The victory of Barack Obama in the 2008 presidential elections depicts a case study of how businesses and organizations should market themselves in order to increase customer base and profitability. Barack Obama conducted his 2008 presidential campaigns with charisma, eloquence, and humility, making him the first African-American to become president of the USA. His campaigns and victory in the presidential race provide various lessons for organizations, especially on how to use effective marketing strategy to achieve objectives.
Use of Social Media for Marketing
Barack Obama was able to embrace and use social media platforms to campaign for the presidential elections (Patrick, 2008). For instance, he used Facebook and Twitter to create awareness about his vision for the country, which helped to reach many Americans. Therefore, organizations should embrace the use of social media to promote and create awareness for their products. Some of the advantages of using social media to advertise include improved brand loyalty, more inbound traffic, a wide range of coverage, and higher conversion rates.
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Timely Response to Competition
Obama ran for the presidential race in 2008 against John McCain from the Republican Party. Obama's campaign team was able to immediately respond to all claims from his opponent (Patrick, 2008). He developed a campaign site referred to as "Fight the Smears" and was meant to respond to any allegations that came from the opponents. Therefore, organizations and businesses should adopt a prompt response strategy to address competition. In addition, organizations should keep updated on the moves made by competitors in order to develop strategies to counter and remain competitive. For instance, organizations can set prices of goods and services based on those by competitors.
Developing Products Based on Consumer Needs and Preferences
Barack Obama was aware of what Americans needed at that time, and he geared his campaigns towards the needs of the people. For instance, he promised that he would help end racism among black people as well as grow the economy. Businesses, too, should have a clear understanding of the needs and insights of customers. For instance, organizations can conduct surveys and market research to identify customer needs and preferences. The products and services should then match to the client's needs in order to have improved customer loyalty.
Remaining Optimistic and Owning a Unique Position
The Obama 2008 campaigns were based on the slogan "Yes We Can," which brought hope to the American people. In addition, he took a unique position of bringing change to America. Organizations, too, should embrace optimistic and unique approaches while marketing. When companies give hope and take a unique position in their marketing strategies, customers believe in the firms and become loyal.
Embrace Team Work
Barack Obama chose Joe Biden as his running mate, who helped him get more votes since he was an experienced senator for many years. Therefore, organizations should focus on recruiting the best employees and working as a team to help achieve business objectives.
Creating Winning Advertising and Customer Relationship Strategy
Barack Obama positioned himself as the winning candidate and established a strong brand identity using the Democratic Party. Businesses, too, should focus on building strong relations with their clients during marketing. For instance, organizations can make phone calls and send emails to their customers, informing them of a new product.
Integration of Research Methods in Marketing
Companies should have the right data when engaging in marketing. For instance, firms should conduct research to identify various factors in their target market, such as demographics, gender, and age of their potential clients. Conducting market research enables organizations to have an understanding of their existing and potential customers.
Reference
Patrick Byers (2008). Marketing Lessons from Barack Obama.