Obama's SMO and SMM implementations

The Obama Effect How Obama is Shaping and Reflecting Nine Macro Trends in 2009

Overview
Brand Omnipresence
The Collective Consciousness
A Post-Racial Nation
Makeover for Brand USA
More Under One Roof
Affordable Chic
The Energy Race
The Green-Collar Class
Brand Obama
What We’ll Cover

The 44 th U.S. president has already started influencing American society in profound ways ... and his first 100 days has barely begun.
After two years of campaigning and a historical inauguration, it seems that the Obama White House is on its way to making its mark on several important trends either by actively shaping them or by reflecting (and thereby validating) them.
Overview

1. Brand Omnipresence

The Trend
Thanks to the growing sophistication and ubiquity of digital technologies, people are becoming accustomed to on-demand access: They want to access what they want, when they want, how they want and where they want.

Obama understands that to reach and expand his base, he needs to be where his constituents are spending their time.
He is everywhere: on YouTube, Facebook, MySpace, Twitter. Mobile. Oh, and TV, too. He also reaches out to niche audiences, from college kids to blue-collar workers to suburban moms.
How Obama Is Shaping It
That's the magic of what [Obama's campaign has] done. They've married the incredibly powerful online community they built with real on-the-ground field operations. We've never seen anything like this before in American political history. — Simon Rosenberg, president of Democratic think tank NDN, Rolling Stone , March 2008

President Obama's weekly addresses are posted to YouTube and the White House site. Like FDR's "fireside chats" on the radio, Obama is pioneering the use of a new medium to reach his audience. His first YouTube address has garnered nearly a million views. On Twitter, Obama has sent out more than 260 Tweets to 144,000 "followers." During his campaign, Tweets updated supporters on his whereabouts, e.g.: "At a rally in Cincinnati; watch it live here on the Web," "Unveiling my economic recovery plan for the middle class in Toledo." YouTube Chats Between Tweets

Friending and Flickring On Facebook, President Obama has more than 4 million supporters and 500,000-plus wall posts. On Flickr, Obama has more than 700,000 contacts; countless others also browse his photos.

What It Means for Brands
From Millennials to Boomers, low-income to luxury consumers, different people increasingly access media in different ways. To ensure that consumers have as many doors into the brand as possible, a marketer must be everywhere. Brands can't expect consumers to come to them—rather, brands must be wherever their consumers can be found.

2. The Collective Consciousness

Over the past few decades, developed economies have engendered individualistic cultures, with citizens largely putting their self-interest above that of community or country. The tide is shifting: Facilitated by the proliferation of online technologies, a new global mind-set has people thinking less about “me” and more about what “we” can do—collectively—to address the challenges of modern society.
The Trend

How Obama Is Shaping It By championing the idealistic and communal aspects of the American Dream, a "We're all in this together" ethos, and the use of community-building technological tools, Obama is helping to shift the focus from individualism, consumption and fame to the collective-driven notions of community and working for the greater good. What is required of us now is a new era of responsibility—a recognition, on the part of every American, that we have duties to ourselves, our nation and the world, duties that we do not grudgingly accept but rather seize gladly, firm in the knowledge that there is nothing so satisfying to the spirit, so defining of our character than giving our all to a difficult task. This is the price and the promise of citizenship. — Obama's inauguration speech, Jan. 20, 2009

Obama's election victory was due largely to the organization and fervor of his supporters on the grassroots level. His campaign was able to raise $600 million from more than 3 million people, mainly through small contributions over the Internet. Volunteers were trained and organized through his social networking site, my.barackobama.com. This sort of collective, grassroots organizing is likely to serve as a model for other causes and candidates. Photo credit: Pew Research Center Grassroots Organization A 2008 Pew poll found that just under half of American adults use social networking to organize with others for an event, issue or cause.

