Looking at US election campaign from a business perspective

ANY casual observer of US current affairs can see that the election of Donald Trump has sharply divided the United States into two distinct camps. A sizeable portion of the population is strongly behind the new president, while a larger portion is even more strongly opposed to him.

Seldom if ever are a country's citizens so easily polarised. More often than not, we would expect several camps to emerge.

The turmoil caused by this division is the result of a well-planned campaign by Mr Trump and his team. From a business perspective, their campaign displayed three elements that define a good strategy for both private-sector and public-sector organisations:

Good strategy also emphasises focus, priorities and communication. In the 2016 election campaign, the Republican Party focused intensely on its target market segment; it discovered and prioritised a message and a ticket that resonated with that segment; and finally it developed the communications that trans…