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Appearances (1)
2026-09-18
Beyond the Data: The Art and Science of Modern PersuasionIn the Public Affairs Trends Podcast episode titled "Beyond the Data: The Art and Science of Modern Persuasion," host Neil Hughes interviews Gerald Gunster, founder and CEO of Gunster Strategies Worldwide, Inc. Gunster discusses the evolution of public affairs campaigning, emphasizing the importance of understanding human behavior alongside data analysis. He shares insights from his experience as a strategist for the Leave campaign during the UK's 2016 EU referendum and highlights the need for authenticity and effective communication in modern advocacy efforts.
Notable quotes
“The fundamentals are still the same. You need to do good qualitative and quantitative research to figure out what it is that you're going to say externally.”
“What I still rely heavily upon is the sort of the psycho analytics, which means why do people think that way? You've got to sit in a room and listen to what people think.”
“The messenger matters as much as the message.”
“You cannot win an election... when you have the majority of the population believing that the country is headed in the wrong direction.”
“You run into chief executive officers who have built massive companies who believe that what they think should happen is the way that it should go.”
“Missing that step and thinking just because you created this wonderful company that you know what opinion leaders and decision makers ought to be thinking about you is a massive mistake.”