Over the past few decades, developed economies have engendered individualistic cultures, with citizens largely putting their self-interest above that of community or country. The tide is shifting: Facilitated by the proliferation of online technologies, a new global mind-set has people thinking less about “me” and more about what “we” can do—collectively—to address the challenges of modern society.
Collective Responsibility When I am sworn in as president of the United States, it will be because of you. You've built the largest grassroots organization in history and shaped the future of this country. ... As president, I will need the help of all Americans to meet the challenges that lie ahead. — Barack Obama’s video message posted at http://my.barackobama.com/page/invite/thefuture

Renewing America Together
Hoping to build on the spirit of civic engagement fostered by the campaign, Obama launched Renew America Together, a broad initiative that asks Americans to restore their commitment to local and national service.
Through usaservice.org, Americans can sign up for volunteer projects ranging from mentoring kids to donating blood. The video here won third place in a YouTube contest on the site. (See http://tinyurl.com/c7jsca)
On Martin Luther King Jr. Day, volunteers completed 13,000 service projects around the country.

Brands that can tap into this shift from “me” to “we” will be able to form connections and allegiances with consumers that go deeper than the superficial and transactional. While being a consumer can make people feel selfish, aligning with socially conscious brands and their customers to advance a cause can make consumers feel selfless.

3. A Post-Racial Nation

The Trend
In this context, "post-racial" implies the direction U.S. society is headed—toward a culture that is racially diverse, blended and inclusive.
That's not to say that racism has disappeared—but what's changing is that such simple categories as black and white are no longer as discrete as they once seemed.

How Obama Is Reflecting and Shaping It
Obama's family reflects how a post-racial nation might look. His immediate relatives come from different parts of the world, have different religious backgrounds and speak different languages.
Through his rhetoric, Obama has promised to cultivate an era of inclusion:
We have never been just a collection of individuals or a collection of red states or blue states; we are and always will be the United States of America.
— Election night speech, Nov. 4, 2008

Nation's Many Faces in First Family
For well over two centuries, the United States has been vastly more diverse than its ruling families. Now the Obama family has flipped that around, with a Technicolor cast that looks almost nothing like their overwhelmingly white, overwhelmingly Protestant predecessors in the role. The family that produced Barack and Michelle Obama is black and white and Asian, Christian, Muslim and Jewish. They speak English; Indonesian; French; Cantonese; German; Hebrew; African languages including Swahili, Luo and Igbo; and even a few phrases of Gullah, the Creole dialect of the South Carolina Low country . —"Nation’s Many Faces in Extended First Family," The New York Times , Jan. 20, 2009
Photo credit: The New York Times

In 2005, two-thirds percent of the U.S. population was white, with Hispanics comprising 14 percent.
The Majority-Minority By 2050, whites will make up less than half the American population (47 percent), while Hispanics will represent 29 percent, African-Americans 13 percent and Asians 9 percent.

Are you or a family member married to or living with a partner who has a different race/religion/ethnicity? (Percent of those responding 'yes' below.) A January Newsweek poll of 1,200 adults found signs that multicultural relationships are becoming more common compared with the mid-'90s ... ... and more widely accepted. Do you approve or disapprove of marriages between people of the following different racial and ethnic backgrounds? (Percent of those responding 'approve' below.) A More Blended Society

It will become increasingly difficult to define consumer segments in terms of race and ethnicity. As the Millennials and successive generations (the post-racial generations) come of age, brands will need to adjust to a world in which the attitudes and behaviors of many types of people incorporate multiple cultural influences.

4. Makeover for Brand USA

Look for the Obama administration to re-brand the United States in an effort to improve U.S. diplomatic relations and overhaul a tarnished image.
There is much work to be done: According to the Pew Research Center, during the Bush era, U.S. favorability ratings tanked among European countries.
Photo credit: Pew Research Center The Trend

Photo credit: Pew Research Center Favorability ratings also fell in the rest of the world, especially in Middle Eastern and central Asian nations. The Trend (Cont’d.)

Experts believe Obama will do much to raise the prestige of the American brand internationally. His international background has already fostered goodwill toward the U.S. in places such as Kenya and Muslim Indonesia.
In Europe, the view that America is part of what has gone wrong in our world, rather than a force to help make it right, has become all too common. ...
Yes, there have been differences between America and Europe. No doubt there will be differences in the future. But the burdens of global citizenship continue to bind us together. — Obama's speech in Berlin, July 24, 2008

While the U.S. is in the midst of a recession, it is likely to recoup soft power through a boost in international prestige and the goodwill and optimism that the new administration has engendered. This is good news for U.S. companies and brands that invoke Americana—an opportunity to leverage the country's newfound popularity.

