A Wren Says

The 2008 Obama presidential campaign was historic. Some might think it so because it led to the election of the U.S.’s first Black president. But if you are into marketing, you will note it for another reason. It was the first political campaign to win honors at the Cannes Lions festival. Yes, that Cannes. The one that you know for film premieres and red carpet moments also has another side devoted to advertising. The campaign, or more specifically Obama for America, received two honors at the 2009 event.

The Integrated Prize was awarded to celebrate the campaign for using three or more forms of media in a state of the art way. The Titanium prize celebrated it for work using “ideas that are provocative and point to a new direction in the industry.” It changed the campaign game with the novel way it used social media along with traditional media and ignited a base to lead in storytelling through grassroots efforts. They even created their own social media site. Regardless of where you sit on the political aisle, that campaign forever changed how political campaigns would be run from then on in the United States.

The message of the Obama campaign that spread far and wide was hope. As powerful as it was, it moved across the nation because of how the message was spread. The team used as many mediums as possible to make sure of that.

What is the message you want to get out? What is the idea that you believe will change the world? As big and as powerful as it might be, it won’t go far if you don’t put it out there, if you don’t choose the right ways to move it.

Are you really doing whatever it takes to put your ideas in the world? How might you need to evolve your methods to reach a new audience?