Primary strategy hinged upon strong finishes in Iowa and New Hampshire. To introduce voters to Obama’s biography, advertising in both states began early. OFA’s main targets were the older primary voting faithful first. This was especially true in Iowa because of the caucus system. The second focus was on those Independent voters disenchanted with Bush and the Republican Party. In all cases, OFA used television, radio, print, online, and outdoor advertising to transmit the change message.A victory in Iowa and a second place finish in New Hampshire resulted in a series of short and strong advertising campaigns across the nation. OFA put millions of dollars into Television, Radio, and Online to reinforce aggressive earned media and field strategies.

Successful, OFA used a similar strategy in the General Election against Senator McCain. Obama’s exposure during the primary allowed OFA to expand the electoral map and compete in historically Republican strongholds.

President Obama won the General Election by the biggest margin of any Democrat in 60 years, save Lyndon Johnson. By bringing millions of new voters into the political process, he won in states that had not voted for a Democrat for President in decades.Today, President Obama’s campaign serves as case-study for how a successfully integrated campaign can mobilize support, influence a population and change the face of government.