The Digital King Maker

"The man hailed by the US media as 'Obama’s secret political weapon' will visit Australia next week to tell the story of the most successful online campaign in history."
National Press Club promo, February 2009.

BRIEF

In 2009 the Internet Industry Association (IIA) wanted to position itself as the undisputed peak body in the digital economy.

SOLUTION

In a major coup, Ben Self, a founding partner of Blue State Digital, and one of the key people behind President Barack Obama’s historic online election campaign, was secured as the guest speaker for the IIA’s gala event and an associated national roadshow, just three weeks after Obama's inauguration. He was the first core campaign member to travel and speak internationally about the digital strategy and tactics used.

Excellent media opportunities were secured across the country and Ben spoke at packed events, including the keynote speech at Fairfax Media’s flagship industry conference.

When measured in terms of Advertising Space Rate Equivalents (ASRs), the media coverage was valued at over $8 million and, importantly, the ‘power behind the president’ publicly supported vital IIA policy positions, such as firm opposition to ISP Internet filtering.