Can We Learn from Obama’s PR Machine? Yes We Can
Obama’s presidential campaign was a success and has been attributed to his groundbreaking integrated PR tactics. Good news travels fast. And his campaign was full of good news. Imitation is the greatest form of flattery; so to copy may lead to my own success in PR...
1. For maximum effect messages must be simple and consistent- Ideas need to be communicated in a simple way. Change was the one word that summarised the campaign and was referred to again and again. Getting the language right - to the point of repetition - built Obama into a worldwide brand.
2. Obama embraced different communication tools. Online activity including videos, YouTube, MySpace and FaceBook were used for maximum exposure. Obama’s team also bombarded traditional print and broadcast media with information which forced the McCain camp to respond... In this case; Attack is the best form of attack.
3. Get people involved. This was the real secret of Obama’s political PR success. People involved in all aspects of the campaign was embraced and appreciated for their input. Empowering people with Obama’s message led to voter’s having a personal relationship with Obama’s messengers.
4. Know your audience and refine your data gathering. A centralised online database meant every detail was recorded and allowed for easy cross-referencing of information and creation of lists to target specific groups, ensuring that the communication was right on target every time. All published information was viewed by millions.
5. Protect the PR Machine. So Obama engineered his finely-tuned PR machine but the key to true success is keeping the machine running....Either way it will be a captivating story
So what have I learned from Obama? If PR tactics can get the first black man into the White House, maybe this PR thing is more than just getting a mind-numbingly boring story into the media
Delightful post. It basically sums up how we see Obama and just shows how the majority of techniques used in politics are now technological.
ReplyDeleteI totally agree with Gigi. It is one of the most successful and inspiring campaigns. I think every PR practitioner or every PR team can use it as an excellent example of PR campaign. One of its strongest points is using psychological effect on people, i.e. “good news system”.
ReplyDeleteI agree that the Obama campaign to get elected was very impressive. However the accusation during the campaign was that Obama was all rhetorical flourish and no substance - shades of the acusations made about Tony Blair and New Labour. Interestingly the critics seem to have been borne out by his administration's lack-lustre performance so far. The Obama PR machine has made some fumbles since coming to office - none more surprising than the high profile lobbying visit to support Chicago's bid for the Olympics which ended in humiliation. Surely the rule of thumb for advisers in these situations is that you only place your client out in the open when you know the (positive) decision in advance and your client is merely turning up to take the glory for a done deal. Obama being given the Nobel Prize - and accepting it - was also highly damaging - he should have turned it down. The perceived weakness of the stance over the Middle East, perceived vacillation over Afghanistan, failure to agree a climate deal at Copenhagen followed by subsequent failure to get a healthcare proposal through Congress will leave the administration looking very weak indeed. Its too early to say whether he will get re-elected but its not looking as much as a certainty as it might have seemed earlier this year. Another year like this one and he will start to look like a one-term President.
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