WISDOM OF THE CROWDS – Barack Obama

by iridiumInteractive
August 29, 2008
in Interactive Marketing, Web2.0
1

Bringing power to the masses and concepts like WISDOM OF THE CROWDS is something that are buzzwords of Web2.0. Brands globally can take a leaf out of the current Viral Campaign going on in the USA. I am not referring to the Superbowl or the latest Pepsi or Coke signup of the latest pinup. Nor am I referring to any NBA star. One is amazed by the latest viral campaign going on there – Barack Obama’s Election campaign.

A hitherto unknown – not from a famous regal family, no deep American roots to talk about, no brandishing of the brave Vietnam returned veteran possible; not the right amount of melanin pigmentation to boot…could not be a better case for an archetypal underdog as far as traits and characteristics go.

Among other things, Obama has fully embraced Web2.0 in achieving his Big American Dream with a fully functional website embracing interactivity tools.

personalization thru customized sections for each supporter on MyBo.
Creating of groups within the regions near to supporters
Enabling supporters to form own fund raising groups and tracking its progress
Donations by supporters accepted online
Online Store to buy BO merchandise
Social Media presence-the BO group on Facebook has 1.5 million supporters enrolled!!
Groups on all the other leading networks
Myspace, linkedIn, Twitter, Eventful, Blackplanet,Faithbase, Eons, Glee, MyBatanga, AsianAve

All these efforts can be noticed in one brilliant online innovation -a fantastic means to improve stickiness of the supporter to his website.
After making his/her donation online, every donator to the BO Campaign gets into a Thank You WebPage. But that by itself is not the innovation. Instead of a simple vanilla Thank You Page, the Donator is greeted by a truly inspirational BO Video titled YES WE CAN !!

The video features celebrities and the common man in a brilliant 4 minute “YES WE CAN Video on that last page.
This Video leaves such a good lingering feeling in the donator – making him a stauncher supporter than ever before.

This is truly worthy of being emulated by brands and marketers too.
I am no republican lover or democrat basher or vice versa. Nor am I a colonial iconoclast extolling everything that is occidental in its origin.

India, the largest democracy, also does have its firstgen political leaders to showcase to the world. But then, do these firstgen leaders evoke the needed confidence or embrace the needed technology to reach out to the 200 million sized Indian Middle Classes?

Do they strike a chord with the middle class folks like me with their transparency and accessibility?
What I would love to see happening is for my dear politicians in our 61st year of independence to attempt to do a fractional something of the above BO campaign.

I am not expecting any of the seasoned, wizened ( in habit if not age) leaders of Bharat Mahaan to contemplate changing their colors, hues and shades. But am hoping for the new brigade of their scions, sons, daughters, nephews, nieces and other political successors to bring about this change in habit through better transparency.

Will any of our nexgen leaders fresh from their educations abroad learn and emulate this – say any of the young turks among the NEXGEN Gandhis, Yadavs, Singhs, Raos, Reddys, Pandeys, Nairs, Chettys, Patnaiks, Alvas, Shariefs, Mahmoods or Thomases – lead the way to a brighter, clearer skyscape in this terrain of Web2.0 .

YES WE CAN – or is it HUM HONGE KAAMYAAAB

A look at the message sent to BO donators says it all:

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Tags: Barack Obama, Online innovation, Web2.0

1 Discussion on “WISDOM OF THE CROWDS – Barack Obama”

deepti bitra says:

September 16, 2008 at 2:09 am

That was an excellent piece of work..People like Obama should win not just for US, but for the whole world…these nexgen politicians like Obama will truly bring new dimensions to the word development.Hope the world tastes the new political flavor.

WISDOM OF THE CROWDS – Barack Obama

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