By Dave Rigotti (@drigotti on Twitter)
(View the thesis paper here.)

• This presentation is an adaptation of Dave Rigotti‘s
thesis as a partial requirement for obtaining his
B.B.A. with honors from The University of Toledo.You
can view the actual thesis here.
• Research was conducted the two weeks prior to the
election, October 20 through November
3, 2008, with supporting research and writing from
November 4, 2008 through February 5, 2009.
The Social Media Use of Obama and McCain by Dave Rigotti 2

meetup.com
twitter.com
Social Media Site
flickr.com
digg.com
McCain
myspace.com
Obama
youtube.com
facebook.com
0 20000 40000 60000 80000 100000 120000
Number of U.S. Unique Visitors, ages 18+, Sept. 08
The Social Media Use of Obama and McCain by Dave Rigotti 3

40
35
30
25
Percent
20
barackobama.com
15
johnmccain.com
10
5
0
18-34 35-49 50+
Age Group
The Social Media Use of Obama and McCain by Dave Rigotti 4

Obama
McCain
The Social Media Use of Obama and McCain by Dave Rigotti 5

2,500,000
Number of Instances or Fans
2,000,000
1,500,000
Obama
1,000,000 McCain
500,000
0
keyword fans
Type of Representation
The Social Media Use of Obama and McCain by Dave Rigotti 6

Obama
McCain
The Social Media Use of Obama and McCain by Dave Rigotti 7

Obama
McCain
The Social Media Use of Obama and McCain by Dave Rigotti 8

Obama
McCain
The Social Media Use of Obama and McCain by Dave Rigotti 9

Obama
McCain
The Social Media Use of Obama and McCain by Dave Rigotti 10

Obama
McCain
The Social Media Use of Obama and McCain by Dave Rigotti 11

Obama
McCain
The Social Media Use of Obama and McCain by Dave Rigotti 12

Obama
McCain
The Social Media Use of Obama and McCain by Dave Rigotti 13

Obama
McCain
The Social Media Use of Obama and McCain by Dave Rigotti 14

40
Percentage, as a Total of all Votes, for
30
their respective year
20
2004
10 2008
0
18-29
30-44
45-64
65 or over
Total Popular Vote
Age Group 2004 = 121,069,054
2008 = 129,391,711
The Social Media Use of Obama and McCain by Dave Rigotti 15

Percentage, as a Total of all Votes
14%
12%
10%
8%
6% Obama
4% McCain
2%
0%
18-24 25-29 30-39 40-49 50-64 65 or
over
Age Group
The Social Media Use of Obama and McCain by Dave Rigotti 16

45%
40%
35%
30%
Percent
25%
20%
15%
10%
5%
0%
Under 18 18-34 35-49 50+
% social media site usage 18% 42% 24% 15%
% votes 0% 28% 31% 31%
Age Groups
Sources
Quantcast.com and
% social media site usage % votes CNN.com
The Social Media Use of Obama and McCain by Dave Rigotti 17

• Dave Rigotti is a writer, speaker, and
Internet marketer. He has worked with
some of the most well-known and
influential brands in the
world, conducting search engine
marketing and developing communication
strategies. In July, he’ll join Microsoft as a
consumer-focused marketer on Bing.com.
• Dave graduated from The University of
Toledo (BBA with Honors, magna cum
B: http://daverigotti.com
laude, 2009) after majoring in marketing T: @drigotti
and entrepreneurship. This presentation
is an adaptation of his thesis.
The Social Media Use of Obama and McCain by Dave Rigotti 18