On Wednesday, I was lucky enough to get to attend a talk given by David Plouffe, President Obama’s political campaign manager and author of “The Audacity to Win.” As the visionary genius behind one of the most game-changing political campaigns in the history of this country, I went hoping to gather some tips for running a successful campaign that would translate to the world of marketing and public relations (oh, and also hoping a little of his genius may rub off on me).

David began the talk by providing us with a background on the challenges faced in President Obama’s drive to the White House. Obama had never visited many of the states in the U.S., and he was widely viewed as a political “outsider.” In the early days of the campaign, they weren’t even sure he would make it past the primary. They knew that if they solely worked to gain the support of the current voter base, a defeat was surely in the cards. In order to win, they needed to invigorate a new base of voters and empower them to participate in the political process. And that’s exactly what they did.

They realized that campaigns, political, marketing or otherwise, are a relationship. As such, they are built on trust, communication and the ability to work through crises together. To create this relationship, and in turn build a new voter base, the Obama Campaign decided to involve everyone in the process. They enlisted grassroots organizations, volunteer groups, talked to neighbors and visited anyone who would listen, including Republicans. Most of all, they listened to these people and learned how to reach them on their own terms – on the Internet. What resulted was millions of new voters and a large group of people who truly felt like they were a part of something important. The Obama Campaign was able to generate more than $500 million online with an average donation of a mere $85.

This is where his talk struck a chord in my mind. We’re getting to a point where people’s consumption of information and news is done completely via the Internet. That can be friends sending friends news via Facebook, Twitter or e-mail. Or, it can be a politician sending his platform via e-mail to his constituents. It’s not a secret that people are more skeptical of big news organizations these days, so it’s easy to believe that receiving news from your friends via word-of-mouth is easier to trust. With social media, we have the opportunity to reach millions of consumers without relying on press coverage. Basically, this means that just because your product announcement didn’t get covered in a New York Times’ or Wall Street Journal article, it doesn’t mean it didn’t find its way into the inboxes of 50 million people – via their friends and family.

You may still be asking yourself, “How does this knowledge apply to me and my marketing strategy?” To answer, I simply say take some of the best practices from David Plouffe’s campaign, and apply them to your marketing plans. When you compare a political campaign and a marketing campaign, they are really quite similar – a brand trying to get recognized by a target audience. Don’t be afraid to try tactics that haven’t been done before and don’t forget to utilize the Internet at every moment possible. If you can create a campaign that deeply involves your target audience and inspires them to participate in your movement, you will likely find more success in the long run.

Has anyone out there found a unique way to drive buzz and excitement without using traditional methods such as media tours and press releases? I’d love to hear any inspirational stories that are floating out there.