Effective Use of Public Relations - Essay Example

Due Obama’s Victory: A Case of Effective use of Public Relations The 2008 presidential campaigns was doubt a unique one in the history of American politics. It was an election that not only defied the conventional electoral history by being the most expensive, but also one that came at a time when the country was at crossroads facing one of the most contagious financial meltdown of all time, two enduring wars in hand and a social network technology that had the potential to make or break fortunes. Amidst these challenges that forced the presidential candidates and the media to construct the state of the nation into perspective, public relations was but an assured avenue to define belief values and capabilities to ameliorate the worsening social demands. Framed by experts as an election of a lifetime, the high stakes enmeshed in the waning economic prospects up for challenge by a more aggressive China combined to smash the historical barriers of racism, religion, class and gender to the very most coveted seat in the land of opportunities. An underdog brand with tags considered negative in the history American politics—a junior Democratic senator of African roots— Obama ignited the country with a well-organized campaign that has gone into history books as a standard benchmark in marketing excellence. Although the 2008 presidential race attracted an impressive array of individuals with known credentials in foreign policy and/or national political experience, Obama’s candidature carried a special burden over and above the nation’s leadership qualities; proving that he had what it takes to break through the virulent barricades of American racism (Balz and Johnson 13). From the very beginning, Obama fashioned his candidature with a brand of change; a position emphasized at every turn with lucid communication tactics. A candidate with flawless oratory skills, Obama knew that the success of a “product” begins with nature given attributes. Obama inaugurated his candidature for the top seat with a democratic bent that had marks of inclusivity; the fact that American people were stakeholders in his lifelong career was never hidden from his very first limelight speech. As such, any further breakthrough endeavors had to incorporate them [the American people]. His able approach on the doubts surrounding his religious affiliations, his unique biracial background and the attacks questioning his allegiance to the United States more than gave Americans the feelings of knowledge of a next-door neighbor. With a baggage of confidence crisis that swept through the financial system; a stark reminder of the darkest days of the Great Depression, plus failures of the Bush’s presidency to control a national debt hovering at its highest, framing Obama as a candidate of change was inevitably a killer jibe to McCain’s prospects of rallying the public behind his bid (Balz and Johnson 11-12). Consistent with change-wrapped messages that were eloquently delivered to the very comfort zones of the American population, Obama’s brand offered voters something different. Change being the centerpiece of the Obama’s campaign strategy, McCain, though experienced enough to lead Americans in a new direction, caught himself in a cage of the status quo, a tag framed by the opponents-the Obama camp (p. 291). By integrating change as the dominant theme to America’s future, Obama’s disadvantages defined by history became no more. At a time in history when the public literally demanded to know more about the government’s handling of a crisis, the Bush’s administration had few answers to offer with little leadership. With the media largely reliant on the government for public policy information that were plainly scanty, the presidential candidates were worthy sources for an explanation to the state of the economy. For the first time, a rare opportunity to showcase presidential decision-making abilities presented itself at an opportune time; and a vulnerable media was at hand to carry the frames to the owners of the nation-the voters. Being a social candidate, Obama’s proximity with the treasury secretary and the Federal Reserve chairman kept him informed (Plouffe 22-25; Balz and Johnson 46). A man endowed with marketing acumen beyond the ordinary levels, Obama was as it again offering clear, consistent answers much sought after by the media and the public, and a way forward with the unforgettable message of change. Obama became a source that no doubt was credible than McCain whose policies he consistently tied to the outgoing incumbent. Obama’s led 2008 presidential campaign rightly serves as a classic political branding ever in US politics to reach the hitherto untouchable pinnacle whose traces Anderson cooper lived to tell at the dawn of a new beginning. His election as the 44th president of the United States not only broke the traditional sociological thought but also brought to the fore the importance of the 21st century technology as an influential eye opener for PR managers in gaining public legitimacy, commitment and/or reaching a constituency’s interest. Politics is and remains a game of numbers. A candidate, therefore, has to master the art of communication packaged to influence the electorate to subscribe to the prospective policies that defines a party’s approach to the social demands. From the Roosevelt’s Fireside Chats combined with a personal touch on the radio airwaves reaching every American family to J.F. Kennedy’s cool, good looks that was a perfect political image on Americas television screens, president Obama mastered a far more complex medium to consolidate a support base that provided the financial as well as the physical firepower to win the 2008 