Summary
This case study describes the research and messaging strategy of Obama for America, the re-election campaign of President Barack Obama during the 2012 US presidential election. The campaign's limited resources were focused on 14 'battleground states' and had several key objectives, including keeping the debate about the economy positive, and personalising Obama in contrast to his lesser-known rival. Pre-campaign research included a qualitative phase involving online diaries and focus groups, followed by a quantitative benchmarking exercise. Mid-campaign research focused on refining the message for middle-class voters. Messaging via TV spots utilised set top box data to optimise media investment, based on the cost of programming and the number of target voters watching. Barack Obama was duly re-elected with 51% of the vote (the highest proportion since Eisenhower), winning in 12 of the 14 prioritised states.

Summary
This article describes how the principles of behavioural economics were successfully put into practice by Barack Obama's team in the November 2012 US presidential election. The article describes the interventions that were used and how these interventions worked with the general principles that can be applied to other areas of marketing. Such principles include: mapping the behavioural journey of potential voters, encouraging people to make a plan to vote, requesting people sign a 'commit to vote' card, reminding people of their identity as voters, comparing voting behaviour to neighbourhood average turnout rates and countering myths, lies and slander.

Summary
Singapore's 11th General Election in May was the most fiercely contested since independence in 1965. A significant change before campaigning started was the relaxed ruling on internet advertising. For the first time, political parties and candidates could use new media channels to engage voters. Individual Singaporeans could participate in an internet election without declaring their personal details and this change sparked fervid discussions and opinion pieces by influential online personalities. New media, for too long regarded as a young, lightweight medium, became a real influence on the outcome through the likes of citizen journalism and live tweet coverage.

Summary
On the night of 7th May 2011, Singapore's general election was held. Many people turned to Twitter for their news updates, there they were frequently broken before they were broadcast on television. The 2006 election had been hailed as the 'internet election', but 2011 marked the first time in that use of social media by political parties in their campaigns was permitted, and while traditional media channels have tended to ignore the opposition parties; in the digital sphere, these parties found it much easier to spread their message. At the same time, Singaporeans used social channels to debate issues and share opinions. The role of social platforms is covered, including Facebook, Twitter and YouTube. Lessons for brands include tips for handling negative feedback and dealing directly with customers.

Summary
Union HK Denmark wanted to draw attention to the fact that Danish men on average earn 17.7% more than a Danish woman would in the same job. Instead of traditional advertising, the campaign visualized this gender discrimination by dividing a metro station into different Women and Men areas - giving benefits to the men. Escalators were marked 'fast for men' and 'slow for women'; on the platforms, the best places to stand (by the sliding doors) were marked 'reserved for men', and floor markings told women to queue at the back. There was also a one-match sponsorship deal between Union HK and Viborg´s female handball team - which is one of the best in the world - who wore blue shirts with an Equal Remuneration message. This initiative in particular generated a lot of PR support.

Summary
Not even one among the top 100 star celebrities in China, is a son or daughter of anyone famous – they are all virtually self-made success stories. It is surprising to note that many marketers and advertisers still do not really understand the Chinese nuance to celebrity endorsement. As a result, every time a celebrity is signed up for the next multimillion-dollar marketing campaign, what has been done in the past is repeated with predictably mediocre results. As China guns for glory, the Chinese are looking for hope in the thousands of unsung heroes and millions of talented and yet unknown people who are looking for a way to break in and make a mark.Unlike many other markets in the world, China today offers a rare opportunity for brands not just to grow but also to contribute to the 'construction of values'. In the end, brands could actually stand for something much more than just things we consume.

Summary
Unison is a UK trade union for public services, representing 1.3 million people. This 2010 DMA Awards entry shows how it sought to build opposition to cuts in government services and recruit new members. Its campaign had multiple audiences – the public, politicians, influencers, Unison members and potential members. Press, online advertising and social media were used in conjunction with an email campaign to public service workers. The focus of the campaign was the impact cuts would have on individuals. The result was a 33% uplift in monthly membership, translating into £6 million in lifetime value.

Summary
In 2009 G8 leaders were gathering for the G8 Summit – and GCAP Italy wanted to develop a strong communication to make citizens exert pressure on them. The campaign, from Grey Worldwide Italy, had two targets: ordinary citizens and G8 leaders. A campaign toolkit was then developed, including press advertisements, billboards, web, collaterals, promo cards, a big "pressure button" installation which was used to capture the audience's attention at key events, a web game where people had to press leaders' heads, and an event in Rome where people were invited to push eight inflatable paddling pools showing G8 leaders' faces. The overall target for press was set at 8.6 million people. In the case of billboards, Grey aimed to reach the broader Italian population target: 2.5 million people daily. A campaign stunt in Rome on the eve of the G8 summit was covered by news stations. In Italy, a petition signed by 1,538,500 people was shown to the political leaders.

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'Coping With the Post-Advertising Age' by Philip Gould provides an interesting reference point as we head into what has been dubbed Britain's first digital election. Written in 2006 for Market Leader magazine, he offers lessons from politics, and specifically electioneering, for the changing world of advertising and marketing at a time when the internet age was already established. The real insight in his piece, however, is how our organisational structures so often get in the way of working the way we all know is best.

Summary
'Vote for Me' was a game changing campaign that took a strategic approach in repositioning the Green Party with mainstream voters to achieve outstanding success in the 2008 election. By focusing on the brand of the Greens Party and not its candidates or specific policies, Special transformed the partys communications programme at every level for the 2008 election.