Public Relations & Social Marketing Insight

Lee Feinstein, the former U.S. ambassador to Poland, has an impressive résumé. He served under two presidents (Clinton and Obama), worked at the Departments of Defense and State, and is a prolific author. Today, he serves as the Senior Transatlantic Fellow for the German Marshall Fund.

But when I saw this tweet on Sunday night, I knew I’d want to write about an interview he recently gave. 

The tweeter, @JudgeElihu, snapped a photo from Mr. Feinstein’s television appearance, which aired on BBC World. Although I couldn’t find the video from this appearance, I did find video of another interview Feinstein conducted from the same room in March.

The room from which Mr. Feinstein conducted the interview was a mess: a nightstand door was open, a bed was directly behind him, and small, barely detectable items were perched on the dresser....

If there’s one tactic that has stood out in this presidential campaign, it is the way GOP frontrunner Donald Trump has slain his foes with the jawbone of an ass.

Trump’s penchant for labeling his opponents—from “Lyin’ Ted” Cruz to “Low-Energy Jeb” Bush—has been like a boxer’s left hook to the liver. It doesn’t look like much until the other guy drops.

Now Trump is trying to do the same to his Democratic foes, calling them “crooked” and “crazy.”

After The New York Times Magazine explored the issue (“Donald Trump Shares His Opponent-Branding Secrets”), I wondered: Do the same labeling techniques work in PR and marketing? Whether it’s throwing mud or branding oneself positively, does Trump offer lessons to PR pros?

The consensus is that such tactics can work, but mudslinging is “risky,” a word Democratic frontrunner Hillary Clinton uses in an effort to brand Trump.

“Trump has a knack for coining just the right moniker, the perfectly dismissive and catchy thing,” The Times writer stated. “‘It works, it flows,’ Trump said, admiring his latest work.”

Reporter Jonathan Pie thinks politicians should just answer the fucking question. To use this video in a commercial player or in broadcasts, please emai