Ad Age named ‘Obama 2008′ Marketer of the Year.

No surprise here.

At work, we’ve been discussing the way Obama’s team have leveraged both traditional media and new media to not only introduce Barack Obama into American homes but engage volunteers and register voters in record numbers as well. These are the core reasons why the 750-person panel of Marketing heads overwhelmingly selected Obama ’08 as the MOY:

“I honestly look at [Obama's] campaign and I look at it as something that we can all learn from as marketers,” said Angus Macaulay, VP-Rodale marketing solutions “To see what he’s done, to be able to create a social network and do it in a way where it’s created the tools to let people get engaged very easily. It’s very easy for people to participate.”

In my opinion the campaign’s greatest traditional marketing achievement is their branding. The instantly recognizable ‘O’ used as metaphor of a white sun in a blue sky rising over a field of red and white stripes has become as ubiquitous an identity as the Nike swoosh. (Michael Beirut has a great write-up of how well crafted the identity is compared to the McCain campaign’s design, here).

In the interactive realm, the Obama campaign has also nailed it. From their incredible site, including the MyBO social platform used to connect and mobilize their volunteer effort, to weekly podcasts, mobile/iPhone applications and even in-game advertising, no stone was left unturned. And each individual campaign was done with tack, style and a sense of elegance that doesn’t make people feel like they are bombarded by the same old message.

This award must have been a no-brainer for the panel; The message is clear, effective and has created a perception of tangibility for the product (Obama, the candidate). The only question that remains is, come Nov 4th, will it bring the product to the cash register?

Update: Kudos to Chicago-based, Sender for creating the Obama branding, in partnership with motion design studio, mo/de.

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