Brand / Marketing Communication Strategies and Advertising and Promotional Strategies Case Study

The Marketing of Barack Obama

OR

Abstract:
This case provides a framework for understanding the key challenges in the marketing of individuals. Obama’s unlikely victory in the 2008 US presidential election was the result of a comprehensive marketing effort that set benchmarks in the marketing of individuals. The marketing campaign was planned and executed with clinical perfection by one of the best campaign teams ever in the history of politics. The Obama team’s strategic planning was far superior to that of its rivals and proved to be a decisive factor in Obama’s victory. Obama established brand leadership when he ensured that he owned the ‘change’ idea in the voters’ minds. He targeted the right market segments with the right message. He also kept his message simple and consistent throughout the campaign. Obama used many tools of online marketing for the first time in a presidential campaign. His social networking initiatives gave him the biggest ever volunteer group. In short, the Obama campaign provides a classic framework for analysing the effectiveness of strategic planning, market segmentation and market targeting, branding and online marketing in the marketing of individuals.

Pedagogical Objectives:

• To understand the core issues in the marketing of individuals
• To integrate the concepts learnt in strategic planning, segmentation, targeting, branding and online marketing into the marketing of individuals
• To analyse the effectiveness of Barack Obama’s strategic planning, market segmentation and market targeting, branding and online marketing in his 2008 presidential campaign.

Keywords : Marketing Strategies, Marketing Communication, Strategies, Branding Strategies, Marketing and Branding of Individuals, Strategic Planning, Segmentation, Targeting, Positioning, Barack Obama, Obama’s marketing Strategies, Obama’s marketing Campaign, Obama’s brand building Strategies

Contents:

• Strategic Planning
• Market Segmentation and Market Targeting
• Branding
• Online Marketing