In-Bound from Obama: 10 Ideas for 2009

If you think the marketing challenges of 2009 look daunting, imagine for a moment you were Barack Hussein Obama back in 2007. Being an unknown, untested, awkwardly-named black man with limited resources going against one of the biggest brand names in Democratic politics, you’d hardly anticipate a victory in the playoffs, much less a win in the finals. Yet, that is exactly what happened. Obama’s remarkable success offers a clear and prescient 10-point playbook for marketers who want to beat the odds in 2009.

Stand for Something
Knowing that 70% of the country thought the government was headed in the wrong direction, Obama offered a simple, consistent and rational message: “change.” He coupled that with an empowering and emotional call to action, “yes we can.” By appealing to both the rational desire for change and the emotional need for hope, Obama presented his brand as a movement and embraced the notion that former P&G CMO Jim Stengel calls “purpose-based marketing.” As the game gets rougher in 2009 and resources tighter, clarifying your purpose as a brand will be that much more significant. It will help you keep communications on point, your internal team inspired and your target more inclined to cast their vote for your brand.

Capture Your Fan Base
President-elect Obama’s use of the internet to build his fan base was unprecedented by all measures. As of November 4th, his website database included over 3 million hard-core fans that not only contributed millions in campaign funding but also volunteered to make calls, send emails and knock on doors. Members received a steady stream of emails including video, with specific calls to action keeping the fans motivated and on-point. He even had over 128,000 tweets tracking him via Twitter.

In what may be an historic use of email, he reached out to this group before his acceptance speech noting “I’m about to head to Grant Park to talk to everyone gathered there, but I wanted to write to you first.” This legion of supporters was ready for mobilization at a click of a mouse, something that any marketer could find invaluable. While the notion of building a large database of users is not new, the importance of having such a base is compounded in a weak economy since email can be so cost effective at driving sales, word-of-mouth and loyalty. Make it a priority in 2009 to build an army of followers.

Empower Your Fan Base
Some marketing pundits are calling Obama’s campaign the first to truly apply web 2.0 techniques to the presidential race. According to exit polls, Obama won nearly 70% of the under 25 vote, a share percentage that any marketer would covet. If you haven’t looked at My.BarackObama.com, I highly recommend you take a tour (for a short cut watch the introductory video) and imagine this was your customer loyalty program. Then pop over to Facebook and MySpace, where Obama gathered over 4 million combined supporters, and imagine that this was how your brand leveraged social networks.

The key will be to truly engage your target, inviting them to join a conversation versus peddling your wares. If you do it right, at least 1 in 4 social networkers will gladly download branded content and 1 in 5 will post marketer-related content on their home page. One way or another, be sure to cast your marketing vote for social media in 2009.

Turn on the Videos
This campaign inspired unprecedented levels of online video viewing. On YouTube alone there were over 30 million views of Obama-related videos including the Yes We Can music video (14mm), Obama Girl (12.1mm) and his interview on Ellen (4.8mm). And of course millions more watched the highly damaging interview of Sarah Palin by Katie Couric.

While few brands can hope to gain this kind of following for their videos on YouTube, marketers would be remiss not to create them and use the videos for a variety of purposes from sales presentations to PR, online ads to viral. If you can get you fans to create the videos via user generated content programs, all the better. If not, be sure to keep your production costs low so you have some money to drive “seed” traffic.

Lighten Things Up
One of the more remarkable aspects of the Obama campaign is how he never lost his cool and in fact found moments for levity throughout. His appearance on Letterman a week before the election showed his lighter side as they laughed about Sarah Palin’s “lipstick on a pig” line. Not that Obama can take credit for it but I’m sure he is grateful to Tina Fey and the folks at Saturday Night Live who brilliantly lampooned Palin to the point that her only hope was to face the SNL camera directly—which of course was too little too late.

