How Digital Advertising Contributed to Obama’s Campaign

President Barack Hussein Obama broke amazing new ground in several areas with his historic win. Not only was he the first African-American president ever elected into US office, but he also set the bar for the utilization of new media to reach younger, more tech savvy individuals who often felt left out in the political dialogue.

While some may debate the merits of such a move, no one can deny the simple fact that it worked to Obama’s advantage. This little known politician soon became a household name and there were very few who had heard of him come election time.

Probably because of this fact, in November of 2008, Barack Obama went on to become America’s first President of color.

A Paradigm That Worked

Digital advertising has been emerging as a fantastic marketing force for some time, stealthily aligning itself with online adverts and grassroots attempts to reach broader audiences. Those who refute the benefits of such a tool do so at their peril, as the proof is in the pudding.

Whatever one may think of the man or his politics, he was quick to arrive to the conclusion that digital advertising was a trend that was going to change not only the political landscape but that of commerce as well. His forward thinking strategy would set the bar high and make people rethink the way we look at modern day promotion.

The Obama Schematic

So, how did he do it? The formula was simple enough:

Internet outreach and fundraising—the often undervalued Internet was utilized by Obama and was part of his historic outreach to galvanize come 600,000 African-American voters who had never felt they had a voice prior to this election. By telling them that they would at least be recognized and counted, he was able to pull in this disenfranchised electorate and boost his numbers significantly. With celebrity endorsements, TV ads, as well as online PR campaigns, he was also able to raise funds that enabled him to reach a wider audience than his rival.

• TV and Radio advertising – Obama managed to outspend McCain by a 4:1 margin, allowing him to allocate cash towards ads that, once again, refuted the overhyped charges brought against him during his campaign.

Indeed, many have hailed Obama as a great digital strategist who was able to utilize current technology to gain momentum during a raging political storm. He thereby positioned himself to be one of the most powerful men in the free world.

Anyone who wishes to be successful in his or her own businesses endeavors would be wise to follow Obama’s game plan. By doing this, they just may push the digital advertising envelope to all the promising places that it might endeavor to go.