ANA Marketing Maestros

How Great Marketing Led Barack Obama to the White House

By: Irina Skaya

Today, Barack Obama will be sworn in as the 44^th president of the United States. Successful Internet marketing is the cornerstone of the 2009 historic inauguration. How did Obama connect with today’s diverse general market? How do we as marketers engage, inspire and motivate today’s consumers?

History was made when Barack Obama was elected President, but his win is beyond historic – his superb use of online marketing to promote awareness and create a loyal following has earned him AdAge’s Marketer of the Year award at the ANA Annual Masters of Marketing Conference. It also became be the template which all future presidential campaigns will draw inspiration from.  

Thomas Jefferson was the first President to use newspapers to promote his presidential campaign, Franklin D. Roosevelt was the first to use radio, John F. Kenny used television. Barack Obama is the first president to have the power to leverage Social Media in such a way as never seen before by our Presidency or Government as a whole.  

The secret behind any successful marketing campaign is to put yourselves in the shoes of the consumers. Sure, his multiracial and multicultural background represents today’s generation, but Obama has also appointed the best marketing staff that represents and knows its target market inside and out. That’s why his campaign has embraced social media. Youth vote had a major role to play in the landslide victory, and the role of the internet - the living space of the youth. His inspirational message of “change has come to America" has remained consistent throughout the presidential campaign. This message became even more important in the economic downturn.

On February 12^th, Jim Margolis, Senior Advisor to the Barack Obama presidential campaign will discuss the power of social media and share lessons from Obama's campaign at the TV & Everything Video Forum.

YouBama and the Next Wave of Political Advertising

By: Irina Skaya

In light of President’s Week, I want post about the 2008 primary state of affairs as Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton slug it out for the presidential nomination. There are several things that interest me about this particular election, and it’s not the potential win of the first woman president nor the first black president. After all, we already had a black man and a white woman on the presidential ticket - Jesse Jackson in 1984 and 1988, and Geraldine Ferraro in 1984. What is is unique about this election is the viral online marketing campaign Obama has created. According to Time Magazine, no other campaign has tapped into social networks so aggressively, nor used the Internet to leverage the financial power of small donors.

Earlier this month, Obama scored highest among Democratic voters, ages 18-30 in the New York primaries. Why is Obama so popular among young voters? Is it because today’s generation of voters is colorblind or is it the emotional connection that Obama has created with them through social networking communities?

In one of his recent speeches, Obama stated that he wants to get people excited about politics again. I think he will achieve that--Obama is finding innovative ways to create a personal connection with potential voters, and to raise campaign dollars, using online social networks such as Facebook and MySpace. On Facebook, Obama has five times the number of Clinton supporters. Obama’s nearly 5-minute video response to President Bush’s “State of the Union” address became the most viewed video in the world. His own Website also features a community where potential voters may organize their friends, neighbors and networks. Members can build their own profile, form affinity groups, host events, write blogs, and, of course, donate money to his campaign. Obama even has his own user-generated channel called YouBama that features Obama supporters spreading the word on why he should be the 44th president.

Check out this powerful video, "Yes, we can" released by Black Eyed Peas' Will.I.Am, featuring a wildly diverse cross section of celebrity supporters:

Google trends show that in the last couple of months, the search volume for “Barack Obama” has exceeded the search volume for “Hillary Clinton.”

His online campaign has not only earned Obama $5 million more in donor dollars than Clinton’s fundraising efforts, but also allows him to gauge the pulse of his audience and know where to steer his campaign. So, who will win the democratic nomination? The candidate with a recognized brand name and relevant experience or the fresh face candidate who has superseded traditional advertising with buzz marketing, and as a result, leads the primary fund raising race?

Technorati tags: viral marketing 2008 presidential election Barack Obama Hillary Clinton social networks

B2B Marketers Can Ride the Magic Carpet of Alibaba

By Kaitlin Villanova                                                                              

Do you hear the buzz? It's called Alibaba, no, not the fictional character from Arabian Nights but China's largest e-commerce company.

