- Sam Ewen

The best guerrilla marketing campaign of '08 wasn't waged to launch a new cell phone or hype an animated feature film that entertains the kids yet speaks to adults. It was conducted on behalf of the old editor of the Harvard Review. Exciting huh? You betcha!

The Barack Obama presidential campaign was one of the most impressive spectacles of media and grassroots activation in modern times. The effort will be the model in which future political campaigns are measured. And you can learn from it even if you are marketing more prosaic items like cell phones and kids' movies. Though the concept of a politician as a brand is nothing new, Obama's team took the concept to new marketing and brand building levels.

How? Here are a few of the reasons for Obama's success:

• A Bottom-up Approach: Obama started out as the challenger brand to market leader Hillary Clinton. Many credit his success to working on the fringes of the electorate and starting a local buzz, which then started to move towards the center. People started to hear the positive buzz from other people they knew, it seemed like something to start paying attention to. Potential voters went to seek out info on him and then start making up a decision.

• Let the Consumer Be the Brand: Obama's messaging was very clear, direct and concise. In addition, in all communication there was a participatory nature. He encouraged his audience to see the campaign in terms of themselves, of how they were part of it. He used specific phrasing—"Yes, We Can," "Change we can believe in"—that engaged the consumer and created loyalty and passion in how they thought of the campaign. They felt the brand. They were the brand. It evoked the feeling around an Apple or adidas campaign.

• Discipline on The Ground: There has probably never been a grassroots election machine like the one that Obama created. In addition to the paid ground staff, the volunteer pool was rumored to be more than 8 million strong. Talk about the world's largest street team. And when your street team is motivated, convincing, happy and knowledgeable, they can accomplish huge amounts.

Supposedly Obama himself set the direction of the ground communications. As per David Axelrod, Obama's campaign manager, the candidate laid out three main tenets to those working in the field and they could be principles that could find a home in any brand ambassador training manual. Those were:

1. "I want people to understand that we're in this together. I don't want sharp elbows, I don't want people pointing fingers. We're going to rise and fall together." i.e. WORK TOGETHER

2. "I want this to be a grassroots campaign, and that's how I believe you bring about change, that's the only way we can win this election. I want the emphasis placed there." i.e. STAY ON MESSAGE

3. "I want this to be a joyful experience." i.e. EVEN THOUGH THE WORK MAYBE HARD, HAVE FUN!

While those are just a few of the factors that led to the Obama victory, you can't underestimate the esprit de corps. It wouldn't have come together without the energy, planning and strategy Obama's team put forth. His presidential run should be an inspiration, regardless of your personal political affiliations, to anyone in the business of branded communication and specifically for the nontraditional marketer in how you can engage and involve specific audiences to become engaged and excited on your behalf.


Sam Ewen is the CEO of Interference, a New York-based marketing firm. You can reach him at (212) 995-8583 or info@interferenceinc.com.