We here at Brandsplat are big fans of following the latest online marketing and social media marketing campaigns unleashed by some of the world’s biggest brands. It’s always fascinating to see how a once universally loved and now slightly tarnished brand uses the powers of the Internet to claw its way back to the top. So when Barack Obama announced his candidacy for the 2012 presidential election, all eyes turned to social media as politicos and marketers alike wondered if Obama could once again become an unbeatable brand.
“It Begins with Us” is a new YouTube commercial which dropped this week just in time for the announcement. The “Yes We Can” and “Hope” spirit has washed off a little since his initial bid for the Oval Office in 2010. Instead this video has a realistic “sure things still stink but they could be worse” type of vibe. Rightfully, this early campaign is trying to get the people who voted for him the first time to become mobilized to vote for him again. As the only clear contender in the race on either side of the political coin, Obama’s campaign can’t be judged too harshly and as far as Internet political ads go, this YouTube video is far from offensive or cloying — it’s a little boring.
Like any good brand, Obama hopped right on Facebook the minute his re-election was announced.
“Today, we are filing papers to launch the 2012 campaign. Say that you’re in,” said the President early Monday morning. The message didn’t fall on deaf ears. Obama has more the 18 million followers on the social network and will undoubtedly be remembered as the “social media” president. But things in social media have changed since 2008 so this time the Prez will have to bring his A game to keep up with the increase of followers, the growing number of platforms and the suddenly fickle nature of social media users.
While Obama’s actual website looks a little empty right now, we can be sure that one of the world’s best digital marketers will once again leave no stone unturned when it comes to reelection — even if we can’t be sure he’ll win again.
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