Obama’s election campaign and the integrated use of social media

When Barack Obama won the 2008 US Presidential election he
did so partly as a result of harnessing the power of social media to
communicate with, and enlist the support of, millions of Americans who
had never previously been active in the processes of an election campaign.
As a result of Obama‘s invitation and his use of new media, some of the
poorest members of the world‘s wealthiest nation found themselves able
to make a critical contribution through a myriad of small activities starting
from seemingly inconsequential choices such as the selection of a mobile
phone ring tone. Although ‗people power‘ is not a new force in politics,
the Obama campaign set a fresh benchmark for inclusive ways in which to
communicate to and with a holistic cross section of the American people,
including many who would not have been previously seen as a critical
‗target market‘. This paper examines Obama‘s use of integrated
communications and considers the potential implications for other
campaigns which may have an inclusion agenda.