5. More Under One Roof

The Trend
Multigenerational households are on the rise as young adults stay home longer and grandparents live to an older age. And with more two-career households, live-in grandparents are often the best way to meet child-care needs.
Recession is accelerating this trend: With family members looking to pool resources, homes now accommodate cash-strapped siblings, grown children, parents and grandparents. Even some divorced couples are forced to keep living together.

Like many American families, the Obamas have a multigenerational household. Michelle Obama's mother, Marian Robinson, is living in the White House, helping the Obamas raise Sasha and Malia.
Caring and capable grandparents are in high demand, especially among parents trying to reconcile their home and work lives.
Photo credit: The Huffington Post How Obama Is Reflecting It The girls are going to need her, as part of their sense of stability. And what is true for my mom is that she does anything for us and her grandkids. — Michelle Obama, Newsweek, November 2008

The number of seniors over 65 who live with their adult children grew 50 percent between 2000 and 2007. Many of these "boomerang parents" are helping with child-rearing and household chores.
Boomerang Parents

A common phenomenon among some cultures—Latino, Greek, etc.—is becoming the new norm across the board in the U.S.: The traditional nuclear unit is growing more multigenerational and extended. Brands need to acknowledge and cater to this changing dynamic and a wider sphere of household influencers.

6. Affordable Chic

The Trend
Mixing high and low fashion has been popular for some time, thanks to retailers like H&M that take their cues from the runway. Cheap is chic.

How Obama Is Reflecting and Shaping It
Many of the outfits that have helped make Michelle Obama a fashion icon include mass-market, relatively inexpensive pieces. The new First Lady has given affordable chic perhaps the ultimate seal of approval.
The fashion world is intently watching Obama, the first black woman in the White House, with some expecting the stylish, charismatic and relatively young First Lady to be the next Jackie O. Yet unlike Jackie, many of her style choices are accessible to the average American woman.
I always loved clothes. ... Fortunately, they make really pretty stuff at all price ranges. —Michelle Obama, Access Hollywood , July 2008

While Republican VP candidate Sarah Palin was lampooned for spending thousands on her wardrobe, Obama demonstrated her fashion savvy via outfits from J. Crew and White House/Black Market.
After TV appearances in which she wore a $148 White House/Black Market print dress and a J. Crew yellow cardigan, silk blouse and skirt, the items sold out less than 48 hours later.
Women can also buy low-end versions of favored Obama designer Thakoon (she wore the label during the DNC convention and the vice presidential debate): Target recently launched its Thakoon for Target collection.
Photo credit: The Tonight Show with Jay Leno (top), The View (middle), Target (bottom) Fashion Within Reach

Michelle's personal style is so appealing because her fashion choices seem genuine, prompted in large part by practical considerations. Fashion brands would do well to choose Michelle Obama types as brand ambassadors. Women who can easily mix high and low with class, glamour and style are far more appealing in a recession than a Madonna or Paris Hilton.

7. The Energy Race

The Trend
Global capitalism’s next entrepreneurial Holy Grail is shaping up to be energy-efficient technologies.
While the drop in oil prices and immediate economic concerns have temporarily taken the spotlight off the energy challenge, significant funds have already been earmarked for alternative-energy exploration.

Among other initiatives, Obama's "New Energy for America" plan aims to eliminate oil imports from the Middle East and Venezuela; help generate 5 million new jobs by investing $150 billion over the next decade to incentivize private clean-energy efforts; and put 1 million plug-in hybrid cars on the road by 2015.
While these plans may be put on the backburner as the administration focuses on economic recovery, they indicate that Obama is committed to long-term solutions to the energy crisis.
How Obama Is Shaping It Each day brings further evidence that the ways we use energy strengthen our adversaries and threaten our planet. — Obama's inauguration speech, Jan. 20, 2009

