New Bospar survey reports that one-third of Americans think Trump had the worst PR year, yet nearly one quarter contradict that by saying he had the best PR year
SAN FRANCISCO—December 9, 2019—Consistent with his often polarizing effect, Americans believe that Donald Trump is both the biggest public relations loser and winner of 2019.
This is according to a new survey of more than 1,000 U.S. adults conducted by Propeller Insights on behalf of Bospar, the boutique PR firm that puts tech companies on the map.
2019 PR Year in Review
Losers: When asked to pick the biggest PR losers of 2019, 32% of Americans participating in the survey overwhelmingly chose Donald Trump and his relentless Twitter scorch as 2019’s biggest PR fail, followed by Hillary Clinton, 9.0%; Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, 5.8%; Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg, 5.7%; former NFL quarterback Colin Kaepernick, 3.7%; First Lady Melania Trump, 3.7%; fired McDonald’s CEO Steve Easterbrook, 3.3%; and Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh, 3.3%.
Winners: However, another 21.9% of Americans feel Donald Trump had the top PR year of 2019. This is followed by former First Lady Michelle Obama (7.6%), President Barack Obama (6.6%), Taylor Swift (5.3%), basketball player LeBron James (5.0%), Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi (4.8%), Tesla CEO Elon Musk (4.7%), and Presidential candidate Elizbeth Warren (4.0%).
“President Trump is a Rorschach test for the United States, especially when it comes to public relations,” said Curtis Sparrer, a principal of Bospar. “Trump’s publicity machine reminds me of an often underlooked Jedi in public relations, Obi Wan Kenobi, who observed, ‘you’re going to find that many of the truths we cling to depend greatly on our own point of view.’ When you ask ‘Is Trump a master of PR or a disaster,’ the reality is that he is both.”
BELOW: Find the full list of results for Top 20 PR Losers and Winners Lists for 2019
About Propeller Insights
Propeller Insights is a full-service market research firm based in Los Angeles. Using quantitative and qualitative methodologies to measure and analyze marketplace and consumer opinions, they work extensively across industries such as travel, brand intelligence, entertainment/media, retail, and consumer packaged goods. Propeller conducted its national online survey for Bospar of 1,105 U.S. adults between November 9 and November 11, 2019. Survey responses were nationally representative of the U.S. population for age, gender, region, and ethnicity. The maximum margin of sampling error was +/- 3 percentage points with a 95% level of confidence.
About Bospar
Bospar is a boutique tech PR firm featuring a team of highly seasoned professionals who exist to put tech companies on the map. Bospar’s principals include a long-time PR and tech industry guru, a former broadcast TV producer and award-winning media maven, a standout PR agency manager from the corporate side of a leading global law firm, and an experienced executive with both agency and public company credentials. Bospar’s larger team includes experts in both social and traditional media, as well as financial and analyst relations and public affairs.
Top 25 PR Losers and Winners Lists for 2019:
Who had the worst PR year in 2019?
- President Donald Trump 32.0%
- Hillary Clinton 9.0%
- Speaker Nancy Pelosi 5.8%
- Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg 5.7%
- First Lady Melania Trump 3.7%
- Pro football player Colin Kaepernick 3.7%
- Fired McDonald’s CEO Steve Easterbrook 3.3%
- Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh 3.3%
- Congressman Adam Schiff 3.0%
- President Barack Obama 2.6%
- Robert Mueller 2.4%
- Singer Taylor Swift 2.4%
- Basketball player Lebron James 2.4%
- Presidential candidate Elizbeth Warren 2.3%
- First Lady Michelle Obama 2.1%
- Senator Mitch McConnell 1.9%
- Presidential candidate Bernie Sanders 1.8%
- Tesla CEO Elon Musk 1.9%
- Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey 1.6%
- Basketball player Stephen Curry 1.6%
- Actress Carrie Fisher 1.4%
- Presidential candidate Pete Buttigieg 1.3%
- Attorney General William Barr 1.2%
- Christine Blasey Ford 1.0%
- Actor Mark Hamill 0.6%
Who had the best PR year in 2019?
- President Donald Trump 21.9%
- First Lady Michelle Obama 7.6%
- President Barack Obama 6.6%
- Taylor Swift 5.3%
- Basketball player Lebron James 5.0%
- Speaker Nancy Pelosi 4.8%
- Tesla CEO Elon Musk 4.7%
- Presidential candidate Elizbeth Warren 4.0%
- Presidential candidate Bernie Sanders 3.9%
- Basketball player Stephen Curry 3.9%
- Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg 3.7%
- Pro football player Colin Kaepernick 3.3%
- Actress Carrie Fisher 3.0%
- Hillary Clinton 2.8%
- First Lady Melania Trump 2.8%
- Robert Mueller 2.4%
- Presidential candidate Pete Buttigieg 2.3%
- Actor Mark Hamill 2.1%
- Fired McDonalds CEO Steve Easterbrook 1.9%
- Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh 1.6%
- Congressman Adam Schiff 0.9%
- Attorney General William Barr 0.9%
- Christine Blasey Ford 0.9%
- Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey 0.7%
- Senator Mitch McConnell 0.5%
