Obama and Social Media 2008 – 2012; a trip down memory lane
A fundamental understanding of communication has always been at the center of a politician’s arsenal, but a firm grasp on the future of communication can be the secret weapon that wins the war. For Franklin D. Roosevelt, it was radio. For John F. Kennedy, it was television. And for Barack Obama, it is social media.
Going through my archives, I recently found some old slides I put together for a client back in 2008, looking at Obama’s integrated social strategy. It’s absolutely fascinating to see what Twitter and Facebook profiles looked like back in the day!
So what has changed in 2012?
Social Media over the last 4 years has grown massively.
When Obama won the election in 2008, he had 139,692 followers on Twitter. He now has 12.5 million followers, a 8,800% increase. The main social platforms back in 2008 were Flickr, YouTube, Twitter and Facebook.
In 2012, Team Obama now have to look after Foursquare, Instagram and Google +. This means that 3 major social networks have emerged over the last four years. Myspace is almost defunct, and I cancelled my Flickr pro account years ago.
I cannot help but wonder what the social landscape will look like in 4 years time? Will Obama also Pin?
In my opinion Obama Social Media Campaign is really great because he make people talk about him. This is a great way to create a great buzz about his figure!