Original post: August 28, 2008

Political marketers are engaging interactive voters with the immediacy of mobile.

Barack Obama
Campaign strategists for Democratic Presidential candidate Senator Barack Obama have embraced the power of mobile marketing. Subscribers can interact with the candidate and select to receive a variety of mobile alerts, campaign news, updates, video clips, download ringtones, wallpaper, participate in interactive polls and more. www.obamamobile.mobi.

Last week, Sen. Obama announced his choice for vice president, Joe Biden, through email and mobile text. Obama has created a direct-to-consumer channel and enhanced its relationship with supporters, who have agreed to receive real-time campaign updates. To receive Barack Obama mobile alerts, text HOPE to 62262 (OBAMA).

Rock the Vote
Rock the Vote uses music, popular culture and new technologies to engage and incite young people to register and vote in every election. In advance of the November 4th presidential election, Rock the Vote has created a mobile marketing channel to engage interactive, issue focused youth. Subscribers can sign up to receive Rock the Vote’s presidential campaign news, updates and download premium content direct to their mobile phones. The mobile campaign features Christina Aguilera, Souja Boy and Hawthorne Heights’ wallpaper, ringtones and Rock the Vote logos. Rock the Vote claims to have reached 45 million young people in America. www.rockthevote.com.

John McCain
Campaign managers for Senator John McCain have integrated a mobile component, but its quite undeveloped. www.mccainmobile.com. To subscribe, you have to visit three pages to submit an email form to receive mobile alerts.

Conclusion
Developing a mobile marketing strategy and effectively executing on the plan creates a unique forum for marketers to communicate with customers. The interactivity and accessibility of mobile channels, provide exclusive subscriber lists for mass targeted marketing. Easy-to-use management tools and detailed analysis and reporting, allows flexibility to adjust campaigns to deliver the best ROI. Mobile data reveals, text messaging is the most important feature for mobile phone purchasers, SMS drives data spends and mobile campaigns provide good cost-effective marketing opportunities.

With an advanced mobile strategies, Rock the Vote continues to appeal to youth with its fully supported mobile component, Sen. Obama uses direct mail and email to keep voters updated on his presidential run. Sen. McCain seems to be only testing the mobile waters, but with a less robust, less appealing approach.

Engaging interactive supporters that rely on mobile in their daily life more than ever before, Rock the Vote and Sen. Obama have taken advantage of targeted marketing, reaching mobile users anytime, anywhere. Sen. Obama is the only presidential candidate to announce a running mate by text and email before broadcasting on TV. In advance of the vice president candidate announcement, anticipation mounted, as millions of subscribers checked mobile devices for an important text alert. He was able to create a nation-wide industry buzz with a mobile marketing model.

With mobile spends on the rise, has a mobile “swing vote” been identified?

For information on mobile marketing campaigns, please visit Msgme.