what we can learn from the presidential race

here's a thought:

for some brands, the current Obama presidential campaign, is a road map to success through the current economic downturn.

Some thoughts on how the Obama campaign is thinking about media and connecting with voters

1. TV plays a role, but is no longer considered core

2. A social media strategy

3. a blend of marketing message and feet on the ground.

4. an online prescence that asks me to connect and believe, rather than pulling me into
papervision3D experience

5. the celebration of transparency

6. cracking the code on constant commuication

in the advertising world, TV got lost down the road of entertainment and forgot that it was there to sell. the brand become this weird thing that we were embarrassed of and only alluded to.

TV commercials tried to make me laugh, they tried to make me cry, but it never really tried to connect with me.

kind of like the Republicans now, trying to scare the shit out of me so i vote against my own best interests, without actually every really, talking to me.

The Republican party is in a world of pain, until they broaden their base beyond rich scumbags and stupid poor people. Because the next few elections are going to be a testament to who is better in the digital world. although i suspect the republicans are going to try at least once more to control it and shut down the communication channels

on the other side of the political aisle, the Obama campaign has shown how effective a truly digital campaign can be. They understood that with digital comes the need to for transparency and really connecting with your constituents.

here is a link to a review of the Obama campaign's digital strategy in the primaries.

http://www.technologyreview.com/Infotech/21222/

In 2004 Howard Dean barely scratched the surface, only really focusing on fund raising.

Obama's huge fund raising ability is not based on accessibility alone. If it was, i believe the campaign would have withered after the primaries.

There is an acute understanding within the campaign of what digital behaviors they are activating , creating and then encouraging to grow.

Activating their core group of brand advocates\ambassadors\evangelizers. Giving them the tools to influence their friends. Allowing them to pariticpate and feel like they are influencing the message, staying in contact, being transparent, standing for something that has relevence to them and they can believe in.

The fact that the candidate is a mostly controversy free individual with an electrifying personality, in a presidential race that for the first time is about a constant communication cycle and a need for the break from the current status quo is core to the success of this.

I doubt, even with the same tools, John Mccain would have been as big a success.

So what am i saying?

Republicans are traditional media and Democrats are digital media?

No.

i am suggesting that in the upcoming cycle, whether you are a presidentail candidate or a brand or both, success is going to depend on whether you have the kind of DNA and attitude that makes sense to a digital environment, where constant communication is still the holy grail for marketers, but Obama campaign has cracked. Big time.

A home base online, activation through social networks, mobile used to connect consumers, on the ground activity, active in responding to voters questions and concerns and more.

Obviously this is not going to be for every brand. Just like micro-sites or engagement strategies aren't.

but if the brand can deal with a level of transparency and honesty, has interesting or insightful people at the core of their business model (athletes, scientists) and sees dialogue and content as a way to enhance their offering,

with some smart thinking, a good production solution and a decent digital strategist,
i think they're going to benefit from the current economic down turn.

it is a going to be a bumpy road for established companies and an ongoing struggle for new ones.
to get there is going to be scary. cause fights among business partners. create huge insecurity among current suppliers, test whether you are really in business or just collecting a paycheck.

and along the way, you're going to figure out if you have the right kind of personality for working in marketing now. And whether your staff do to. a mix of OCD, ADD and some passion.

No space for people who are waiting to retire, have given up, are scared of the future, think living a digital life is having broadband or lack curiosity.

sounds pretty selective, mostly because it is.

8 years of George Bush and his disastrous policies have raised the bar for success in the digital space during the current economic downturn.

but there are those who are mobilising right now and will be ready to take advantage.

My advice would be to buy some B12, and find a place that understands the potential of where the world is right now.

marriage saving deice

we're globalised, right?

people from different countries living and travelling around the world

more than ever before, flights everywhere, even with expensive fuel

i bet there is a statistic for husbands who are away from wives, working at
the best job they could find, which turned out not to be at home. maybe for a a few months
maybe for undefined.

so here is a thought

these guys aren't serial cheaters, they aren't running away from their wives
they're following a passion or an ambition or a need to find way to support their families
at a job they can live with

there is a lot of alone time, when they're away from their wife or girlfriend.

they could hang with the single people for an extended period, but then they're not
quite sure what you are doing there, cause you already closed their deal

nights can be a little tedious. when there is crap tv and no decent internet connection

that coupled with the fact that many men in this group are console gamers, in either
1st person shooters, sports sims and rpgs

leads me to a thought

playstation need to market the psp as a marriage saving device.
something to carry with you and have when the local TV is just too shit, you don't have cable cause you are living in corporate housing, which while nice, is still not your place.
and your phone gets boring.

if you ever played games and found something you liked, that can be reawakened.

my insight on why i play 1st person shooters, is that trying to conquer the world or be a hero,
never seems to get boring.

today is day 1

and i think this is the line for every day the global economy is in a down turn

for a while i thought that digital would remain in it's current state, probably even grow as clients flocked in, to get cheaper solutions, with more a direct path to their consumer's wallets.

but i no longer think this is right.

my take is that digital enviorenments will be less affected by the recession than traditional agencies, but will still be affected. heavily

the reccession is going to be the catalyst for evolution within the digital world. whoever sees the opportunity, has an idea and is willing to look at their their situation with fresh eyes every day, will come out a lot more powerful.

i think we are going to see new leaders and new thinkers emerge.

and big build digital production shops are going to start hurting, just like big tv production shops. they probably already are.

Social media, while not fully mature is going to benefit greatly.

they have good numbers, behaviours have already formed around use of a digital social network, and those are being used to create a whole new type of bought media, to stimulate the unpaid media.

the more marketers put into an SN like Facebook, the more money there is for platform and application innovation and more content for their users.

and SN's are still in their infancy, using current projects and relationships as beta, with an eye to expanding reach based on a brand's global impact.

Currently there is no truly global, workable scenario within the current SN structure

some thoughts on this

1. there is no dominant global player, although Facebook is heading in this direction. still only really strong in the US.

2. for a fluid content experience to be viable, there needs to be some level of automation of localising assets

3. until there is a workable im translater, there is no way to connect fans from different countries
who speak different languages. a clear barrier to social network expansion

4. more iphones and possibly android will take them mobile,

5. profiles and information need to be easier to port

They are not an all encompassing solution, but expect their place in the food chain to elevate massively as the global economy melts and companies start cutting ad agencies out of the supply chain

For years, the fight between media companies and traditional shops was over creative quality and the media companies very rarely got it right.

and but then traditional shops screwed up by not modifying their message delivery system in a move away from the media companies.

now the fight is for a balance between paid and unpaid media. building versus pushing.
the strategic value of activating assets in a specific way. to tap consumer behaviors.

so now it is a fight between digital strategist and media strategists

and who can provide the best value.

creative, for now, has taken a back seat, to the channel and delivery mechanism of a marketer's message.

weird words coming from a creative, for sure.

today is day 1