LBi's HopeActChange for Barack Obama Social Media Election Campaign 2008

Barack Obama Election Campaign 2008 Building Believable Brands IAB NetCafé Efficiency of Social Media 05 March 2009 Antony Slabinck – LBi Client Service Director Rik Lagey – LBi Client manager www.lbigroup.be The most up to date version of this presentation is published on Slideshare: http://www.slideshare.net/aslabinck/barack-obama-election-campaign-2008-lbis-hopeactchange

Efficiency of Social Media

How did Barack Obama use social media to win the 2008 presidential elections?

An innovative approach which can help you to build your own " believable brand “.

AGENDA:

Who made the difference?

Main differences between 1.0 and 2.0?

Obama’s Campaign Approach

Some Stats & Results

What kind of Media was used?

The Hope.Act.Change Case

What can we learn from this campaign?

Questions

“ Yes We Can”-Video – Will.i.am Yes We Can - Feb 2007 : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1yq0tMYPDJQ Hope Act Change - Feb 2008 : http://www.hopeactchange.com/mosaic Speech Obama - Jan 8th 2007 : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fe751kMBwms The 'Yes We Can' video on YouTube was not made by the Obama campaign, but by hip hop star Will.i.am who produced it and uploaded it onto the Web. The video quickly went viral, and before November 4 th 2008, it had been viewed 20 million times. Powerful Democracy 2.0 tools are transforming politics and may soon bring profound changes to the way governments (& organisations) interact with citizens. A new era of e-democracy and e-government is dawning.“ We suggest you play this video in the background while browsing through this presentation...

Yes, We can! Yes We Can Lyrics by Will.I.Am (Chorus) Yes we can to opportunity and prosperity. Yes we can to opportunity and prosperity. Yes we can heal this nation. Yes we can repair this world. Yes we can. Si Se Puede (yes we can, yes we can, yes we can…)

Was it about Barack Obama... Story... Baseline... Promises ... Plans ... Projects ... Vision... Values... Yes, it ’s important, but did he make the difference?

Was it about John Mc Cain ... Story... Baseline... Promises ... Plans ... Projects ... Vision... Values... Yes, it ’s important, but did he make the difference?

Who made the difference?

YOU =The Audience You want to get added value. You want to contribute. You dream about a better future. You like to be part of a community ... and get engaged

You

This time, the audience was more interconnected than ever ! Web 2.0 : For many organisations both a threat & a problem... But it offers as well a world of opportunities ! InterConnected & Engaged Individuals

honesty

together

Yes, We can! Yes We Can Lyrics by Will.I.Am (Part 1/3) It was a creed written into the founding documents that declared the destiny of a nation. Yes we can. It was whispered by slaves and abolitionists as they blazed a trail toward freedom. Yes we can. Yes we can. It was sung by immigrants as they struck out from distant shores and pioneers who pushed westward against an unforgiving wilderness. Yes we can. Yes we can. It was the call of workers who organized; women who reached for the ballots; a President who chose the moon as our new frontier; and a King who took us to the mountain-top and pointed the way to the Promised Land. Yes we can to justice and equality. (yes we can, yes we can, yes we can, yes we can…)

2. Main differences between 1.0 and 2.0 ?

This is how most brands are perceived by the public, both in the offline and online world (Web 1.0) Yes we can! Vote for me please

The audience vs your brand in Web 1.0

The audience vs your brand in Web 2.0

How did this Audience get connected with the “ Obama Campaign (=brand)”?

The one and only way forward is an “ Ongoing dialogue ” ... with your Audience

Yes, We can! Yes We Can Lyrics by Will.I.Am (Part 2/3) We know the battle ahead will be long, but always remember that no matter what obstacles stand in our way, nothing can stand in the way of the power of millions of voices calling for change. We want change! (We want change! We want change! We want change…) We have been told we cannot do this by a chorus of cynics who will only grow louder and more dissonant. We’ve been asked to pause for a reality check. We’ve been warned against offering the people of this nation false hope. But in the unlikely story that is America, there has never been anything false about hope. We want change! (We want change! I want change! We want change! I want change…)

3. Obama’s Campaign Approach

Obama brought a positive story (Larger perspective)

Came with a powerful tagline (“Yes we can!” => easy to use)

Picked up user generated stories (Video “Yes we can”)

Activated social media in a very early stage (April 2007)

Leveraged these stories through communities & networks

(Empowered the people with tools, Friends getting friends,

Call to Actions, …)

Advanced + User driven Segmentation

Consistent 360 degrees presence (The Ongoing Dialogue)

