Marketer of the Year is…
Oct 25th, 2008 by Val Nelson
It should be no surprise that Advertising Age has named Barack Obama “Marketer of the Year 2008” because his marketing approach is like nothing seen before and it’s clearly gaining him more money and attention than anyone imagined possible. Creative web marketing has been a crucial piece of his strategy.
Like him or not, Obama’s campaign is a case study of what’s possible for web marketing. Not that everyone has that kind of budget, but it’s a good source of ideas.
Maximum Use of the Web
Most telling is that one of the founders of Facebook is on the paid Obama team. Facebook is easily the most successful social marketing website at the moment. So successful that I’d be surprised if you aren’t a member of Facebook.
Obama Website
If you haven’t visited Obama’s campaign website, you have to visit it and click around to believe it. This is 21st century, cutting-edge stuff for what’s possible for web marketing. It’s “Politics 2.0.”
Obama’s campaign has left no web marketing stone unturned. You can find them on Facebook, Twitter, MySpace, YouTube, Google Gadgets, and iPhone applications, to name a few. And of course you can find them on their own giant website, barackobama.com, which utilizes the best-of-the-best online applications.
In reviewing Obama’s website, brand marketing expert Brian Collins said, “On one hand, it’s intimate. The language is informal. Personal. It has an inviting, matter-of-fact appeal. On the other hand, it looks like it has scale — and momentum.”
And in rating the entire campaign, Collins went on to say:
Across multiple media platforms, they’ve managed to drive a potent, single-minded design and messaging coherence that should shame many national brands. I mean, this is close to a level of design strategy from a great brand like Nike or Target.
Further Reading:
- “Marketer of the Year 2008,” Advertising Age (10/17/08)
- “The Machinery of Hope,” Rolling Stone (3/20/08)
What Can You Apply Easily?
For starters, think about getting your business or organization a Facebook Page. Consider inviting employees and interns to interact on Facebook as part of their jobs. In Facebook, you can post events, create groups, and send messages to fans and group members.
A good next step is to learn about social media marketing 101. I provide trainings and social media strategy consulting.