Alibaba is "the world's largest marketplace for global trade and the leading provider of online marketing services for importers and exporters. It is the place for buyers and sellers to find trade opportunities and promote their businesses online. Alibaba is not a trading company but rather an online business platform, where you can search or post information to find potential business partners."

It has been noted to be the first company to give Google a scare and maybe even a run for its money. Founded by former English teacher Jack Ma in 1995, Alibaba is selling a 17% stake in the company, in the biggest technology IPO since Google.

Some facts:

• Yahoo! has agreed to buy $100 million worth of shares (they hold a 39% stake in Alibaba Group).
• Alibaba.com is the largest business-to-business e-trading site in China; it reported earnings of 295.2 million Chinese yuan ($39.2 million) in the first six months of 2007.
• The listed company would not include two fast-growing Alibaba Group businesses: its online shopping unit, Taobao.com, and its online payment services provider, Alipay.
• Its shares are slated to begin trading Nov. 6. (Source: Forbes.com)

So what does this mean for marketers? With so many involved in the B2B space this allows for virtual global trade. Scott Tong of American Public Media’s Marketplace refers to Alibaba “as the online dating service for global business.”

With close to 25 million members, with sales and marketing offices in over 30 countries, and more than 4,400 employees, it leaves a big platform from which to do business. If your organization is doing B2B globally, I recommend you take the time to evaluate this search engine.

Technorati tags: Alibaba B2B Global Search Engine

Music to Consumers' Ears

By Kaitlin Villanova

Our dear friends at JCPenney, Old Navy, and Liberty Mutual are onto something. By incorporating a catchy tune (often nostalgic) in the 30 second spot they are combining their product with popular culture.

Attracting the consumer with an already produced song rather than a jingle created on behalf of the agency or advertiser is an interesting proposition.

After the premier of a commercial, these songs often become instant hits and best-sellers on itunes. Websites like adtunes allow the consumer to identify the songs heard in ads. By choosing more niche artists the advertiser promotes the artist and themselves in a musically savvy light.

I have compiled a list of what I think are the best use of a song in a commercial.

Here is my recent top 5 list (in no particular order):

1. JCPenney: Music Box by Regina Specktor

2. Apple: 1234 by Feist

3. HP: Picture Book by the Kinks

4. Old Navy: The Way I Am by Ingrid Michaelson

5. Liberty Mutual: Half Acre by Air

Microsoft and Yahoo?

By Will Waugh

I don't normally rely on the New York Post for much more than Page Six, but they  are announcing Microsoft is talking to Yahoo! about a potential $50 billion bid (thanks Forbes.com) Funny, I was just meeting with Microsoft on Monday and Tuesday and they didn't mention a lick of this to me (I feel slighted). The pressure, the Post says, is coming from Google's continued domination of search and online advertising, particularly with the recent purchase of DoubleClick.

If it is true, why not for Microsoft? I don't see this as a sign of desperation, rather a desire to expand it's capabilities online.

What this would give Microsoft:

• An expanded search reach with Yahoo's #2 position in the field.
• The #1 portal with some of the best brands in online media.
• Expanded e-commerce capabilities in spaces like cars and jobs.
• More content (I love content).

That's just a start. Looking forward to seeing how this develops.

Technorati tags: microsoft marketing yahoo

A Customer's Story - What Bad Employees Do To Your Brand

By Barbara Bacci Mirque

During a winter trip to the lovely Whistler Blackcomb Ski Resort in British Columbia, Canada, I learned firsthand about the dark side of one to one marketing. No, not the digital type this term invokes but the good old fashioned one on one, personal sale that built companies such as Fuller Brush and Avon.

My experience was with a vacation timeshare and the outcome was not pleasant, but now that company is going to learn about the power of the conversation and how in the digital communication world we inhabit, the customer has a voice – a loud voice. I can express my displeasure with this company not to a few friends but to many hundred through blogs, social network sites, etc.

