Just a short update on the “Change I believe in post”. I found this great presentation about Obama and his Social Media Campaign. For me, this is one of the best examples for what you can achieve when you dare to use social media in your communications.
A few months ago I was asked if I want to be an guest lecturer at two university’s in Stuttgart and talk about the future of advertising and the work of our innovation unit COMLAB. We already coached some bachelor and master thesises but to present in front of 30 – 40 students was a great new challenge.
I believe that the university is the best place to work on new and revolutionary ideas. There is no CMO or CCO who tells you what to do, or that your idea doesn´t fit in the budget etc.
So the goal for the presentation was to set the students on fire. I want them to challenge the current marketing status quo and explore the new possibilities for their concepts and communication strategies. Instead of writing their papers and thesises about common themes they should pick an innovative one and search for new ways to connect with consumers.
The first presentation took place at the ESB Reutlingen. Prof. Dr. Gerd Nufer invited me to his marketing class. After some technical problems (my mac book doesn´t get along with a few beamers) we started the session. It was a good atmosphere and we had some interesting discussions and questions afterwards.
The second one was this Monday in Prof. Dr. Christina Vaih´s PR class at the MHMK in Stuttgart. And again, after the presentation we talked about the current changes in the industry and that something needs to be done.
I promised the students to put the presentation up on slideshare so that they could download it and use it for their work.
Here it is:
It was a great experience to work with these students, and I have to thank Prof. Dr. Gerd Nufer and Prof. Dr. Christina Vaih-Bauer for their kind invitation. We need more professors like them to educate a new generation of marketers and advertisers. A new generation who has the knowledge and the abilities to change the industry for the better.
And for all students out there who need some inspiration or help with their thesis’s or papers. Feel free to contact me or join our brand new MORE THAN ADVERTISING facebook group
So, let us start today and I promise you that together we will succeed!
VIVA LA REVOLUTION
What a great way to start the day! Just got an email with the information that we had won the Intercontinental Advertising Cup in two categories.
Here is the entry movie: Mini Clubman. The Other Test-Drive
The project scored in Best of Products & Services / Cars and Best of Media / One2One plus Nominee in the category Best of Admaking / Use of Technology.
Congratulations to the other 38 cups category winners and especially to Stefan Nagel and Friedrich Tromm who have won also a Cup with their “Storys in Oil” concept.
Yes he can. Barack Obama is the new president of the United States of America. But what is even more fascinating than the fact that Obama moves into the White House is how he came there.
Politics, after all, is about marketing – projecting and selling an image, moving people to identify, evangelize and consume. Thats the reason why a political campaign is very similar to an advertising one. So let´s have a look at it from a brand perspective.
“Barack Obama is three things you want in a brand. He is new, different and attractive. Thats as good as it gets.”
Keith Reinhard chairman DDB Worldwide.
What I love the most is his openness to the way consumers communicate with one another and how he distributed his messages in this new way. Obama and his team transformed politics with its use of technology and turned them,selves into a media organization.
On BarackObama.com they featured constant updates, videos, photos, ringtones, widgets and events to give the supporters a reason to come back.
But they go even further. Together with Chris Hughes, one of three Harvard roommates who invented Facebook four years ago, Obama’s team created their own social networking site, my.barackobama.com with over 1.000.000 active users!
A short introduction video:
Here you can write your own blog, send policy recommendations directly to Obama, set up your own mini fund-raising site, organize an event or even use a phone-bank to get call lists and scripts to tele-canvass from home.
This movement is a conversation where everybody is invited. And those who join the conversation get constant feedback from the campaign and from each other. For marketers a cheap and effective way to get in touch with personal supporters around the globe and for the users a great experience to be connected to a huge community of soul mates.
Their social media activities do also reach people over the age of 30. It proves that there is a immense potential to involve elderly folks within this medium:
“I’m a political junkie who watches Chris Matthews and C-Span,” he said. “But instead of just sitting there . . . this allows me to become involved. It’s real grass roots.”
Mr. Goodburn a 56-year-old grandfather
or another interesting statement:
“With the organizational tools Barack’s campaign is giving us, we, the people, can change history.”
Valli Frausto, a 50-year-old mother of two from Columbus
Also a great example is the use of viral videos to spread the word online. This one here is my personal favorite:
And even after Obama has won the election he uses the web as a channel to communicate with his audience.
This here is the latest post on his own youtube channel:
Barack Obama: “We Have a Lot of Work to Do”
Obama was successful at converting online clicks into real-world currency. And I truly believe that many brands and their products out there could do the same. We simple need to rethink the way we work and make some changes.
Every forward-thinking business would be wise to examine his marketing strategies and leadership styles.
“Change will not come if we wait for some other person or if we wait for some other time…We are the hope of the future”
said Barack Obama on Super Thuesday
So let´s start today and change the industry! YES WE CAN!
