Jan
12
With all of the attention on the Republican presidential candidates in Iowa and New Hampshire, President Obama’s campaign subtly reminded voters who the front-runner in the race actually is. While the press focused primarily on the election returns, Obama for America placed full page ads on the home page of the Des Moines Register and the New Hampshire Union Leader on the day of their respective primary elections. This creative ad placement demonstrates the strong resources, focused approach, and attention to detail the Obama campaign will utilize when trying to get the President re-elected.
Des Moines Register on the day of the Iowa Caucus
The large advertisements were impossible to miss for visitors to the newspapers’ websites. On the home page of the Des Moines Register, President Obama’s advertisement merged perfectly with the bar presenting the caucus results. Readers visiting the site to follow the horse race were greeted by the President and a reminder that the next time they go to the polls, the President will be on the ballot. In New Hampshire, an equally creative and bold advertisement reminded voters that while the Republican candidates would move on to the next state, President Obama was still “fighting for the middle class” all across the country.
Read about the bigger story after the jump.
The clever advertisements tell a bigger story about the race to come. First and foremost, it demonstrates the extensive resources Obama for America has been collecting. Without a primary challenger, President Obama’s campaign has the luxury of purchasing expensive ad space. The campaign’s team of graphic designers is hard at work translating the President’s successes into a collection of media forms to be disseminated to voters across the country. The clever placement of the ads show the creativity with which Obama’s advisors approach the race–a creativity that was largely responsible for securing the President the nomination and general election in 2008.
A few weeks ago, Newsweek’s Andrew Romano paid a visit to the Obama headquarters in Chicago. In his words, he found a “Juggernaut.” Romano described how doors of campaign executives quickly closed as he walked past. He was accompanied at every moment by a campaign staffer wielding a tape recorder. An information-coated whiteboard he was told not to gaze it the first day in the office was completely covered the next day he arrived. Romano concluded, rightfully so, that the Obama campaign means business.
New Hampshire Union Leader on the day of the New Hampshire primary.
This extensive structure could make the Obama campaign unbeatable next fall, no matter what the odds are against him. Romano points out that in 2004, President Bush’s campaign touted the 52 training sessions for precinct captains they held. The Obama campaign held 57 in one week in Iowa. Fundraising returns today show that President Obama’s reelection campaign combined with the DNC made 68 million dollars in the 4th quarter of 2011. This brings the 2011 total to $250 million, exceeding the campaign’s goal of $200 million.
While the Des Moines Register and New Hampshire Union Leader ads were creative and well-placed, they are representative of the forward-thinking approach of the Obama campaign. This approach, combined with the extensive campaign structure that has been maintained since 2008 and the extensive resources that will be available, could keep President Obama in the White House no matter who his challenger is.
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