Mass Internet Marketing The New Political Paradigm

You need to look no further than the current political success of the Obama campaign to understand that the Internet is the new paradigm in the creation of a grassroots political campaign and political upstart.  The expansion of the tried and true channels of message delivery included for the first time, Facebook, which turned out to be one of the campaigns most successful tools in sending the Obama message to this previously untapped voting segment. Early on and crucial to the campaigns success Chris Huges, Facebooks founder offered his services by the marketing of the Obama machine via his popular social network platform. “It should come as no surprise that a Millennial co-founder of Facebook, left that company to run Barack Obama’s online campaign. Millennials are the first generation to have never known a world without the Internet, has been woven into their everyday lives. They are fluent with technology and with communicating on-line; it’s entirely natural to them”.

Since this segment of the voting public had never been organized nor galvanized to one candidate in prior elections the farming of this element was the logical choice to push the “social” agenda of the Obama campaign.  The method of reaching this segment is through what has become the standard for communication among the youth movement. It was vital that to reach this element the message was to speak to this segment in a, nonoffensive non-authorian manner, “And that is why the Obama campaign had such an informal tone, casual tone. Because the Internet is a conversational medium, the Millennial marketers of Obama’s campaign used that casual tone as well. And because that informal style fit naturally with Millennials’ general online experience, because it was the way they communicated, the campaign messages pulled them in”.

This new paradigm offered the new untapped segment the “Change” they were seeking and did so by not to cramming the same message of political dogma as used in past elections. “Name deleted, 31, a volunteer at the Obama office in Wilson, N.C., agreed. “You get the feeling that you’re becoming friends with him in that casual way,” he said. “I think everyone takes ownership of it because you feel like you know who he is.”  By using this type of campaign the Obam team received 60% of the 18-29 year old vote by communicating via the Internet in a form that is second nature to this target group.

As is now being discovered by media experts these tactics mirror Saul Alinski’s outline for the creation of a grassroots movement, but now rather than going face to face belly to belly, the process is handled in a much more efficient manner covering a much larger audience by the utilization of the online community.  This decision to use the Internet to win the hearts and minds of the youth vote dovetailed into the overall media plan to mass market the Obama message.  This previously untested style of marketing methodology along with the highly emotional reinforcement of the premise of “change” including the use of targeted “ridicule”, once again comes from the pages of “Rules for Radicals” Mr. Alinskys manifesto, “Ridicule is man’s most potent weapon. It is almost impossible to counterattack ridicule. Also, it infuriates the opposition, who then react to your advantage.”

By the continual demonizing of the past administration, strife and unrest was reinforced in the daily spin by the Obama campaign, this along with the strategy of the creation of a separation of classes further fueled the anger of what the campaign noted as the, disenfranchised.  Clear lines were formed, “are you for the same old ideas of the past, or change”.  This righteous indignation and sense of injustice was masterfully played out in the daily message to further polarize and identified the past administration as the “cause to all of our problems”.  Rarely was it ever mentioned that the democrats controlled the house as of 2004, and that having the majority, were steering policy regardless of the executive branch.  Never has perception been so wisely used to create a new reality when one did not exist.  Truth be told, the only change that has taken place to date is the switch from a free market system to one of government control and Keynesian economic structure.

Now the byproduct of the winning the “thought war” has led to a castration of the Republican party, who are currently scattering about to find a message that works.  The party is forced to react rather than implement, as noted here in one pundits observation, “Republicans reaction to all this is to immediately go on the defensive. Seldom do they unleash their pit bull orators or strategists. Rather than use the immense amount of data available to prove the conservative case, Republicans tug their forelocks, say “yes sir,” and hope the accusations and name calling will go away”.

What is apparent when one can step aside of all the rhetoric and propaganda is our Nation is in for a large expansion of government, money is being earmarked with out programs or guidelines in place, our dollar will devalue to the point of third world value, the debt being created cannot be amortized off in short order, regulations will kill small business, centralized banking is being prepped by the current administration for its implementation, more power in the executive branch is being amassed, and our liberties and constitution is being subjugated to international law.  But due to the slick message and teleprompter speeches our new President has been raised to the level of idolization by the masses.  None of this is good for “We the People”, stand up and be heard, do not take any message at face value, think for your self and decide, politics needs to give way to “the voice of the people”