Barack Obama has won the fight for presidency. Whether he was your candidate or not, the big winner of this election is not only Barack Obama but the tools and technologies he used to propel him to the presidency. Social networking, online display ads, television, a half hour infomercial, radio, mobile, gaming (18! COUNT 18! games including Guitar Hero and Madden 09 featured in-game ads from the Obama campaign in the last weeks leading up to the election), the list goes on and on. All of these platforms he utilized to encourage support and interactive participation from voters. His campaign used these channels not just to raise money and sway voters–but to mobilize supporters in a way that would translate a win.
Obama conducted a truly modern campaign, one that met voters where they were living and playing in the new age of digital technology.
Wired sums up the story nicely:
In many ways, the story of Obama’s campaign was the story of his supporters, whose creativity and enthusiasm manifested through multitudes of websites and YouTube videos online. It even resulted in volunteer contributions like the innovative Obama ’08 iPhone and iTouch application that enabled owners to mobilize their friends and contacts in battleground states through the Apple devices…Obama’s rise to the presidency will be studied for years to come as the textbook example of a new kind of electioneering driven by people and technology, says Ralph Benko, a principal of the political consulting firm Capital City Partners, in Washington, D.C.
Congratulations to him and his team on their hard fought race and an innovative campaign. The world was watching, and we’re taking notes.
Check out for the Lab’s POV on Barack Obama, Emerging Media, and the Future of Political Campaigns.
