How Barack Obama Became Content Marketer-In-Chief of the USA

Still skeptical of the merits of content marketing? Well, Barack Obama and his team have put content marketing at the center of their media strategy. [caption id="attachment_3428" align="alignnone" width="517"] Bo Helping President with his Content Marketing[/caption] They have effectively dis-intermediated the media. Just as all great content marketers, they are thinking and acting like publishers. As the AP reported recently,

The Obama White House is generating its own content like no president before, and refining its media strategies in the second term in hopes of telling a more compelling story than in the first... ...Mike McCurry, who served as press secretary to President Bill Clinton, sees an inclination by the Obama White House to "self-publish," coupled with tactics "I never would have dreamed of in terms of restricting access" for independent news organizations.

Back in the 1980s, Ronald Reagan would famously take to the bully pulpit when he wanted to go directly to the American people with a message. But those direct to the audience performances were the exception rather than the rule. The Obama folks have made brilliant use of 21st century technology that enables them to get a consistent stream of positive messages to their target audience without the interference of pesky, skeptical reporters. The Obama content marketing machine serves up "a stream of words, images and videos that invariably cast the president as commanding, compassionate and on the ball. In this world, Obama's family is always photogenic, first dog Bo is always well behaved and the vegetables in the South lawn kitchen garden always seem succulent."(AP) The White House press corps is exhibiting increasing frustration with their lack of access to the President. But for most Americans, and even most voters, that's inside baseball.  They see President Obama on The View, the David Letterman show, in happy YouTube videos, and stories about the Easter egg roll on the White House lawn. How could you not love this guy? The White House content marketing strategy is brilliant and successful.  As a direct result of that strategy, I would guess that even Americans who disagree with presidential policies still find President Obama  to be smart, charming, witty, and compassionate. Love him or hate him, Barack Obama has become not only our commander-in-chief,  but our content marketer-in-chief.   I wouldn't be surprised to see him as a speaker at Content Marketing World 2017.