On February 14, 2007, I wrote "Barak Obama: This Post Is NOT About Politics." I wrote it less than 48 hours after the Obama campaign launched BarackObama.com. I'm embarrassed that I didn't spell his name correctly in the headline. I am not embarrassed by the analysis or the conversation that took place. What my instincts told me were true in 2007 have now been validated by history.
This is still NOT about politics. I wasn't interested in making it about politics then and I am not interested in doing so now. I ended the post below with this statement, "And I bet we'll all learn a thing or two as well."
One thing we learned was how powerful an intelligently crafted and properly executed social media strategy can be. 21 months ago it was my opinion. Today it's a proven fact.
Here's the original post (headline corrected):
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Barack Obama: This Post Is NOT About Politics
This blog post is about the ever growing power of the concept of YOU.
And this post is about recognizing a moment.
I am not interested in discussing politics right now and I'm not endorsing Barack Obama for President.
What I AM doing is endorsing an exceptionally well conceived viral marketing campaign. I'm giving a brief ovation to an idea that is brilliant on it's face. I'm cheering an important moment on the Internet. It has nothing to do with politics. I've been registered as a republican since I was 18 years old. So if someone on the Republican side had done this, I'd be standing up and applauding them as well.
What Obama has done is construct a social networking site based entirely around his campaign.
He has enlisted easy to use technology - internet videos, blogs, event planners, fundraising widgets - to build a constituency and to make garnering their support remarkably simple. He has made his campaign videos easy to share, download and embed into other websites. He's enabling viral marketing iike no other politician. In less than 48 hours there are already 1422 local and 1018 national groups in the network. In one fell swoop, he has both given his supporters their own voice and provided a platform from which they can use that voice.
And he's not just leaning on his own site. He's doing what anyone who understands how the Internet works would do. He's using other social networks to whip the long tail as hard as he can. I've been unable to verify this information, but according to one source he has over 1,000,000 friends on Facebook, and is ahead of Hillary Clinton and John Edwards on MySpace.
Carole Cohen quoted a comment in The Washington Post a few weeks ago, talking about Hillary Clinton: "Go to 'blog' on her website. It's nothing more than a standard feedback form." The actual blog hasn't been launched yet and the headline still says, "Write Our First Guest Blog Post." The difference is stark and overwhelming.
Political leanings aside, you have to admire the brilliance of what Barak Obama has done. The blogosphere is buzzing. One blogger has labeled this new social networking site "Web 2.Obama." Catchy.
I believe, regardless of whether he succeeds or falls flat on his face, we are all witness to a seminal moment in political history. Traditional media would be advised to watch this one closely. The impact of this experiment is sure to extend far beyond the political arena in which it's being conducted.
And I bet we'll all learn a thing or two as well.
Jeff Turner aka respres
Jeff - I was actually thinking about this last night while I was on Twitter. The internet has allowed unprecedented leverage when used properly (as it clearly was in this case).
Jeff, You are so right that this is a great study in the use of Social Media. I wouldn't doubt it being case study material for years to come.
You were right on the money when you wrote that post and it proved true. He was on everything down to Twitter and if it is the starting point for searches by the public for real estate and everything else...it clearly showed that the strategy worked in Obama's case. I love the internet....and I love social media :) :)
People want to belong, to feel that they can have a voice in causes and issues that are important to them. The Obama campaign's online approach gave people that opportunity. This will be a model for 2010 and 2012 as technology and social media evolve and strategists find more ways to use it.
Jeff - I had also thought about this a few times. I agree this was amazingly brilliant. ~Rita
If he could manage to put people together to build a campaign (electronic and otherwise) like he did... do we really think he'll have trouble managing the country? Hopefully he'll be able to bring the same type of innovation to the task. It was a brilliant campaign... he's set the bar unbelievably high for future campaigns
They'll be needing sharp internet- and tech-savvy people.... perhaps like Jeff?
Jeff - Do you know who the architect was behind this strategy? I somehow don't think that Barack did any of this himself. I believe that Google was a supporter of the Obama camp, but they may not have anything to do with this.
Jeff - Your post was right on when you first wrote it, as we all now know. We are now beginning to see the incredible power of social media - how many already grasp this in our industry? And how many will fail to do so. Looking forward to following activities at NAR08.
