Negative messaging now permeates too many companies' approach to external and internal marketing, employee engagement strategies, and even investment and financial advising. The same fear-driven formulas that inflamed voter turnout are now being repurposed to spark customer acquisition, drive shareholder urgency, and gain competitive advantage.

It has been all but impossible to ignore the whirlwind of messages and marketing tactics leading up to the 2024 US presidential elections. So it’s understandable if your head is spinning. Aggressive campaigns are spending billions of dollars in order to draw lines of “us” vs. “them”. They figure that the more we are pitted against one another the more likely we are to go out and “vote against the villain”.

One of the biggest challenges in business growth is the disconnect between marketing and sales. Too often, companies treat them as...