The Importance of Being Authentic (or internet strategy lessons from the Obama campaign)

Deconstructing the remarkable ascendancy of Barack Obama, from political unknown to presumptive Democratic nominee for President, lessons emerge for political war rooms and corporate boardrooms alike. As much as the Clinton campaign’s foibles have provided a cautionary tale for political operatives, the Obama campaign’s successes have presented a compelling case study for business students and leaders.

Obama’s ability to inspire and command unswerving loyalty, not just amongst his inner circle of advisers and nearly 1,000 employees, but amongst the coveted millennials across college campuses, has intrigued marketeers as much as it has preoccupied journalists.

Obama built a groundswell of support amongst his most effusive of fans, the millennials, by tapping into a core brand attribute – authenticity. Obama wears his authenticity on his sleeve, it transcends his oratory and prose, and it defines him to a new generation of voters. No other brand attribute resonates more with the millennials, who, much to the chagrin of advertisers and marketeers, have a discerning eye when it comes to spotting a fake.

It is common knowledge that the Obama team expertly crafted and meticulously executed a masterful online campaign to introduce their candidate, mobilise support, and raise more funds via online donations than was perceived possible (although less surprising when you consider that 24-year old Chris Hughes, a co-founder at Facebook is championing Obama’s social networking strategy). It is not a stretch to compare Obama’s online operations to other celebrated internet success stories where new entrants have captured our imagination by displacing complacent incumbents. By successfully extending the Obama brand online, primarily through an elaborate online social network at my.barackobama.com, and through countless other means (a decent Facebook profile, Twitter feeds, widgets, You Tube posts, etc), Obama become one of his own people, or to put it another way, stayed ‘authentic’.

Businesses should be forewarned if they think the Obama campaign offers a checklist of online initiatives that will earn them street cred with Gen Y. Were that the case, surely Hillary Clinton could’ve stolen some of Obama’s online momentum. A cursory look at both candidates Facebook profiles is insightful in highlighting the importance of authenticity to building a brand online. Where Obama’s profile is at least somewhat realistic, Hillary’s is amusingly out of character with the medium.

Admittedly, the importance of social networks to businesses and the context for their participation is still being determined. But other examples abound of how the Obama campaign has innovated online in smaller yet effective ways, again providing lessons for large corporations.

For all the immediacy of the internet, when it comes to managing a company’s public image, most online experiences are disappointingly static. Browse through the public relations or investor relations sections of most corporate websites, and besides archives of annual reports and press releases, there isn’t much to engage site visitors. Worse, when many of these corporations are engaged in crisis management of some magnitude, their websites are embarrassingly opaque.

Contrast that with the Obama campaign’s launch last week, of their pre-emptive crisis management website, “Fight the Smears”. Acknowledging that in a world where 24 hour cable news channels feed off sound bites circulating online, they co-opted supporters, detractors and the media in their efforts to combat rumours directly online. The Obama camp invites anyone to forward a rumour they have come across online, and track official responses from the candidate. It has been widely reported that the urgency for this initiative came directly from Obama. By staying true to his instincts (as he did when he made a daring speech on race relations), he defied the conventional wisdom on responding to rumours. Both instances are evidence of Obama’s ‘authenticity’.

Election campaigns are in a constant state of crisis, and it is to be expected that extreme situations will necessitate fresh, innovative, and occasionally lateral thinking. The Obama campaign has broken new ground online, and done so in a very public arena, making  the current U.S. election historical and inspiring on so many levels.  Rarely have corporations had a front row view of what works and what fails online, without taking on too much risk themselves. Perhaps beyond the mundane world of politics, there is also reason to be hopeful for change.

The internet and the Fourth Estate

When commentating on the impact of the internet on business and industry, the news media, with its changing fortunes, is unenviably as much a part of the story, as it is scribe. During the frenzied dot-com days, publications such as Red Herring, The Industry Standard, eCompany Now (later known as Business 2.0) and Fast Company captured the ethos of the times. They informed and entertained, with anecdotes and evidence of entrepreneurial excellence, as well as excess. Ironically, the fate of these and other publications came to be inextricably linked to that of the companies they covered (of the four mentioned above, only Fast Company survives as a print publication).

Today, institutions no less mighty than the New York Times compete with The Huffington Post, an online newspaper. And a favourable nod by the blog TechCrunch for companies launching new products and services is more coveted for the right kind of buzz, than a mention in the mainstream press.

Websites like Digg.com have tapped into the power of social computing, allowing readers to submit news stories and vote on other reader’s submissions, democratising the quintessential editorial function of deciding what appears on the home page, and what is buried deep within. And across the internet, a plethora of social computing features like StumbleUpon, Reddit and Buzz Up integrate with ease into any website, allowing users to rate and share information with their peers.

Acutely aware of the changing dynamics of how news and information is created, distributed and consumed, the old guard is fighting back. Venerable publications like the New York Times have hypothesised on what the optimal business model might be, briefly launching a fee-based premium content service called TimeSelect, only to be convinced of the potency of online advertising as a more credible source of revenue. Time, Newsweek, The Financial Times, and countless other publications of their ilk have high-profile blogs, and support user-generated content. CNN aggressively promotes citizen journalism, inviting viewers to post their own video clips to their website for potential broadcast, if deemed newsworthy.

To gauge the shifting fortunes in the news media business, it is worth taking a look at Guy Kawasaki’s latest venture – Alltop.com. Describing itself as a “digital magazine rack” of the internet, it aggregates headlines from popular sources across varied topics. A quick glance at a topic like Politics is revealing. News feeds from The Washington Post, Fox News and the Guardian newspaper share real estate with online-only publications such as Politico, The Drudge Report and The Huffington Post.

Declining ad pages and a drop in circulation for traditional print media will no doubt claim casualties. In October 2007, a valuable chronicler of the dotcom years and a judicious commentator on online trends, Business 2.0 (owned by Time Warner), hit the stands for the last time.

A determined few are willing to risk reinvention to stay relevant. Earlier this year, Fast Company relaunched its website, creating a platform that encourages an ongoing conversation amongst its readers. Even the aforementioned magazines Red Herring and The Industry Standard have been revived as online-only publications, with the latter offering a creative twist on user participation.

An example of a new publication trying to carve out a niche for itself is Nett magazine (published in Australia), which offers practical information for small and medium-sized businesses with online ambitions. The handful of issues published to date showcase local entrepreneurial talent, and share insights on emerging online trends. Any early success notwithstanding, a bigger opportunity exists online for the publishers of Nett. No single website, social network or online community platform has as yet captured the imagination of the local entrepreneur. Across Australia and New Zealand, independent voices have emerged in the blogosphere, many of which try and fill the void with intelligent commentary and analysis on emerging online trends (rev2.org and Start Up are two really interesting examples from New Zealand). Nett has an opportunity to engage with the entrepreneurial community online, tapping into their collective wisdom for mutual benefit.

Years from now, when business students contemplate the consequences of the internet across industries, they will no doubt benefit from the meticulous reporting of the day as they go through the archives of various newspapers and business magazines. The question remains, which of today’s publications will still exist?