Jeff
Larry... Obama coordinated with Facebooks' founder Chris Hughes, who purportedly gave his expertise and advice for free.
http://blog.luon.com/Geert/post/2008/11/04/Obamas-e-campaign-of-the-decade-part-I.aspx
Jeff- I have been completley blown away by the brilliance of the technology used in this campaign. We've talked about relationships and Social Networking and its importance to marketing who you are, what your voice is and what you stand for. It will be interesting to see how he uses this technology and his millions of connections in a new administration.
I think he must have read one of your first posts here on AR..:)
Jeff- How right you were. reading this in retrospect, makes his text last night....after his speech thanking everyone all the more proof of the value of social networking.
Jason... "The internet has allowed unprecedented leverage when used properly." The key phrase is, "when used properly."
He ran a brilliant campaign designed for this generation. The proof is in the pudding as my grandma used to say.
Rick and I were discussing yesterday how Obama's campaign hit a generation that has never ever been targeted in the history of political campaigns - Brilliant!
His Marketing team were dead on using this type of communication. It is current and relevant to the way we do business and communicate in this day and age for sure. My husband and I discussed this several times durning the campaign.
This is amazing. I did not realize this.... Times are changing!
Excellent thoughts Jeff. I have been subscribed to both Hillary and Barack's web campaigns for months and too was impressed with what they did. I must have visited Hillary's site later than you because she had caught up (for the most part - Barack still did more) and for a while it's like the two sites would copy each other back and forth. I definately learned a ton and feel sorry for anyone who missed out. I've lost count of emails and screen shots that I saved to refrence in my own business.
By the way, did you hear that someone from Facebook was the main architect of Barack's web site & strategy? Not sure of the guy's name...I heard it once...but he was either a Facebook co-founder or very early partner.
Done properly it can be a pretty quick way to make a fortune. Look how much cash Obama raised.
Missy...I'm not sure what my grandma would be saying right about now... LOL All kidding aside, I think we ALL knew his campaign and campaign manager was a genius. Wish the other side would have read your blog 21 months ago, Jeff.
Jeff-I signed up on his site...and everyday I got an email...not a pushy email..or ever would I call it spam..the marketing was exceptional! Even today I got an email..I don't think its just generational...I think it just makes sense! I registered on both sites..to compare..and I will tell you...Obama's marketing...and all of his marketing...won hands down! I knew that after reading just one of his first emails.
To me this is just how the world is changing..these are trends..and you know what happens with trends..they become everyday reality. I learned some valuable information by following these campaigns. I still have many of the emails!
Jeff, I have long thought that Walter Mondale's failure to utilize Facebook was one of his biggest campaign mistakes.
The lesson of the day is to use what tools are available at the moment. Obama's campaign, with never ending funds and media friends, was able to do so. There is no telling whether or not Facebook or MySpace will even be around in 2012 for a repeat. But social engineering...err...networking just a left a giant footprint in the voting booth. What is either alarming or enlightening is the realization that the message itself is no longer the important part of the strategy. Being socially popular however most certainly is!
I remember the last time a leader utilized every nook and cranny of the communication network, dominated the social scene, rose to astounding popularity, and had really cool uniforms to boot. But that was in Germany. Leadership via the cult of personality could never happen over here.
Jeff,
"He has enlisted easy to use technology"...I saw an interview yesterday with his campaign manager, Our future President, certainly surround himself with some of the best of the best (with the exception of one or two folks) when it comes to campaigning.
Jeff, I didn't realize he used that much technology, but hey, I'm technically challenged so how would I know? Brilliant, I say. I heard today that over 14,000,000 more people voted this year, over the past election.
The power of the relationship. Now we call it "social networking". If we can rightly relate, we win.
Technology was a huge factor in his campaign. I hope to see how it all pans out. I have a lot of hope and respect for our future president.
Jeff-I think it's amazing to see how trend of technology is changing at present day and age and how internet has and still is becoming a way of life. It is was also a great experience to witness history being made on the day of the election. And you are absolutely right, it was brilliant and eloquent of him to utilize technology in a way that he did to promote himself. After all, internet is a powerful tool that is used by millions of people everyday.
