Obama’s Marketing Magic
Obama literally came from “nowhere” to become Leader of the Free World.
I don’t know about you, but I’ve been working really hard the past 12-18 months - and making less. I’m all about using whatever will work. Aren’t you?
Einstein said, ”The significant problems we face cannot be solved at the same level of thinking we were at when we created them.”
In these challenging times, “business as usual” just doesn’t cut it. It’s going to take a different way - a NEW way - of thinking about things. Obama’s campaign has shown us a different way - clearly a way that works!
Obama had to tackle 2 major issues:
1) He was a relative newcomer to the political scene without a large support base to draw upon.
2) With limited financial resources, he needed to overcome the the Clinton “money machine”.
“Business As Usual” wasn’t going to cut it for the Obama campaign. He was forced to devise a NEW strategy to win his election. He followed 4 steps:
I. He Created A “Bottom’s Up” Unique Selling Proposition [USP] - “Change We Can Believe In”
Most candidates (and business people and sales people), sit in a room “thinking up stuff” that they think might appeal to the public. One good friend who is also a REALTOR used a tag line on all of her marketing, “We Do Our Home Work.” Catchy. Clever. But how effective is it in getting me to choose her as my REALTOR?
What Obama did was a classic marketing strategy: he held “focus groups” in the form of “town meetings”. He ASKED people what they wanted in a candidate. He listened first and THEN came up with a USP based on what he was told. People wanted change. Ergo the USP “Change We Can Believe In”.
II. He Built An On-Line Community
Now the campaign has its USP, it was time to take it to the “market”. What was so unique about what the Obama campaign did was to make extensive use of internet social media strategies - FaceBook, a blog, a website, YouTube videos. It probably started out due to lack of funding. However, the campaign utilized these tools so brilliantly that they ended up literally circumventing traditional media (newspapers, TV) to talk directly to their public. When a negative story would break on the news, the on-line community not only knew about it but had already heard Obama’s side of the story!
III. He Lowered The Barrier to “Buy In”
Instead of looking for huge donors to fund the campaign, the campaign asked for $5 donations! $5!! It was a complete game-changer. I remember thinking, “Heck, I don’t know if I want to vote for the guy - but I’ll give him $5 to give him a chance at being on the ballot.” But once I made the $5 ”commitment” - now I’m no longer standing on the outside looking in. Now I’m engaged! Now I’m watching the campaign with interest! And once I’m on the “inside” - they not only asked for my vote, they asked me to help get the vote out!
IV. Post Election Follow-Up
Even though the election is past, I am still being solicited for input. Obama is brilliantly allowing the community to shape policy. He’s converting ”Insiders” into Advocates! There was just an article in the Chicago Tribune on Weds, Jan 14th about “the country’s most potent politcial machine” and how Obama is using it to force his agenda on Congress. Do you let your advocates inform YOUR agenda?
During the Great Depression, huge fortunes were made by many. The Kennedy, Rothschild and Rockefeller families all dramatically increased their fortunes throughout the Depression. But it wasn’t just the rich who got richer - many ordinary citizens found a way to not only survive but thrive during a poor economy.
To learn more about the marketing genius of the Obama campaign and how to apply it to your business, go here: www.NewMarketLeaders.com
“All Things With Exuberance!
mary!
This is really a nice blog,i always come here and read the articles