So what happened to incur this wrath? As my husband and I sat warming up in one of the ski lodges, we were scoped out by a marketing person since we fit their demographic (stable looking couple, in the age bracket of those who might be induced to purchase a timeshare at this fabulous resort – how is that for traditional targeting?!). When the pleasant young man started chatting us up, whereas this hardened New Yorker would have ignored him back home, we began conversing and were ultimately invited to a vacation timeshare presentation. Since we had never participated in one before we accepted (and the offer of 2 free lift tickets was enticing!) Little did we know what we were getting into when we later arrived at the sales office– the hard sell began. Ultimately our twenty-something salesman - a former self-acclaimed champion snowboarder - became very offended when we steadfastly refused his incredible price incentive. He ended the session by loudly insulting us and berating us for attending "just for the free gift" (Well of course – but they offered!)

So what are the lessons here?

• For one, be sure you thoroughly train all of your touch points. Your most customer facing among them should not insult your customers. The well honed marketing campaign about this company’s charming accommodations at this terrific ski resort can all be for naught when up against a rude employee.
• Second, monitor the conversation and respond – read the blogs and track what is being said about your company and correct negative perceptions. I plan to post negative comments about this company on communities that I frequent such as TripAdvisor and I will actively seek out other relevant blogs on which I can complain about them.

Don’t let this happen to your company and if it does for legitimate reasons, react to it and correct it at the source.

Technorati tags: timeshares marketing blogs

Bob Wehling - Lessons Learned from a Marketing Legend

By Barbara Bacci Mirque

I am fortunate enough to meet the top marketers in the world through my employment at the ANA. Every day is an incredible learning experience for me as I interact with these marketing mavens. But I don’t just learn about marketing from them – I learn about leadership. One of the marketers with whom I have interacted at the ANA was just inducted into the AAF Advertising Hall of Fame. Bob Wehling, former Global Marketing Officer at The Procter & Gamble Company, accomplished many things in his 41 years at P&G but counts among his most cherished accomplishments marrying Carolyn and being the father of six daughters - and now the grandfather of 23. There he learned true insights about marketing to women, he said at his induction ceremony on March 20. He is also very proud of his community service work, particularly in the area of education and children’s issues.

One of the most compelling things I have heard about Bob from folks who were lucky enough to work with him or for him, is how he started every meeting with the question - "What can I do for you today?" Here is a person at the top of his game, commanding hundreds of millions of dollars in marketing spend, who was seeking to help those with whom he came in contact. That is the leadership lesson we can all take back from Bob Wehling. Similarly, what struck me as I listened to the biographies of each inductee was how they all seemed to have a similar style to Bob and were more concerned about others than themselves and their own career trajectory. So that is a key success attribute we can all start employing in our interactions with our staffs and marketing partners. I can’t wait for the folks who work for me to fall off of their chairs when I start a meeting with that line! You can read their inspirational stories and learn more about Bob and the other Hall of Fame inductees at this marvelous website.

Technorati tags: wehling marketing procter & gamble

Marketing is #2 on Bright New Careers List

By Will Waugh

I wasn't looking but it popped up on my Yahoo! home page this morning. Seven Bright Careers for 2007 and Beyond highlights Marketing at #2 right after Physician Assistant:

This isn't your grandma's advertising. Today's marketers are developing business strategies in a rapidly changing media environment. To keep up with the media revolution, many businesses are hiring 'new media marketing coordinators' and 'marketing media strategists.'

I am not sure what my "grandma's advertising" was but this excerpt is spot on with indicators we are seeing from ANA members.

Wanted: Expert to Develop Talent Payment Methodology

It goes without saying that there has been tremendous change in the media landscape since the current talent compensation model was established, back in the 1950s.

As a result, the Joint Policy Committee on Broadcast Talent Union Relations (JPC), the entity that represents the advertising industry in contract negotiations with the major talent unions, issued a Request for Qualifications (RFQ) for an independent consultant.  They are searching for this consultant to develop alternate methods to compensate actors for their participation in commercials that appear on television and radio as well as in the growing array of new media.

The RFQ is intended to identify individuals with experience in television, radio and labor relations, who have the expertise to study the concerns of both the advertisers and the unions and propose alternative methods of compensation. The resulting approaches will be offered for consideration in this fall’s bargaining process surrounding the advertising industry’s contract with SAG/AFTRA, which expires on October 29, 2006.

Click here for more information on the JPC's Request for Credentials.