The Trustmakers

Research Director on 2024 Elections' Lessons in Messaging

David Simas, the Managing Director of Research and Impact at Emerson Collective, joins Justin Blake, Executive Director of the Edelman Trust Institute, to discuss takeaways from the U.S. presidential elections and other elections around the world for all brand, business, and media leaders. They cover the forces at play in this year’s elections, determining the best messenger for the message you are communicating, and the increasing importance of deeply understanding your audience. “In a fragmenting media ecosystem where people can select and sort their consumption in any way they want, the nuance that you need to bring in terms of audience determination is much more refined,” David says.

Research Director on 2024 Elections' Lessons in Messaging

David Simas, the Managing Director of Research and Impact at Emerson Collective, joins Justin Blake, Executive Director of the Edelman Trust Institute, to discuss takeaways from the U.S. presidential elections and other elections around the world for all brand, business, and media leaders. They cover the forces at play in this year’s elections, determining the best messenger for the message you are communicating, and the increasing importance of deeply understanding your audience. “In a fragmenting media ecosystem where people can select and sort their consumption in any way they want, the nuance that you need to bring in terms of audience determination is much more refined,” David says.

The Trustmakers

Culture Expert Explains Why Vibes Determined the U.S. Presidential Election

Dr. Marcus Collins, a clinical assistant professor of marketing at the University of Michigan’s Ross School of Business and author of “For the Culture,” explains to Brooks Miller, Executive Vice President of Influencer Marketing at Edelman, why “vibes” helped former President Donald Trump win the 2024 U.S. presidential election. “We make decisions based off of what we feel, and we post-hoc rationalize them with the data available to us. Because we make most of our decisions in life as such, why would voting be any different?” Marcus says.

The Trustmakers

Building Trust in Election Coverage by Prioritizing the Citizens' Agenda

Lynn Walsh, Assistant Director of Trusting News, talks with Justin Blake, Executive Director of the Edelman Trust Institute, about the state of trust in the media during the 2024 U.S. election cycle. She lays out how journalists can build trust through transparency, engagement, and humility and how national media organizations should focus on providing people with content to help them make informed voting decisions. “[Newsrooms should] get on the record about their goals and mission with election coverage… If people see our coverage and they only see one story, how can we make sure they understand what our goals and mission are?” Lynn says.

The Trustmakers

Gen Z Politician on What's Motivating the Youngest Voters

In the first episode of The TrustMakers’ 2024 U.S. election series, Joe Vogel, a member of Maryland’s House of Delegates, talks with Amanda Edelman, COO of Edelman’s Gen Z Lab, about young voters’ views of government. As a member of Gen Z himself, Delegate Vogel has perspective on what matters most to America’s youngest voting bloc this election season. “Young people do not want the toxic divisive policies. They want solutions to the challenges they’re facing,” Vogel says.