historic presidential election (Barron 2). In the history of politics, it is a fundamental requirement for parties to fashion their leadership values in line with the social demands via articulate manifestos. Armed with an oiled-machine marketing strategy that integrated digital marketing and the social media, Obama’s 2008 campaign team assembled one of the savviest, well targeted campaigns that had both functional and emotional appeals. Well branded with a slogan so simple and full of thematic importance, the change message was flawlessly and relentlessly executed via both print and online marketing. Indeed, Obama’s communication skills and ability to deliver his messages in an ongoing, consistent narrative curved to capture a future of change, hope and unity was not only captivating but also brought out to the fore the marketing genius he was. As an inexperienced entrant determined to find immediate market for his brand over and above the existing brands, Obama excelled in bringing to his fold the woodworker who had long felt disenfranchised from the nations’ politics. He, thus, managed with creativity to become the little entrepreneur with a wide customer base whose product served the old as well as the newborn. With an identity that was seemingly clean and approachable, Obama succeeded in garnering a legion of “Obama mega-brand” ambassadors who voluntarily spread the message of change, hope and unity to levels never witnessed in the history of politics. A thorough audit of the 2008 presidential race almost affirms the irresistible impression that the contest was not political after all. Riddled with a marketing term of brand management, journalists and bloggers alike engaged their audience in endless reviews that only rivaled communiques of commercial consumables often read in Financial Times or papers of the same stature. With a “seamless corporate identity”, Obama’s candidature was promoted akin to a trans-media, upmarket consumer brand (Brady par 2). More than any other presidential candidate in the history of American politics, Obama got endorsement from 194 newspapers that included The Washington Post, The New York Times, The Times, just to mention but a few (Greg par 1). The enthusiasm that went with the songs broadcast on the airwaves in his support was amazing. The support across the political spectrum to those coming from the diaspora didn’t make things any better for the opponent, senator McCain. As a social candidate who embraced the value of a virtual online presence, Obama succeeded in changing the traditional thought about engineering electoral victory. The creation of My.BarackObama.com, in particular, was one of the right ideas spectacularly executed at the right time. Courtesy of My.BarackObama, Facebook, MySpace and Twitter pages, a virtual phone bank in addition to online fundraising tabs to fund his campaigns, the president managed to reach the core of a social community- the Web 2.0 community that escorted his bid right into the oval office (Lutz 10-13). As Mathew Creamer notes: “Obama mega-brand was big enough to be anything to anyone, yet had an intimate-enough feel to inspire advocacy that raised funds at record-breaking, almost obscene levels. The brand gave birth to a massive network of on the ground supporters who were so crucial in the get-out-the-vote effort that had an incremental tilt-effect on the overall ballot count in Obama’s favor” (p.24). Noteworthy, Obama was neither the first political candidate to weave technology into minting campaign dollars, nor was he the first to mobilize online support. To be sure, McCain’s 2000 presidential attempt bagged over $2 million online in a span of the four days (Rapaport par 9). Vermont governor Howard Dean also successfully managed to convince a huge chunk of bloggers to support his presidential bid in 2004 (Lutz par 4). However, the two candidates, McCain and Dean, failed to transform their online support into effective ground support. Obama, with the help of the right team, magnificently employed McCain ’00 and Dean ’04 tools in addition to Bush ’04 re-election hyper-targeting strategy to inspire and channel the kinetic energy online into a movement needed to win an election. Through the Houdini database, for instance, Obama’s campaign incrementally identified, prioritized and pursued prospective voters right into the polling centers (The dogs sockpuppet par 4). Comparatively, Obama’s campaign was way ahead in terms of leveraging the social media tools to give the ordinary Americans a feeling of ownership in the pending victory. Work cited Balz, Dan and Johnson, Haynes. The Battle for America 2008: The Story of an Extraordinary Election. New York, NY: Penguin Group, 2009. Print. Brady, Will. “Obama's Media Campaign: Branding our Consciousness.” The Guardian 10 July 2008. Web. 8 Mar. 2013. Barron, Richard M. “Master of the Internet: How Barack Obama Harnessed New Tools and Old Lessons to Connect, Communicate and Campaign His Way to the White House.” North Carolina: University of North Carolina- Chapel Hill, 2008. Print. Creamer, Matthew. Barack Obama and The Audacity of Marketing. Advertising Age. 79.42 (2008): 1-55. Print. Greg, Mitchell, “‘Landslide’ for Obama: He Now Leads in Newspaper Support 194-82.” HuffingtonPost 26 October 2008. Web. 8 Mar. 2013. Lutz, Monte. “The Social Pulpit: The Barack Obama’s Social Media Toolkit.” eGovernment Resource Centre 2009. Web. 8 Mar. 2013. Plouffe, David. The Audacity to Win: The inside Story and Lessons of Barack Obama’s Historic Victory. New York, NY: Penguin Group, 2009. Print. Rapaport, Richard. “Net vs. Norm.” Forbes ASAP 29 May 2000. Web. 8 Mar. 2013. The dogs sockpuppet. “Obama Uses Houdini.” Daily Kos 2 November 2008. Web. 8 Mar. 2013. Read More