Calvert Creative

A long and grueling presidential campaign came to an end a week ago, with Barack Obama emerging as the victor, the first African American to do so. Obama’s “Historic Road to the White House” has been mapped out forwards and backwards, with every media outlet and blogger out there covering everything from Obama’s message of hope to his love of basketball, and everything in between.

And almost every marketing blog you can find has extensively covered the Obama campaign’s successful use of online and mobile communication.

Most of the blogs I’ve read that talk about Obama’s use of the web go a little something like this (and I’ll paraphrase slightly): “Obama stuck to a consistent message, displayed it through clear and elegant design, and delivered it to millions through internet technology. He engaged voters, and made it easy for everyone to be a part of the campaign. We call this Web 2.0.”

I’m not here to disagree, by any means. Obama’s embrace of good design and the web as a powerful marketing tool was an unbelievable sight. Who would have expected a presidential candidate to take up a Twitter account, text his supporters his VP choice, and display, for once, a beautifully designed website that was actually easy and enjoyable to navigate? Whether you voted for him or not, no one can deny the force in which Obama spread throughout the country, creating one of the biggest ground campaigns in the history of this country, garnering millions of supporters and over $200 million in campaign donations. Advertising Age, a leading online source of news and data for the marketing and media industries, recognized the impact of Obama’s campaign and just recently named him Marketer of the Year, beating out Apple and Nike.

But now the campaign is over. Barack Obama will be in the White House at the end of January. My question is this: Is this the end of Obama’s social networking and participation with voters? Will he now be tied to the status quo of government communication (ie. press conferences, annual State of the Union addresses, the occasional Late Night Show appearance)? Will he fade into the Oval Office, be blanketed with pages of legislation and meetings with foreign leaders, and be forced to let the media deliver news about his daily activity and policy choices?

My hope is no.

I have to admit, I got pretty excited when I saw Obama’s new site www.change.gov (launched within 24 hours after Obama’s victory). Wow, I thought, he is allowing the American public to participate in the transition from the Bush to the Obama administration! How cool is that? Then I starting wondering, will this continue while he is president? Will the American government begin adapting Web 2.0 values of viewer participation, allowing you to talk instead of just talking at you? Can the communication from the Oval Office be open and direct, and can American citizens, the people who voted for our country’s leaders, be involved more than just watching the Senate floor coverage on CSPAN?

Obama’s message for the past two years was about bringing change to America. My hope is that part of this change will be how our government communicates with its people, and that we as US citizens stay involved and care enough to remain engaged even after the balloons and banners from this historic election fade away.