This is what they did in the movie originally the senator was just going along with how everyone ran for office in the past until he realized that something needed to change and he went to Lonesome Rhodes and they developed a new slogan and had a TV show where they depicted the senator of being a good ole truth telling working class man a true American. Just like trump he didn’t beat around the bush he told it how it was and how he felt with no regrets and that resonates with people.
In the movie a face in the crowd Lonesome Rhodes is loved by everyone kids love his song, women love his charm, men love his honesty and the companies advertising him love his money but under all that he is a master manipulator able to get people to do whatever he wants them to. This is shown when the mattress company ends the sponsorship with Lonesome and the pill company and the Senator. Celebrities manipulate there audiences more than people know about they can get you to hate a place even if you don’t know all the facts or they can tell you some product is superior because they are getting paid by that