Marketing Lessons Learned from the 2009 Political Campaign

There are a number of valuable lessons we can all learn from this year's political campaign. No matter who you're voting for, both campaigns have done some very insightful and amazing things when it comes to marketing.

Here's a short list of lessons that marketers of all stripes can learn from. It's taken from the "other" 60 Second Marketer blog, which can be seen by clicking 60 Second Marketer Blog.

In any case, here's the list:

1. Stay on Message: Both candidates, but particularly Obama, developed a message strategy early in the campaign and never strayed from it. Obama’s theme was “Change” and McCain’s was “Country First.” Even when current events (like the economic melt-down) forced a change of focus, the overall theme stayed the same.
2. Occasionally, Do Something Unexpected: There will be those who disagree with us on this, but our point-of-view is that McCain’s selection of Palin was a brilliant move. Yes, she came up light on experience, but remember — prior to the announcement that she was going to be his running mate, McCain was dropping in the polls. The selection of Palin added a new energy to the campaign and, as a result, McCain’s numbers jumped 5 to 8 points, nearly putting him ahead of Obama.
3. Develop Grass Roots Campaigns: Both McCain and Obama used Social Media to inspire their political base. You could argue that Obama did a better job of it, but both candidates recognized that a good marketing campaign uses everything from slick TV commercials to text messages to communicate their messages.
4. Stay Above the Fray: It doesn’t matter if you’re Crest Toothpaste, Enterprise Car Rental or Starbucks, when you’re the leader in the category, it’s your job to take the high road. We’re fortunate that the days of Bush-era “Swiftboat” techniques are behind us, but it’s particularly interesting that Obama, as the market leader through most of the campaign, followed the classic marketing principle that the leader in any campaign should take the high road and rise above any mud slinging that goes on.
5. Be Relentless: Do you know that John McCain is flying to 5 states today? That’s a positive sign that he’s determined to finish strong. Remember, as a marketer, your job is to keep pushing to the very end of your campaign. Don’t let up. Don’t relax. When your campaign is completed, there’ll be plenty of time to sit back and enjoy the fruits of your success. But until that time, stay on message and keep pushing for victory.

The bottom line is that both candidates have done a pretty good job with marketing. Sure, each candidate has made their fair share of mistakes, but overall, marketers of all stripes can learn some good things from what both McCain and Obama have done with their campaigns.

Are there more ideas we should add to the list? Any objections to what I've written above? Let me know!