The next US president will likely be decided years ahead of the election via social media, according to Obama's director of campaign marketing in 2008 and 2012. The implications of data and social media for Australia's next leader are profound.
Andrew Bleeker was director of marketing for president Obama during the 2008 and rehired during the 2012 campaigns. “I was hoping not to do more than one. But the Obama campaign is a bit like the mob: you don't leave,” Bleaker told today's DNA conference.
Bleeker's team holds the record for most retweeted posts, most 'up' votes on Reddit and most shared Facebook posts of all time. In 2008, he admits the campaign had a “secret sauce” to drive voters to action. “That was George W Bush”.
Without that sauce, 2012 was tougher. The key was taking data out of silos into a single database and thinking of voters as individuals not targets.
Tailored emails were sent to those individuals, donation platforms were optimised to their simplest form. The next step was using social platforms to let the voters do the campaigning.
Building relationships between organisations and audience and strengthening over time is where the real digital opportunity lies, said Bleeker. Starting simple is the key both for brands and Australia's political parties gearing up to 14 September.
“Use something to get you in the door, to get an email address, a social follow. Then your audience might be willing to watch a video, see what friends have to say. And then [with trust and engagement painstakingly built] when a deadline looms, they are willing to act.”
Crucially, don't try to make people look like nerds, said Bleeker.
“Is a tough political TV spot something people will share? No because it makes them look like nerds. You have to package stuff that makes people feel good about sharing.”
Simple visual information and facts worked for the Obama campaign. The team used a graphic of employment figures, Obama versus Romney, with a date and a source for credibility. It started socially and became a part of all integrated campaigns, said Bleeker.
Politicians and brands must also close the loop – not just continue to ask audiences for something, to engage, to like “or you will lose them over time”, said Bleeker. The two must also stop “screaming over the top messages” and be more realistic. “Nobody believes that. People are savvy and smart and they see web browsing as research. As soon as they see you are biased they will leave.”
But Australian politicians may have missed the boat this time around. Building social media relationships does not happen overnight. “It takes time, so both political sides need to build very early on,” said Bleeker. “Social media will make it evident very early on who is likely to be the next US president because you can't build relationships quickly.”
While it may not correspond to Australia's election, the 2013 campaign could herald a significant advertising windfall if it mirrors spend in 2012.
“We ran out of TV to buy and digital too,” said Bleeker. “We spent a lot per voter.”
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