Conventional wisdom had it that innovative projects exploring alternative energy sources were not smart investments, especially with fossil fuels so cheap and abundant. That way of thinking changed abruptly in summer 2008.
Record oil prices coupled with rising global demand brought to bear the importance of renewable energy—and while prices have dropped, the need is now starkly clear.
Both Democrats and Republicans are making alternative energy a high priority. Consider Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, who surprised some by declaring that Alaska, an important source of domestic oil and gas, will endeavor to get half its electricity from renewables by 2025 under her new energy plan.
Photo credit: The New York Times Focus on Energy

Unlike the Space Race and the Arms Race before that, the Energy Race doesn’t just pit nation against nation—it’s a competition (and cooperation) between countries, corporations and research institutions to find cheaper, renewable and more environmentally friendly energy sources.
Oil and petrol companies are increasingly positioning themselves as energy companies—the "energy" umbrella allowing them to pursue traditional sources of revenue while investing in sustainable energy. Also look for some unlikely players to enter the race, including tech companies out of Silicon Valley, Dalian in China and Bangalore in India.

8. The Green-Collar Class

The Trend
The green-collar class—the segment of workers involved in green industries such as solar and wind energy—will grow as campaign promises slowly bring about a new economic reality for American workers.

With a new administration promising to create more green jobs and expand America’s green credentials, green-collar industries and skills will be a hot topic.
We'll create nearly half a million jobs by investing in clean energy—by committing to double the production of alternative energy in the next three years, and by modernizing more than 75 percent of federal buildings and improving the energy efficiency of 2 million American homes. These made-in-America jobs building solar panels and wind turbines, developing fuel-efficient cars and new energy technologies pay well, and they can't be outsourced. —Obama's weekly address, Jan. 10, 2009

Consider Nolan County in Texas, which has more wind turbines than any other county in the U.S. According to Fast Company, wind farms there are stimulating the local economy by providing maintenance and repair jobs.
In a 2008 report, the Energy Department concluded that wind energy could provide one-fifth of America's electricity by 2030, up from about 2 percent today; this would require nearly $500 billion in new construction and add more than 3 million jobs.
A Case Study

Businesses with a vested interest in sustainable energy production will do well to promote the growth of green-collar jobs. Not only does this demonstrate corporate responsibility but gives an opportunity to promote public goodwill.

9. Brand Obama

The Trend
CEOs will increasingly try to emulate the president's "no drama Obama" approach to leadership and management; brands will echo his message of hope and optimism amid adversity.

Obama continues to appeal to a wide segment of Americans who are more "purple" than red or blue, rejecting partisan politics and business as usual in favor of pragmatic idealism, optimism for pessimistic times, short-term fixes that will amount to long-term gains, and calm under fire.
Which brings us to the most important reason for the success of [Obama's] message: It touches a chord that resonates not just across races and regions, but across more than two centuries of our history. Whatever his errors, Obama's campaign and the followers it has inspired remind us of the essential meaning of America, captured in the motto adopted by the Founders: E pluribus unum. Out of many, one. — Steve Chapman's op-ed in Chicago Tribune , Oct. 26, 2008

From Fast Company to the Harvard Business Review , the press is filled with articles on how to manage and lead like Obama (e.g., "How Obama Became CEO of the USA—and What It Means for CEOs Everywhere," "Obama's Seven Lessons for Radical Innovators").
Photo credit: Fast Company Management 101

Brands are taking overt cues from Brand Obama. For example, Pepsi's "Refresh Everything" campaign uses a redesigned logo similar to Obama's campaign logo. During the inauguration, Pepsi posted messages such as "All for One" and "Yes, You Can" on buildings, billboards, buses and public transportation hubs around Washington, D.C.
Photo credit: Mediapost.com Spreading the Hope

Brands will be jumping on the optimism and hope bandwagon. The trick will be to add something fresh so this doesn't appear as a me-too move.
Consumers are likely to respond well to a sense of good cheer in a recession year.
Watch as more management gurus deconstruct the lure of Brand Obama in leadership seminars and books.

Thank You Ann M. Mack Director of Trendspotting JWT Worldwide [email_address] www.jwt.com www.jwtintelligence.com

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Obama's SMO and SMM implementations

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Obama’s SMO and SMM implementations — Presentation Transcript