How the Obama 08 Campaign Embraced Internet Marketing and Web 2.0 to Win the 2008 US Presidential Elections

Congratulations to President-Elect Barack Obama for winning the 2008 U.S. Presidential elections. As an Internet marketer I was fascinated by how the Obama08 campaign embraced the Internet and Web 2.0. They implemented some basic Internet marketing strategies to gain a competitive advantage over John McCain on the Internet.

The Obama 08 campaign used the Internet to build their brand, deliver their message, solicit donations, sell paraphernalia, build relationships, and drive traffic to their site. Although they weren’t the first campaign to use the Internet, they were the first to fully and truly embrace Internet marketing.

Barack Obama built an experienced and innovative marketing team that built and grew his Internet presence. From Facebook’s co-founder, Chris Hughes, to passionate college students, Barack Obama surrounded himself with creative and forward thinking marketing talent.

Obama’s Internet marketing strategy revolved around the message, the brand, the medium, and the offer. The Obama08 campaign used all four of these components to launch and execute a successful Internet marketing campaign.

The Message
Obama used a message of ‘Hope and Change’ as the core of his marketing campaign. He placed this message everywhere: in speeches, on paraphernalia, in ads, and on web sites. Wherever he had an Internet presence, his marketing message was prominently displayed.

He also had a message which resonated within voters for this particular election. His message of hope and change touched the emotions and minds of Americans.

Obama’s message was also very timely. With the economy in a free fall, foreclosures rising, and unemployment rates up, people have lost faith in the government. Barack Obama’s message of hope and change was the right message for the right time.

The Brand
Obama’s name and brand was consistent regardless of where he advertised. The Obama08 logo was everywhere and all of his web sites and marketing collateral had one consistent look and feel.

Not only did Obama have a message of hope and change, he positioned himself as the one to provide hope and deliver change. He branded himself as the agent for change and his message supported his brand.

The Medium
As I said earlier, Obama embraced the Internet and the power of Web 2.0. His Internet marketing strategy heavily leaned on engaging in a conversation with people on social networks.

He had a presence on all of the top social networking sites including Facebook, MySpace, Twitter, LinkedIn, Digg, Eventful, and YouTube. They were also on some niche social networking sites like BlackPlanet, Faithbase, MiGente, AsianAve, and MyBatanga. Obama also created his own social networking site to converse with and empower supporters.

He just didn’t have a presence on these social networking sites, he actively participated in these online communities. He accepted friends, befriended others, added favorites, uploaded videos, and posted messages.

The Obama campaign also posted ads on Facebook, uploaded PDFs to Scribd, and shared photos on Flickr. They embraced all that Web 2.0 could offer their campaign.

The Offer
Barack Obama’s primary offering was his service as President of the United States. This is what he was selling to Americans and the World.

To help him operate and fund the campaign, he was also selling Obama08 paraphernalia and soliciting donations.

All three of his offerings were displayed throughout his Internet presence. Wherever you saw his brand and message, links to his offerings were also displayed.

The Obama08 US Presidential Campaign leveraged the Internet, Web 2.0, and social networks to deliver their message, expose their brand, and drive traffic to their offers. This is the basic strategy behind successful Internet marketing campaigns.

Entrepreneurs and Internet marketers can learn some practical Internet marketing lessons from the Obama08 U.S. Presidential Campaign. The Obama 2.0 Marketing strategy can easily be scaled and implemented by savvy entrepreneurs and Internet marketers.