Crafty Campaigning, Obama Staff

jeopardy-show © by Oldmaison

Did anyone else happen to catch Michelle Obama on last Wednesday’s episode of Jeopardy?  With a whole category of video questions related to the White House, it was a clever way for the Obama campaign staff to remind television viewers of some of the accomplishments of the incumbent President.

Why target Jeopardy?  I can think of two major reasons: the elderly and the educated.  According to Quantcast ratings, these are the game show’s largest demographic groups — and they are both certainly important voter groups.

Kudos to Obama’s communications staff for getting a placement that was subtle and original.  Even Trebek remarked on what a rare occasion it was to see a First Lady make a Jeopardy appearance.  While measuring the impact of such placement might be a difficult task, the 2008 Obama staff experienced positive results (and an election win) from non-traditional campaign tactics.

In politics and elections, there are never any guarantees, but one thing about this Obama campaign is for sure: there’s more where that came from.

Jill Weiskopf is a 2011 graduate of La Salle University, where she earned a degree in Corporate Communication.  Savvy in design, her specialty is a hybrid of visual and written communications.  Jill currently works as an Account Manager at an Events Marketing agency in Philadelphia.