Campaign was not about Obama, its was about the audience

Obama’s Overall Presence

They boosted social networks & communities

Websites with dynamic content & personalised area (blog)

Constant email communication from a range of supporters (wives, campaign managers)

Social networks: Facebook, MySpace, BarackTV, blog, etc

They rallied people to generate support

Merchandise

Online assets & properties (buttons, banners & groups)

Offline assets (Posters, T-Shirts, …)

Host parties (debate & election night)

A constant push for donations in every piece of communication

Constant focus on INVOLVEMENT & COLLABORATION

4. Some Stats & Results (on 3 november 2008)

Internet Usage in United States

(Stats from Internet WorldStats, Census, Nielson)

Population : 303.824.646 Internet Usage : 220.141.969 Penetration rate : 72.5%

Americans say they have :

watched online political videos : - 35%

used social media to gather information : - 10%

made political contributions : - 2%

Some results (3 nov 2008 - Stats from Internet WorldStats, Census, Nielson) Social Media McCain Obama Delta Google News 371.620 136.000 : 3 Google Pagerank 8 8 Facebook Fans 620.359 2.379.102 x 3,8 MySpace Fans 217.811 833.161 x 3,8 YouTube Videos 329 1.792 x 4 You Tube Viewers 2.032.993 18.413.110 x 9 Twitter Followers 4.603 112.474 x 24 Flickr Searches 15.168 73.076 x 3,8 Pages in Google 30.700 1.820.000 x 58 Bottom Line McCain Obama Delta Fundraising $ 238.000.000 $ 750.000.000 x 3,1 By # of donors 4.000.000 (>80% checks < $100) Final election votes 45,6% 52,9% +7,3%

Trend Example for MySpace Friends Early Start by Obama campaign McCain campaign made a good recovery but was far too late… A succesful growth from 90.000 towards 217.000 in 1 month is great… as long as your competitor is not overclassing you already with a stable base of 450.000 fans increasing towards 833.000

Results (dd 3 november 2008)

Yes, We can! Yes We Can Lyrics by Will.I.Am (Part 3/3) The hopes of the little girl who goes to a crumbling school in Dillon are the same as the dreams of the boy who learns on the streets of LA; we will remember that there is something happening in America; that we are not as divided as our politics suggests; that we are one people; we are one nation; and together, we will begin the next great chapter in America’s story with three words that will ring from coast to coast; from sea to shining sea - Yes. We. Can. (yes we can, yes we can, yes we can, yes we can, yes we can, yes we can, yes we can, yes we can…)

5. What kind of media was used?

Obama’s Election Campaign 2009 358.000 Youtube searches Joy of Use > 5 million « friends » RSS Videos Audio The Long Tail Affiliation Simplicity Participation 16 million email opt-ins 56 million Google search results Mobile Web Wikis User Centered Six Degrees Widgets Page Rank Sharing Collaboration Podcasting Videocasting Xbox Game Advertizing Blogs Pay Per Click Soci al Networks SEO Trust Syndication Accessibility 4,6 million Google blog posts >7.000 variants of messages (A/B testing) >1.8 mil. Google pages Web 2.0 Blue Ocean Strategy >20 mil. Videoviews « Yes we can » 506.000 Tweets 73.000 Flickr Search >100.000 user-generated events with 1,5 million fans 4 million donators Buzz Marketing RoboCalls 360 degrees marketing mix… 16 million email optins = > 26% of all Obama voters > 65% of all Obama voters between age 18 - 44

From Websites

Regular updates to the website

including a count down

Constant requests for involvement : Donate , Join, Help, Participate, …

From Websites

The Facebook page was very engaging. There were constant updates with content, videos, comments, … from fans. Over Facebook

Most succesfull Facebook groups: - Students for Obama (193,000) - Joe Biden (171,000) - Michelle Obama (142,000) - Obama (120,000) - Women for Obama (62,000) Facebook Groups

A case of severe internet cluelessness on the part of McCain :

Barack Obama had 10 times more tweets

he had 2254% more followers,

and 1029% more search results!

John McCain’s last tweet was October 24th! So he didn’t send a “vote today”-tweet on election day!.

Some of Obama’s power twitter users had a large numbers of followers (e.g. 24.726). Imagine having a few of those power users on your list AND the fact that some of their followers will retweet and/or blog the message if they like it, and they have followers, etc, etc.

Twitter

MySpace

To Fight the “ Smear Campaigns ”

6. the HOPE.ACT.CHANGE. website

Intriguing CHALLENGE for LBi:

Will.i.am (Black Eyed Peas) asked LBi Syrup New York to:

Develop an innovative and visually stunning website

Give life to community action and inspiration .

