Obama is smooth...

[Ben]

On this, well, he was smooth --

[fred41]

On this, well, he was smooth --

I don't really understand David Pakman's claim...what is his relevant point?

Is he perturbed that the President isn't getting enough kudos for this from the media or that he isn't getting kudos from the "conservative" media?

[sp fan]

smooth? more like slick snake oil salesman

[Ben]

smooth? more like slick snake oil salesman

He is a salesman. And also a brand.

Obama Wins! ... Ad Age's Marketer of the Year

At ANA Gathering, Marketing Pros and Agency Bigs Tap Barack Over Apple, Zappos

By: Matthew Creamer Published: October 17, 2008

ORLANDO, Fla. (AdAge.com) -- Just weeks before he demonstrates whether his campaign's blend of grass-roots appeal and big media-budget know-how has converted the American electorate, Sen. Barack Obama has shown he's already won over the nation's brand builders. He's been named Advertising Age's marketer of the year for 2008.



Mr. Obama won the vote of hundreds of marketers, agency heads and marketing-services vendors gathered here at the Association of National Advertisers' annual conference.


Mr. Obama won the vote of hundreds of marketers, agency heads and marketing-services vendors gathered here at the Association of National Advertisers' annual conference. He edged out runners-up Apple and Zappos.com. The rest of the shortlist, selected by Ad Age's editorial staff, was rounded out by megabrand Nike, turnaround story Coors and Mr. Obama's rival, Sen. John McCain.

From unknown to presidential nominee
"I think he did a great job of going from a relative unknown to a household name to being a candidate for president," said Linda Clarizio, president of AOL's Platform A, the sponsor of the opening-night dinner attended by 750 where the votes were cast.

"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."

Jon Fine, marketing and media columnist for BusinessWeek, pointed to Mr. Obama's facility with engaging voters in social-media channels. "It's the fuckin' Web 2.0 thing," he said.

In introducing the winner to the crowd, Ad Age Editor Jonah Bloom joked, "I'm surprised. I thought you [all] made more than $250,000."

While Mr. Obama may have won the most votes, he didn't get them from several of the bigger marketers in the room, many of whom supported Apple, Coors and Nike instead. Procter & Gamble Co. had a split ticket. Outgoing Global Marketing Officer Jim Stengel, currently on special assignment as he prepares to leave the company at the end of the month, voted for Apple.

Linda Clarizio, president of AOL's Platform A, said of Barack Obama, 'I think he did a great job of going from a relative unknown to a household name to being a candidate for president.'


Apple's 'amazing consistency'
"Year in and year out, Apple delivers great innovation, customer service and user experience," Mr. Stengel said. "It has amazing consistency." His successor, Marc Pritchard, was a Nike supporter because of its development of a global community of users. "I think [the concept] is going to be huge," he said.

Brian Perkins, corporate VP-corporate affairs of Johnson & Johnson, also backed Apple, though Nike was a close second for him. "I admire all of the work they do, the clarity and consistency of their message, their design and everything they do," he said of Apple. Nike likewise consistently builds its brand across everything it does, Mr. Perkins added, noting that "they don't do a lot of TV. In fact, I don't remember when was the last time I saw a Nike ad on TV."

Mark Kaline, recently appointed global media director of Kimberly-Clark Corp., voted for Coors "because they showed business results," he said. "Quite frankly, because political advertising kind of goes against a lot of what ANA stands for, I don't think it belongs in the voting. ... A lot of political advertising is false and misleading, and marketers at this conference don't expect to see that kind of stuff."

Coors' 'new approaches'
Nancy Abraham, assistant VP-integrated marketing communications for Allstate Insurance Co., likewise backed Coors. "They've done an excellent job taking some new approaches in a market that hasn't seen a lot of growth over the years."

How they voted
Marketer % of votes Obama 36.1% Apple 27.3% Zappos 14.1% Nike 9.4% Coors 8.7% McCain 4.5% Source: Meridia ARS

While Apple's strong second-place showing in the voting surprised no one, lesser-known Zappos' third-place finish probably caught a few off guard. But the online shoe seller is a sexy story because of its practice of pumping the budget it would spend on advertising into its customer service, leading to strong retention.

"Zappos has great customer service, a great business model and it's smart to use the internet as a platform," said Maria Luisa Francoli, CEO of Havas' media agency MPG. "And I love the name."

[Ben]

The woman behind Obama. Penny Pritzker. Billionaire. But remember: we live a meaningful democracy -- ha ha!



And we should note. The billionaires behind Romney:





But all this is irrelevant because America is a profound and meaningful and functioning democratic society where money has no influence in our politics. It's no joke; it's true -- ha ha ha!

[Dick Tate]

Obama smooth? He's Steve Urkle all grown up!

[buttslinger]

Maybe Obama can get a job as color commentator on MSNBC after Newt is in the White House.

[Merkurie]

I did not know Newt was married to The Joker.

[buttslinger]

CALLING ALL REPUBLICANS!!!!!

Bet your House on Romney! Do it NOW before the odds flip. Better return than GOLD! Double your portfolio and pay ZERO taxes when Mitt gets in the White House. YOU CANNOT LOSE!!! Get your bet down before gas hits $10 a gallon. I have it on good authority that Rush and Sean have over 100 MILLION on Romney's nose. Mortgage your house now before word gets out on this sure thing! Show the GOP you care. Be there! SUCKAHS!!

http://www.politicalbettingodds.com/...tion-odds.html

[Ben]

Eliot Spitzer says President Barack Obama was on Wall Street's side from Day One: