Presidential Marketing: Barack Obama
How do you market and sell a president to a whole country,and then continue such an effective campaign throughout his presidency? Well, the people behind President Barack Obama’s campaign can tell you how!
Recently I signed up on the barackobama.com website supported by the “Obama for America” campaign and started receiving bi-weekly e-mails from my “friends” the President, the First Lady and the Vice President. When the first one came in, I smiled and had my mood lifted by the happy tone and attitude presented in the short e-mail. However, after I received a few I began to realize what a smart marketing campaign this was, as the e-mails were obviously automated but they still seemed very personable. Here are a few tidbits of one the e-mails from the First Lady:
“Friend –
I’m writing because Barack needs you out there this summer….you can work in a full-time volunteer position… and then carry out important grassroots activities on the ground.
Thank you,
Michelle”
As you can see from this short sample, the language used isvery colloquial and personable; it makes you feel as if you are written by a dear friend of yours. This stays true to the campaign as a whole, which alwaysadvertised that the President was one of “us.” His charismatic and uplifting demeanorand his great public communication skills, plus his diverse background and strong academic record, made him appeal to voters as they believed they could be him no matter what their socio-economic position was.
His attraction to voters drew a very large campaign support inhis previous run for election, and now is having similar returns. These e-mails however appeal to an even higher approach. They keep in touch with supporters of the President who were with him from the beginning, and at the same time developa personal connection with new supporters. This friendly dialogue helps to keep his public image uplifting and approachable for years to come.
-Kalina
@NikolovaKalina

