Conference Presentation, Keynote
Frank Luntz: The Verbal and Visual Language of America
- Predicts a continuation of global instability driven by terrorism, European economic collapse, and Middle East conflict, alongside a domestic decline in civility, respect, and trust across the military and business sectors.
- Anticipates a generational divide where 18-to-29-year-olds remain optimistic and favor socialism due to a perceived lack of capitalist education, contrasting with parents who expect deteriorating life conditions, while noting corporate America risks being viewed as 64% wrong.
- Forecasts that millennials will overwhelmingly prefer small businesses for their personal nature, while consumers over 50 will prioritize love, companionship, and peace of mind over material wealth in visual communications.
- Expects Donald Trump to secure working-class voters earning $35,000 to $55,000 in their 50s and 60s who feel trapped, while simultaneously losing ground among Latinos, women (especially 35 to 49), and the 18-to-29 demographic due to offensive language.
- Projects Hillary Clinton as the likely next president with a 50-50 chance of the Democrats taking the Senate, despite holding the highest unfavorability rating for a Democratic nominee with only 26% citing integrity.
- Warns that the current political climate will reduce future civic civility, with children in four years becoming less respectful toward authority figures, and notes that Trump voters may negatively impact down-ballot races unless his anti-Washington messaging is rapidly adjusted.
- Outlines communication strategies emphasizing visual over verbal engagement, the use of "inclusion" instead of "diversity," and the preference for "together" over "one" to preserve individuality.
- Advises political tactics including Trump appearing without a podium or notes to demonstrate candor, while predicting that Clinton will not face indictment due to political constraints from the Obama administration.
- Highlights specific audience reaction triggers, such as "Boy and his puppy" imagery generating engagement regardless of product, open-ended questions yielding superior results, and specific ad content like a father writing about a child resonating deeply.
- Notes behavioral risks for leaders, including the assumption that wearing a suit in Silicon Valley signals being a "loser" while the lack of a tie may signal a lack of success elsewhere, and that staying silent or looking at phones causes a loss of audience control.