Filed under: Abraham Harrison LLC, Social Media Marketing, Social Media Outreach, barack obama

With the launch of Change.gov, the Obama team shows that they’re serious about keeping social media as a mechanism for governing. It’s an unprecedented move.

Now it will remain to be seen how deeply they mean it when they say they are listening. Obama campaigned as a “liberal centrist”, while at the same time he was rated as the most liberal senator by National Journal. He didn’t seem to want to admit that the surge in Iraq was working (although it’s still in progress and the mission has yet to be accomplished), so it remains to be seen whether or not these efforts will be a way of placating those that disagree or working with those that disagree.

Chip Griffin wrote a great article today in Media Bullseye in which he pointed out how the Obama people are now reaching out to their supporters on email to find out what they’re about and what they’re hoping for. This is a great move as there has been some concern that the list of emails would simply be handed over to the DNC and we’d all be getting emails for us to give money to support a ton of candidates all over the country. In fact, I still get email from both Democrat and GOP candidates and causes following the 2004 campaign.

I got an email that asked me (and Chip provides the screen shots) several pertinent questions that will likely be used to deepen my relationship with their team.  Some are demographic and ask for my general views on politics,  They ask, in an unobtrusive way, about my political involvement.  They also want to know if I’d like to help out candidates who “share our vision”.  That’s important because those that “share” Obama’s vision and want to support others will likely be the ones to receive future emails to support certain Democrats.  As an independent, I’m gonna decline answering in the affirmative with that one.

One new question (especially coming from a Democrat) is asking me how often I attend religious services.  This is brilliant, because for too long the Dems have ceded the religious vote the the Republicans.  For example, in 2004, a Catholic volunteer in Ohio who was well connected to Catholic leaders in several heavily Catholic counties was turned down in his efforts to develop grassroots support from those communities.  He was told, “We don’t do white churches”.  That’s very anti-social media, closed minded, and a big bigoted if you ask me.
What I see here is Obama’s “community organizer” aspect kicking in.  It is staying true to his message, true to his philosophy, true to his mission.  By answering the email and giving feedback, his team will be able to talk to respondents on their terms so the conversation stays relevant.

At this stage, they’re doing exactly what they should be doing.

No Comments » Posted on November 19th, 2008 by Jonathan Trenn

Filed under: 2008 Elections, Social Meda, Social Media Marketing, Social Media Outreach, Social Media PR, Social Media Strategies, Social Media Strategy, Social Networking, Social Networks, barack obama

I’ve been reading with interest the post-election analyses of the use of digital strategies for the U.S. presidential campaign. Barack Obama’s campaign wins hands down for overall integration of strategy.

A dozen years ago I wanted to start a business that would have basically been an online ad agency for politics. Creative, media buying, grassroots politics. The internet was relatively new, but it was already prominent as a form of media usage. The major problem was that the gatekeepers - the media consultants - either didn’t understand online at all, or they resisted it because they were making money with TV commercials ad didn’t want to stray from that. Every two years, those of us “pioneers” would think and hope that THIS would be the year, only to be disappointed by roadblocks, closed minds, and chickenshit campaign managers.

Well, 2008 proved to be THE YEAR.

Barack Obama won in part by appealing to a call for national unity and a call for change, both with a sense of urgency and love of country. John McCain, in many ways, did the same thing. But his campaign was focused too often and too much on negative attacks to appeal to unity. And, given factors such as his age and campaign structure, had a hard time effectively utilizing a overall interactive strategy that stands out.

A bit more about McCain. People running for office often (but not always) bring in consultants who match their worldview and strategic leanings. The McCain camp did not ignore the internet in general or the social media in particular, but they didn’t place much focus on it as well. that partially makes some sense. The leadership probably realized that McCain’s appeal through Facebook, on Twitter, and via YouTube could not match that of Obama’s.

But what Obama did in this campaign was transform politics as we know it - permanently. We always say that the 1960 presidential campaign was, in part, decided by television. That’s true. But that wasn’t from use as an internal strategy used by the Kennedy campaign. Instead, it was the natural passive viewer experience. That’s why I believe this year will be viewed as more important.

Allowing people to create their own profiles and thus network from the very beginning with the MyBO function was brilliance. It gave a lot of power to the enthusiasts who then spread the passion. It created networks of volunteers who would work for an Obama victory in places such as Indiana and Colorado, Virginia and North Carolina. Places that have recently always voted Republican.

I’ve worked in politics and one of the more important elements in a campaign is having a solid Get-Out-The-Vote (GOTV) apparatus. Obama’s digital and social media strategies spread the passion, got people to vote, and helped win the election.

2 Comments » Posted on November 19th, 2008 by Jonathan Trenn


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