Jeff - that was terrific foresight ! Stephanie and I have always commented in the last year how great the marketing has been on the Obama campaign vs the McCain campaing... from the commercials to the internet. This is a great observation as well as we are just now catching up with social media. He was far ahead of the curve per se and I agree that all of it combined lead to his momentum and ultimate victory.
you have to give him and his advisors a lot of credit for the campaign they ran. They found ways to raise funds that nobody could of ever imagined.
Jeff, We're not in Kansas anymore ... check out the yellow brirck road!
You know, I can only think about all of the times I have lamented the waste of energy and talent behind the construction of Internet viruses and bugs. "Why don't these people put all that creative talent to good use," I used to say.
Lo and behold, the Obama camp "gets it" and puts the miracle of the Internet to work in unprecedented fashion and look at the magic that we see happening all around us this week! Imagine if they tap these resources to tackle the issues of the day!
I am amazed, and awed, and happy, and hopeful.
Could not help but through out.......you could give with a credit card on the site. No validation to who was giving.
Jeff, he certainly put the right people in place to dominate the Internet knowing the young people would be captured for sure. Perhaps, there will be a time when we will see voting by text. It would certainly beat standing in a line and would probably get even more people to vote.
Good post, Jeff. Obama's stategy obviously worked - he won, right? Have we seen how future campaigns will be run using new technology?
There is no question that Camp Obama put together a brilliant campaign with Web 2.0 playing a key role. I think that his media, with a populist message tageted to the right people carried him over the edge. Now we'll have to see what he does with it.
This campaign has totally demonstrated the power of social networking. The next time someone asks me why I blog, I'm just going to reference the Obama campaign.
well that was weird - my Norton security flagged this page as a security risk! possible phishing scam
Evening Jeff, Interesting followup to your earlier post. No doubt this guy has a chance to help redefine our role in the world !
As a reminder to everyone, I have not expressed a political opinion here in this post. I have merely recognized the role technology played in the political process. I appreciate those of you have honored the spirit of this post.
Jeff
You are absolutely correct. The value of Social Marketing is changing the way we will do business in the future. Very well organized outstanding campaign.
I think it is noteworthy in all the discussion that this particular campaign benefitted from the largest treasure chest of cash to ever be slid into any political arena anywhere at anytime. It's not even a contest. Obama's "social outreach" was not free, and it was not funded as a "business" would fund it. They spent to win, money was no object. If we each had that luxury...look out.
Out here in the real world we have expenses. Our own time being the biggest expense of them all (That wasn't Obama typing in the texts). So on the one hand this surely shows the power of social networking, but it also shows it through the distorted prism of UNLIMITED CASH SUPPLY.
If we had the money Obama had to spend, we'd have no need to spend it.
Jeff...so when we finish the #domus Project, we will all be this successful? Wow! I can hardly wait for the contracts and listings to start rolling in! Seriously, the power of WWW is almost unbelievable!
Of course I hear you loud and clear... and yeah, his champagne sparkled...cheers!
I think it's also noteworthy to recognize that the treasure chest of cash was raised in large measure using the social netowork as the foundation. This allowed for viral growth of the funds. By February of 2008, over 1 million people had donated to the obama campaign. That's 1 Million different people. By the end, over 3 million people had donated. The social fundraising widgets (copy and paste) provided by the social network made it easy for every supporter to become a fundraiser. This would not have been possible without the social networking strategy employed.
Social networking is the next step in evolution!
The 'Activity Index' on My.BarackObama.com was points based, and just like another site we know, helped bring out the competitive streak. With the election over, I wonder how many people will continue to participate in the site's groups, blogs and action center. If they can keep this together for about three years, they will have a great head start on 2012.
Jeff - Your "crystal ball' was working pretty good. Political opinions aside, marketing or lack thereof, is what won this election...and will be a planning model that future political candidates will try to emulate.
Great call...you deserve your "propers"
Yes, he certainly did run a flawless campaign.....let's hope his presidency is also close to flawless.
His campaign strategy is what inspired me to start blogging in the first place. I figured that i better get on board before i was left behind. i have not seen any increased business from it yet, but i have seen myself come up in the search engines more frequently. it is worth trying , everything takes time, so i will just keep on pluggin' along.
