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DIGITAL WORLD
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‘It drives me made when people get fixated with the
technology. It’s not about technology, it’s about people …
You need to embrace new thinking and be interested in it,
but the world doesn’t have to be taken over by the geeks
gone from an old model which was typically big advertising “The Obama people were very clear,” he continues. “It was-
campaigns – ‘You should smoke less’ – to being a much more n’t about the technology. It was about what they wanted peo-
sophisticated model which is about social change and how you ple to do, how they enable them to do this, and the technolog-
inculcate social change and how you work with people to ical solution that allowed them to deliver it. Not, ‘Let’s use
change behaviours,” he says. “It’s a much more sophisticated Twitter because it’s trendy’. There’s too much of this at the
use of marketing and new technology. It’s a big shift away from moment: ‘We need a Twitter strategy because it’ll make us look
the old tell-them-and-they-will-follow-you model. And I think the cool’. That’s a completely bogus reason for doing it.
private sector can learn a lot from this. “Obama was a smart marketer. When it came to the actual
election, he spent more money on traditional advertising than
Obama v Brown
any other president in history. This wasn’t a victory for
Elsewhere, Thomas believes Barack Obama has been some-
Facebook and Twitter, even if the market sees it that way.
thing of a poster boy for social media in terms of how it works.
“It drives me made when people get fixated with the technol-
“Although there’s a danger that we read the wrong message
ogy. It’s not about technology, it’s about people. What do you
and it lessens the case study,” he warns. “It’s seen as a victory
want people to do, how do you want to change thoughts, opin-
for social media, but it wasn’t, it was a victory for very smart
ions and behaviours? Then, what’s the best way to do that? T
marketing. Obama was a community activist so he knows how
to mobilise people. It was that knowledge and understanding by
’
oo
often, it becomes about putting the technology first.”
According to Thomas, the fundamental skills of marketing still
him and the people around him and then the technology to help
apply – understand your customers and how you motivate
them do it.”
them. “That to me is still the essence of what great marketing is
Contrast Obama’s approach with Gordon Brown’s disastrous
about. It’s not about understanding Twitter or the latest gizmo
foray into the world of social media last April with a widely derid-
that comes down the line. You need to embrace new thinking
ed YouTube video where he discusses MP’s expenses, says
and be interested in it, but the world doesn’t have to be taken
Thomas.
over by the geeks.”
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