Much analysis has gone into the election of Barack Obama and his unprecedented campaign strategy, which many commentators have praised as a very clever marketing. The key strengths of the Obama campaign lies with the use of new media technology, combining both the Internet and mobile technology to engage and interact with voters.
In terms of mobile technology the public were given the opportunity to find out about the Obama campaign by texting the keyword OBAMA to 62262 for campaign information.
The first big SMS text went out before the announcement of VP Joe Bidden, reaching an audience of 2.9 million. Recipients of the text welcomed this information and the fact that it had reached them in such a personal way, with many likening it to receiving a text from a friend, rather than sales gimmick.
In this instance text worked much better than for example, a blanket email, which would probably have been classed as old news by the time the recipient had actually opened the email. The power of mobile lies in its instant ability to communicate with a mass audience directly. It’s also a highly viral marketing tool capable of reaching beyond the recipients alone. Of those 2.9million receiving the text, it is certain that a proportion will have forwarded the message on to others, giving an even greater penetration.
Mobile was used leading right up to the election itself, with messages used to gather momentum and enthusiasm from voters. “Less than a week until Election Day on Nov. 4th! Barack needs your help. REPLY to this msg with your 5 digit ZIP CODE for local Obama news and voting info.” – SMS alert from Obama’s campaign
Use of new media in this election should inspire many marketers & promoters to take advantage of New Media technology, in particular mobile. There is no other more direct & instant way of communicating with a mass audience.
Textlocal provide SMS marketing solutions for over 15,000 businesses throughout the UK, offering Short Code (60777) and Bulk SMS solutions.
