and open the AdSpend floodgates. Many will seek to inspire with messages of change and a brighter tomorrow. Others will unearth blame and broken promises from the murky waters of Lake Mudsling.
Right now, the Presidential race is quiet. However, that does not mean that voters will be un-phased by President Trump’s handling of the Covid-19 pandemic. Yes, his raucous rallies are, at least, temporarily on hiatus, but his daily White House briefings are helping him remain highly visible. Joe Biden, on the other hand, is stuck at home, unable to fund raise and unite his party. Behind the scenes of both operations, however, there must surely be a constantly recalculating marketing strategy in play for when it’s deemed ‘acceptable’ to engage in anything similar to ‘politics as usual’.
Not since the Iran Hostage Crisis – which was still the ‘lead story’ on the ‘Nightly News’ in 1980 – has a non-political issue dominated the political landscape in a Presidential Election year.
Exactly how much credit – or how much blame – for the handling of the Covid-19 will play a role in national, state and local campaigns of all sizes in November remains to be seen. But, sometime between now and then as the Pandemic likely abates, we will definitely have an answer.