The point of all this is that comedy is still king and, as marketers, we need to keep things light especially in this dark economic period. Even typically serious B2B companies can find a place for humor. Tibco’s hilarious Greg The Architect video series has helped them connect with IT professionals who welcome a break from endless coding and relentlessly boring vendor pitches.

Touch Your Target
Despite all the success of his emails and videos, Obama never forgot the importance of the meet and greet. His campaign went to extraordinary lengths to have personal conversations with millions of Americans. His events were inclusive versus exclusive, holding his nomination acceptance speech at INVESCO Field in Denver and his victory speech at Grant Park in Chicago.

With budgets declining and the “stay at home economy” emerging, marketers might be inclined to rely on advertising and cut back on event/experiential marketing. This would be a mistake. Savvy marketers like Dress Barn have figured out that their customers actually want to get out of their homes and connect with their friends, which explains why Dress Barn’s in-store Very Indulgent Parties are so popular they are struggling to get them all on the calendar in each of their markets.

Measure Green, Make Green
While the economy was clearly the focus of the presidential campaign, during the primaries Obama credited the support of environmentalists who among others helped push him to victory. The Obama-Biden “New Energy for America” plan is an aggressive call for all companies to examine their carbon footprint and do something about it.

Expect to hear more about “supply chain environmentalism” which calls for marketers not only to consider what goes into their products but also to track the environmental impact of their entire supply chains. This in turn will create opportunities for companies like Enviance, whose software helps large companies measure and track emissions, and sites like GoodGuide.com, which rates products by their “greenness.” Green-savvy marketers will make the tracking of their environmental initiatives transparent, which will appeal to shareholders, regulators and potential consumers.

Do Well by Doing Good
The Obama campaign enlisted millions to give a little money for the cause of “change.” People stepped up because they felt part of something bigger than themselves. Now with donations to non-profits declining in lock step with the tanking economy, marketers have a unique opportunity to step up and show consumers they care about more than just sales, and prove that they are concerned with the well being of the community.

A recent PR Week study shows a close relationship between consumer perception and corporate social responsibility—companies that are well known for doing good have stronger word of mouth and more loyal customers. For example, 63% of Americans claim to have purchased a product because of a charitable association with the brand. The key is to pick a non-profit that makes sense for your organization, get employees involved and to make the support meaningful like Home Depot’s commitment to Habitat for Humanity to whom it is donating $30 million for a national green building project called “Partners in Sustainable Building.”

Define your Value
Taxes remained a dirty word in the 2008 presidential race as rising unemployment and falling home prices led to tightened pocketbooks. Marketers are facing a newly chastened non-consuming consumer with 65% of moms eliminating purchases that aren’t “absolutely necessary” and 52% who are just plain “cutting back” according to an Allen & Gerritsen study. It’s gotten so bad that orders for mall Santa Clauses are down 50% from 2007.

Few consumer-dependent companies can hope to thrive is this environment, but those with a clear value proposition will do less poorly. Wal-Mart is still seeing modest year-on-year increases, no doubt because of their clear value position. Starbucks, once an affordable luxury, has suddenly become an expensive afterthought. To compete in this dismal economy, your value proposition will be tested like never before as businesses and consumers ask, “Do I really need that?”

Spend It if You Got It
Ultimately, Obama ended up with the largest war chest in history, outspending McCain in some markets by as much as 4 to 1. In a zero sum game like politics, where the loser goes home, there is no holding back and you spend every last penny you raise (and then some.) Marketers, on the other hand, need to align their budgets with sales goals and make the most of what they’ve got. Ironically, with so many marketers cutting back, there are rare opportunities: from inexpensive sponsorships to remnant ad space both offline and online. Even search prices are expected to soften.

Category leaders will use this downturn to increase their share and upstart innovators will take advantage of retreating competition. Opportunity abounds for those marketers who classify marketing as an investment for their future, who believe that regardless of the short-term economic obstacles, brands will be built and history will be made.