posted by Robin Tooms @ 7:45 PM
In the current Jan/Feb 2009 Issue of STEP Inside Design on “Emerging Talent,” I wrote about the effective design and marketing behind the change.gov website as compared to other government sites, and how this site continued the trends set forth in the earlier campaign site.
From the article:
“There are many historical firsts from this year’s presidential election, but one worth noting is the first highly successful use of websites and social media in a presidential campaign. In looking back over the past year, why this worked seems obvious now, but that is with the knowledge of hindsight. Is it no surprise then that the most brand- and media-savvy candidate to date is also continuing these methods into his transition to president. It’s positive to see good design and communication practices in a government site, so there is hope for the role of design in government yet.
As a whole, government sites are notorious for being confusing and poorly designed. And, for the most part they don’t leverage the latest in online communications trends. While we watched the presidential inauguration this week in person, on TV and of course online, we now turn our attention now to the post-inauguration communications. Yes, January 20, 2009 has passed, but on that date the new whitehouse.gov Website went live. As I expected, the whitehouse.gov site changed drastically from the previous version on that day – not just a design refresh but a reworking of the site approach. Some of the visual hallmarks from the earlier change.gov site are there and there is a distinct emphasis on the free exchange of information. The site is even licensed under Creative Commons, so the intent is for the information to be distributed.
The recent publicity around recovery.gov also got me thinking about the accessibility and transparency the web can provide for the government (or companies) that want to keep open lines of communications with their stakeholders. What does this new transparent government also mean for corporate and investor communication trends? What do you think?
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10.29.2008
posted by Abby Lasaine Vazquez @ 5:05 PM
http://www.patrickruffini.com/2008/02/13/the-marketing-of-the-president-2008/
Tonight, Sen. Barack Obama will appear on a 30-minute primetime TV “advertisement” to communicate directly to voters, specifically those who are undecided. With less than a week until Election Day, this unprecedented ad will run on four major networks: CBS, NBC, Fox and Univision at 8 p.m. EST / 7 p.m. CST.
The spot will air just before the World Series baseball game on Fox. And the MLB has even agreed to delay the start of the game since it could be the one to clinch the series. The time slot was strategically chosen to reach the young male demographic known as millennials.
The estimated cost for this unprecedented primetime spot? Between three to five MILLION dollars!
The bigger question is what will this ad do for the “Obama Brand?” Suddenly, the 2008 Presidential Campaign has become a branding campaign and Obama has tapped the latest technology: text messaging, YouTube videos and a host of social networking sites. Everything promotes his messages of “Change” and “Hope.” Barack Obama has become a brand name that rivals top consumer brands like Starbucks and Apple.
Here’s an interesting article that dissects the “Obama Brand” down to the nitty gritty. What the Obama campaign has achieved by carefully managing its brand – coherent messaging, identity standards and consistent design – we do for our clients’ brands every day.
In using a primetime TV ad as his forum, Sen. Obama is able to control his message uninterrupted and reach millions. It will be interesting to see if it was money well spent. Will his “brand” gain momentum in the final days until election? While we won’t know the success of Obama’s 30-minute special until the Nielsen ratings come out, one thing is for certain – we’re all talking about it at the proverbial water cooler.