You know, after reading this, I DID go to Obama's site (my first time), but was stopped immediately and in order to move forward, I would have had to "contribute" $$$... need less to say, I wasn't able to see much, but I DO believe this campaign was the best one ever in history.
It looks like the media has gotten their wish no matte who you voted for. The media picked the President. Right or wrong only time will tell. It would have been Howard Dean in 04 if he had of just paid a little more attention to his concept. Al Gore may have invented the internet but Howard Dean was the master mind on how to use it and the media to persuade the people.
Jeff I was talking to a few friends about how this is the 1st Time a President used the internet for his advantage and he did it well. I think all the money for marketing really helped out as well. Now all we have to do is the same thing for the real estate market and maybe we can do the same thing.
Hmmm, I think it WORKED for him!!!
I saw a lot of marketing all over the internet but I didn't realize the extent to which he used it throughout the campaign. I, for one, am taking notes and now have a couple of new ideas.
I admit I never once went to his site, so this is very interesting for me to hear...most things can be so much more quickly and easily accomplished when utilizing the Internet - I guess this election made history in several ways, huh?
Jeff ~ There is no question that his marketing team wasn't brilliant. I think that a lot of businesses could certainly learn from is viral approach. His use of social networks appealed not only to college student, but to the growing market of Internet junkies.
Very good points. Obama won the popular vote by a couple million, and span that out over several months and being visible on the networking sites ... it could be argumented that a large % of those votes were won in such a fashion. All he had to do was get someone's interested piqued - and then the other sites, etc. will fill them in on who the man really is.
BINGO! Wake up call for us all! Great Post Jeff, wouldn't have expected less from you :)
Jeff,
There is no question that, as within the RE.net community, social media is the game changer in how campaigns will be run in the future. This was not simply a generational thing either. An important fact to keep in mind, for all the "youth" that have embraced social media and the Obama candidacy, the youth vote in 2008 was only 1% greater than in 2004 (the last presidential race).
This means that the Obama SM strategy transcended the age barrier!
The strength of SM is in your original post's headling: 'ever growing power of the concept of YOU'
Obama's campaign successfully combined the power of SM and the allure of WIIFM. The political climate didn't hurt either, but that's a separate can of worms....
It is amazing how many people still do not understand how the internet really works. And those that do many times are looked at as crazy. After all it is a generational gap. While the baby boomers are a large part of the population the tide is turning.
Jeff -- I didn't read your post when you first posted it earlier this year, but wow, it is so true. This was an incredibly brilliant campaign that we could all learn a thing or two and apply to our business.
He did do a wonderful job with his campaign.
Kat - Look in the top right hand corner of the home page - there is a link where you can skip the donation and go straight to the website.
I was constantly amazed at the number of ways Obama's campaign used its website, and technology in general, to communicate. Through its website(s) and the Internet, his campaign allowed you to donate, organize events, phone bank, volunteer, find events and groups in your area, watch all of his videos, watch videos filmed by others, find out who his VP pick was before he announced it in the media, provide immediate response to negative reports, and more. You could do all of this WITHOUT LEAVING THE COMFORT OF YOUR HOME.
This really hit home to me because I've recently been cruising real estate agent sites looking to hire a listing agent to sell some of our homes. Most of these sites look like they were bought from a box - barely updated, static, no video, no unique and well organized information, nothing to pull you in and keep you interested. Whether you agree with Obama or not, it's worth taking a page from his technology plan (you ePros know what I'm talking about).
Hi Jeff- Here is another first to Obama technology: CHANGE.gov
Jeff,
In this political environment, we have seen some pretty scary stuff. The Obama lead charge in a social media platform and sturcture provide just enough support to win the election. The numbers show that the country is divided and will continue to look for direction. (One party will not be able to bring each side together)
The web brought about a grass roots effort to increase the democratic constitutes. The Rep did not follow or would not follow. Change in the guard is warranted. I just hope we don't let down our guard!
Thanks for the post! Good stuff!
Dave Park - The Maverick Builder
What great insight you had long ago. I didn't see your initial post. I appreciate how your framed it, being non-political. Beyond that, it was a combination of the forward-thinking use of the social media, of course, but a whole lot of other things that made Obama president (some of it underhanded?). Thanks, Jeff. I follow your blog writing in my newsreader and learn much. Mike C (aka blog boy)
Interesting, I had not seen his site before, but the man is all about change and he has obviously brilliantly used the changes social networking have given us.
