I was a little surprised when Obama won in Iowa. I was even more surprised by how much. I wasn’t the only one to be sure. Hilary and the other candidates were taken off guard by the upset. Many of my colleagues were surprised as well.
But who else really missed this:
- The main stream media [all of them] completely missed it
- The major newspapers completely missed it.
- The major networks missed it
- And yes, our beloved pollsters completely missed it.
I am finding it interesting from a marketing perspective to be sure. For starters, Obama has kept his message really simple: change. That’s the message. It’s a good message and one the Washington insiders will have difficulty talking to with any credibility. We’ve heard all of the rhetoric and hollow promises before. Their ideas are tired and by and large, not thought out and probably could not be implemented.
I recall seeing Obama on Linkedin, asking a question about four months ago. I told a couple of friends that I thought it was interesting that he was there and they largely discounted it. I later noticed that he and his team were getting involved with other social networks too. Asking questions and getting opinions…. very interesting.
So who do you reach on social networks? Generally speaking, these are people who are early on in their careers. They are busy building their lives, expertise, and families. They are at a stage in their lives where they probably don’t have the time or desire to be involved with politics and they certainly don’t have the financial resources [yet] to be major contributors to political campaigns.
They are completely disenfranchised as a group by the political machine. They are unheard and often feel like they don’t even speak the same language as the folks in politics. They grew up using computers and were into “new media” well before the “old media” knew what it was all about [if they even do yet]. They don’t read newspapers and rarely can be found watching the old, played out news programs seen on TV. When political ads or commercials appear on TV, these folks either tune them out or change the station [I do this too, although I watch little TV].
So where do they get their information? Basically the web, their peers, and yes, social networks. Social networks work for people because they are quick, easy to stay on top of, and you get a chance to interact with people from all walks of life easily and at your own convenience. They can talk with, rather than being talked at as the political ads, websites, and blogs do.
Is Obama’s marketing being effective? Well, he sure got a large percentage of the younger demographic. He got them out to vote. The reason the competitors, media, and pollsters missed this is they really don’t even talk with this group. I guess they’ll be talking with them now.
I see this morning according to the latest Gallup poll, is that Obama has pulled a substantial lead over Hilary in New Hampshire. I’m not sure the pollsters are credible, but we’ll see tomorrow. One thing’s for sure. He has effectively differentiated himself and his message is being heard.
There are more effective ways to reach your audience than spending $100M on TV ads.
Open Office