The Court of Public Opinion

I think Brian Haven said it best when he said, “Face it: marketers no longer dictate the path people take, nor do they lead the dialogue” (Groundswell, 102).  Chapters 5 & 6 stressed the power of the consumer in the groundswell and the absolute necessity of a company to listen.  Gone are the days when a company or business would decide what their brand was to be, and the consumer had no real way of disputing this decision.  Now, anyone with a blog, a Facebook page or even just as simple as email, can take their opinion and spread it faster than ever before using simple groundswell tactics.  This is where the ability to listen and act upon what you have heard becomes vital.

photo taken from: http://adage.com/article/digital/week-s-top-trending-brands-tv-s-role-buzz/237114/

This is an election year and nowhere is listening more important than in a political campaign.  Within the last few years, we have seen campaigns use the Internet not only to disseminate information about a candidate, but to monitor public perception.  President Barack Obama’s campaign has used groundswell ideas to energize supporters and connect with those who may still be undecided.  No matter your political affiliation, President Obama’s campaign can be seen as a prime example of how to use the groundswell to your advantage without letting your brand become hijacked.
 

 

 



During election season, the American public is inundated with advertisements everywhere in every possible medium.  In chapter 6 we are introduced to the marketing funnel (Groundswell, 101), a way to understand the progression of a customer from awareness of a product through advertisement until they become a buyer.
 

Marketing funnel as pictured in Figure 6-1, Groundswell, pg. 101
 

 



Groundswell goes on to explain that advertisements, or “shouting”, only works to give people an awareness of your product.  Conversation, not advertisements, work on people once they have moved to the middle of the funnel (102) and this is where social media is able to play a large part in a campaign.

 

Looking once again at President Obama’s website for his re-election campaign, he has used what Li & Bernoff have listed as the most common forms of groundswell communication (103):

 

·       There are video posts, both from his campaign organizers and his supporters, such as the one below

 

·       10+ social network site opportunities, including sites such as Facebook, Google+ and Twitter

·    The Obama 2012 Blog features pictures from recent events, donation updates and video messages

·    Supporters can join groups depending upon the issues important to them (such as environmentalists or women’s issues) and be surrounded by a community of people with like-minded ideals.

 

The campaign has also devoted a portion of the webpage to “2012 Stories” where supporters are encouraged to send in pictures, videos and stories about issues important to them and how the participate in the campaign efforts.  With the online social media initiatives, and constant solicitation for opinions from the American public, President Obama’s campaign has taken what could prove to be a very tricky medium to navigate and done so with ease.