COMM421: Mass Media and Society

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Saturday, January 24, 2009

Obama's Marketing Success




As Nike’s image has changed over the years, so has their advertising strategy. It has changed to adapt to the evolving culture of the United States, as well as other nations in which its product is sold. As the culture changes, typically the market becomes more diverse and it begins to get harder for the marketing executives to attract the attention of each subculture. The advertisements are then created to appeal to as many diverse groups as possible.

In the above article, the author comments on the advertisements surrounding Barrack Obama’s campaign for his presidency. The author states that Obama’s campaign cheer, "yes we can," wasn’t directed toward any particular group of people. It related to each American, regardless of their background. The author then states that marketing executives could learn from Obama’s campaign. They should know their target audience and create advertisements that are similar to the audience’s point of view. By utilizing this perspective, advertisers can create pieces that inspire their target market to purchase their product. The author suggests that advertisers represent their clients in their advertisements and create meaningful messages that inspire. According to the author, Obama used these points when reaching out to the American voters. He showed his own diversity to connect with voters and inspired them with his message of success on a united front. According to the author, by using these same marketing strategies, corporations could be "winners" just like Obama.

1 comment:

  1. OK...but what's the "changing culture of the United States"? I find it very interesting that Obama's campaign was at once intensely guided by and articulated through race, and at the same time startlingly "raceless" or even "post-race." It could neither be one nor the other. When we think about corporate branding and marketing, there seem to be two options: narrowcasting (niche marketing) and broadcasting ("general" audience, or to the "dominant"). But it seems like you're suggesting that companies can and should do both at once...how is that possible? How does Nike, and Barrack Obama, change the way we think about identity marketing?

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