An analysis of the Democratic Party’s (USA) tech-centric
electoral strategy in the 21st century
Over the past two decades, political campaigns around the world have evolved
from being door-to-door to data-driven digital strategies. The Democratic
Party (USA) has been one such political entity to be at forefront in this
transformation. Campaigns led by Barack Obama where he used his
groundbreaking digital strategy in 2008 and 2012 and later, by Joe Biden
where his campaign went fully virtual in 2020, the party has successfully used
technology and social media to enhance campaigning, boost fundraising and
have put in efforts to connect with the young voters across platforms. These
landmark campaigns not only revolutionised voter engagement but also
managed to set global benchmarks on how digitalisation can empower
democracy and moved beyond traditional pattern, using data, analytics and
influencer marketing.
During 2008’s Presidential campaign, My.BarackObama.com (MyBo) turned
out to be a grassroot gamechanger. It is a first-of-its-kind social media platform
that empowered the supporters to create profiles, host events, appoint
volunteers and manage fundraising, similar to Facebook but this exclusively
worked for political mobilization. MyBo managed to raise over $600 million
where the larger part came from small-dollar donations and facilitated millions
of calls and door knocks. 1 2
Former USA President Barack Obama became the first political figure to truly
embrace social media platforms like YouTube, Facebook and Twitter. His
video “Yes We Can” gathered million of views and reshaped political
messaging for the digital age. This campaign generated over 400,000 blog posts
and 14.5 million hours of online video viewing. 3
In 2012, through Project Narwhal, deep microtargeting was enabled and voter
contact was made through predictive modelling. 4
1
MyBo: details about Obama campaign’s network strategy | P2P Foundation
2
Built to win: Deep inside Obama’s campaign tech – Ars Technica
3
Did hipster Tech Really Save the Obama Campaign? | Obama’s Secret Weapons: Internet,
Databases and Psychology| WIRED
4
Obama’s Data techniques will rule future elections | MIT Technology review.
Biden-Harris Campaign in 2020 amid pandemic era led to digital transition at
a larger scale. As no physical events were possible, their campaigners went on
to launch 300-plus virtual town halls, online fundraisers. 5 They started hosting
digital events with influential personalities like Billie Eilish, Former President
Barack Obama and raised millions through livestreaming. Platforms like
Brandlive and Zoom became core of the campaign. 6
The campaign worked with Social Media influencers and created content for
trends on Instagram, Tiktok and Twitter threads featuring campaign message
in such a way that reflected culturally.7 8
Democratic Party’s Campaigns stand out for their adaptive, inclusive and smart
use of technology. Their success is a proof of how technology can build voter
engagement and set a global benchmark.
5
Biden Campaign to hold virtual events instead of rallies amid coronavirus crisis | CNN Politics
6
Case Study by Brandlive | Biden Campaign Used Brandlive for 2020 Virtual Campaign Trail
7
Inside Biden Instagram Influencer Strategy, Virtual Campaign Trail – Business Insider
8
Biden Harnesses influencer star power to ramp up digital outreach | CNN Politics