Integrate user-generated content

and … all of the above entirely on top of the "Yes We Can!" video.

The HOPE.ACT.CHANGE. Website (launched feb 2008) Hope Act Change - Feb 2008 : http://www.hopeactchange.com/mosaic Inspired by Barack Obama's vision of change and collective action, LBi was brought into this ground-breaking project by will.i.am < http://will.i.am > , musician, producer and lead singer of 'Black Eyed Peas', and Jesse Dylan and Mike Jurkovac, the filmmakers behind the video. As the artist and filmmakers were conceiving and creating the "Yes We Can" song and video - which went on to over 20 million views on the web - they challenged LBi to build a website that would bring people into the effort to express their support of change in America.

We took our experience with Social Media and applied it to develop an innovative and visually stunning web site that gives life to community action and inspiration. Integrating user-generated content into the fabric of the "Yes We Can" music video, LBi created an interactive experience that visualizes the way the individual can bring about change and show their support for Barack Obama. The HOPE.ACT.CHANGE. Website Hope Act Change - Feb 2008 : http://www.hopeactchange.com/mosaic

By uploading their photos and videos to the site, or tagging their Flickr photos with "hopeactchange", their content becomes a component of a virtual mosaic that overlays the video playback. Supporters all over America and around the world have become thumbnail pieces of the video, adding their voice to the new HopeActChange movement. They can share their stories of inspiration and connect with other members of the site. We also have featured celebrities, musicians, artists and digital innovators who have contributed their efforts to the site. There are now thousands of members and an active, growing movement that is being evolved daily by the community itself. The HOPE.ACT.CHANGE. Website Hope Act Change - Feb 2008 : http://www.hopeactchange.com/mosaic

Yes we can! Will.I.Am - Yes We Can Song Info “ Yes We Can” is a song inspired by a speech delivered by Barack Obama following the 2008 New Hampshire primary, derived from the union catchcry “Yes we can”. The song was released on February 2, 2008 by the Black Eyed Peas member will.i.am on Dipdive.com and also on YouTube under the username ‘WeCan08′. Although the lyrics are entirely quotations from a speech delivered by Sen. Obama in New Hampshire during the 2008 campaign, his campaign had no involvement in its production. The music viral video, shot in a sparse black-and-white, features Barack Obama’s image in collage fashion; the performers comprise a veritable Greek chorus echoing his words in a hip-hop call-and-response manner as his voice plays in the background.

“ Yes We Can”-Video – Will.i.am Yes We Can - Feb 2007 : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1yq0tMYPDJQ Hope Act Change - Feb 2008 : http://www.hopeactchange.com/mosaic Speech Obama - Jan 8th 2007 : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fe751kMBwms

Honors for this video :

#54 - Most Discussed (All Time)

#6 - Most Discussed (All Time) - News & Politics

#2 - Most Viewed (All Time) - News & Politics

#2 - Top Favorited (All Time) - News & Politics

We suggest you (re)play this video in the background while browsing...

7. What can we all learn from this Campaign?

Bring a positive story (Larger perspective)

Come with a powerful tagline

Pick up user generated stories

Activate social media in a very early stage

Boost these stories through communities & networks (Empower the people with tools, Friends getting friends, Call to Actions)

Advanced + User driven Segmentation

Consistent 360 degrees presence (The Ongoing Dialogue)

It’s not about you, it’s about them !

Your High Level Approach plan : 1. Listen to your Audience 2. Join their conversations 3. Build honest relationships 4. Get them engaged Start an ongoing dialogue with your Audience And evolve/empower these communities InterConnected & Engaged Audience

It was all about ... Web 2.0 : Treat or opportunity? Obama saw the opportunity! And today, Obama has the possibility to use the power and the network to communicate and interact with the American people in order to keep them involved in the inspiring “Yes, We Can” movement!

you

together

honesty

8. Questions Now we really want to listen to you... answer your questions ... And let us start a dialogue! http://Twitter.com/LBi_Belgium Building Believable Brands 'Everything that we did was to connect people, because it was a movement that was fundamentally about people.' Rahaf Harfoush, new media strategist and a member of Barack Obama's digital campaign team.

Thank you ! www.lbigroup.be www.lbigroup.be twitter.com/LBi_Belgium Contact: Antony Slabinck Client Service Director [email_address] The most up to date version of this presentation is published on Slideshare: http://www.slideshare.net/aslabinck/barack-obama-election-campaign-2008-lbis-hopeactchange