Jeff,
Appears that Obama and his campaign knew the importance of the social web world and they used it to their advantage smartly. Sign of times. Hopefully he's as forward-looking in running the administration.
Brilliant I agree BUT GIVE THE PEOPLE WHAT THEY WANT!! Now I sit back and watch and if you have noticed, like I and many others, his whole countenance has changed, he looks kind of fearful and less cocky. Almost as if he is thinking WHAT did I get myself into.
To our future, IN GOD WE TRUST!
Phyllis Pafumi
It looks like they are building on the success of My.BarackObama.com with a new site just launched - change.gov. This is bringing a new level of participation and transparency to government. The question I'm thinking about now is 'How do other business models emulate this success?'
One thing I gotta give them is they are doing some things never done before, like the social media...Check out CHANGE.GOV it is the website where you can check on the "transition"...it was up and running within a short time of the election results, and will be updated as staff and cabinet members are named...Impressive...still not my choice...
My husband and I have been talking for weeks about Obama's marketing and how phenomenally well it was done. It looks like you were on it from the beginning.
Ann Coulter had a great quote about obama today
"For now, we have a new president-elect. In the spirit of reaching across the aisle, we owe it to the Democrats to show their president the exact same kind of respect and loyalty that they have shown our recent Republican president."
Jeff, thank you for your post, it is true that we are making history as a nation. I can feel the optimist and the positive outlook we all feel with the election over. Now we can concentrate on helping our industry get back up on its feet. Good insight.
Antonio
Hi Jeff...I agree with you wholeheartedly. I am including the text of an e-mail message I, and I am sure millions of others, received shortly after it was apparent who had won the election.
If you feel this is inappropriate please feel free to delete it. I did not mean for this to be political. I am sharing it because it exemplifies exactly what you stated in your post.
Kathleen --
I'm about to head to Grant Park to talk to everyone gathered there, but I wanted to write to you first.
We just made history.
And I don't want you to forget how we did it.
You made history every single day during this campaign -- every day you knocked on doors, made a donation, or talked to your family, friends, and neighbors about why you believe it's time for change.
I want to thank all of you who gave your time, talent, and passion to this campaign.
We have a lot of work to do to get our country back on track, and I'll be in touch soon about what comes next.
But I want to be very clear about one thing...
All of this happened because of you.
Thank you,
Barack
Will those of us that volunteered remain engaged? My guess is many will simply because President-elect Obama will remain engaged with us.
That is the true power of social networking.
Kate
Jeff - I too have been a Republican since I was able to register and make that choice BUT I agree we need to give credit where credit is due...Obama had an amazing marketing strategy and one that no other candidate has ever captured. The site was genius and from beginning to the end his campaign ran like a well thought out and strong train on a specific path and congrats to him for making it there. Social Networking is beyond what most people can understand but once they get a little understanding, anyone can run with it. The post really wasn't about politics but about the power of creative marketing and social networking. Great Blog again.
I was also impressed with the way the campaign was ran. It proves that the internet, reaches people within the home... that's the whole point!
Maybe the GOP will wake up & smell the coffee. 2012 is just around the corner!
Great blog..the results are in and it showed the power of creative marketing and social networking..wow ...what a lesson!
Wow great post! Truly a lesson to learn what power social networking can accomplish!
I know I am way behind the times on responding to this blog, but I wasn't really working ActiveRain until a couple of weeks ago... Today, Barack gave a press conference, talking about the financial crisis and he talked again, in this context about using the internet to create transparency in government, to increase participation and understanding. Whatever your position, as Jeff said, you have to feel that is a good thing. The only fear I have is that the only people who will participate are those who already feel positive about him, people like me... My fear is that only one side will participate, even though it is my side, I think that will be a shame, it will weaken the result. If we want to move forward we need all to participate, all to be part of this social media revolution in politics and public policy. As on ActiveRain - the diversity of opinion helps us all to grow and learn.
It sure worked for BO, he'll be in power in a fewdays...no let's hope he uses it for the good of the American people. You're always on top of things Jeff!
Hubba...
Did you see the image the Flickr artist made of Obama? If you haven't let me know and I'll point :)
TLW...ROAR!