{"id":10433,"date":"2017-01-24T14:56:00","date_gmt":"2017-01-24T22:56:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/associatednews.info\/content\/some-firms-are-harnessing-trumps-tweets-as-a-marketing-strategy\/"},"modified":"2017-01-24T14:56:00","modified_gmt":"2017-01-24T22:56:00","slug":"some-firms-are-harnessing-trumps-tweets-as-a-marketing-strategy","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/associatednews.info\/content\/some-firms-are-harnessing-trumps-tweets-as-a-marketing-strategy\/","title":{"rendered":"Some Firms Are Harnessing Trump's Tweets As A Marketing Strategy"},"content":{"rendered":"

By Yuki Noguchi<\/a><\/span> <\/p>\n

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Using his personal Twitter account, Trump has publicly thanked Walmart, among other companies, for their plans to increase investment and job creation. It’s not yet clear how his tweets may affect company decision making. Joe Raedle\/Getty Images<\/strong> hide caption<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Joe Raedle\/Getty Images<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n

Rarely has a U.S. president been so willing to use his platform as both bullhorn and cudgel to exert public pressure on individual companies.<\/p>\n

But one of the hallmarks of President Trump’s approach to economic policy since his election has been his willingness to publicly endorse \u2014 and shame<\/a> \u2014 companies in order to advance his message.<\/p>\n

The new president’s frequent use of social media has created an entirely new kind of public-relations channel, one that companies are trying to exploit, in particular by touting their hiring announcements.<\/p>\n

Last week, Trump publicly thanked Walmart for its “big jobs push” after the retailer last week released details of a hiring and capital spending plan<\/a> that it had originally announced in October before the election.<\/p>\n

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Thank you to General Motors and Walmart for starting the big jobs push back into the U.S.!<\/p>\n

\u2014 Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 17, 2017<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n

Sprint Chairman Masayoshi Son parlayed his Dec. 6 meeting with the then-president elect into several supportive tweets from Trump. Ford, General Motors<\/a>, Hyundai Motors and its affiliate Kia<\/a>, have all made investment announcements referencing Trump’s tax or economic policies.<\/p>\n

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Masa (SoftBank) of Japan has agreed to invest $50 billion in the U.S. toward businesses and 50,000 new jobs….<\/p>\n

\u2014 Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 6, 2016<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n

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Masa said he would never do this had we (Trump) not won the election!<\/p>\n

\u2014 Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 6, 2016<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n

“They’re using Trump as a marketing channel,” says Jonah Berger, a marketing professor at the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School.<\/p>\n

He says it’s a new paradigm, both for the president and for major company brands.<\/p>\n

“Companies didn’t used to feel like they could curry favor with a president through making some moves like this, but today’s day and age it seems like a possibility so companies are exploring it,” Berger says.<\/p>\n

Trump’s prime focus has been the auto industry, where he has named individual companies and brands as possible targets for higher tariffs on cars made in Mexico.<\/p>\n

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