Amway rules!
After the 2004 election, there was a lot of talk on how organized the Bush campaign was on the ground compared to Kerry. Usually it is the Democrats who win the ground game. With all the hype, I had no idea how organized the Bush team was until I read Bai's article, "The Multi-level Marketing of the President."
Bai explained the pyramid organization of the Bush campaign through a narrative about his time spent with Bush volunteers throughout Ohio early in 2004. Throughout the article, Bai compares the tactics and strategies of the Bush team to that of Amway; right down to the organization, goals and incentives, and educational tools employed by both organizations.
It was a rather brilliant idea by the Rove and his cronies straight from multi-level marketing giants like Mary Kay, which brought organization from the headquarters in Arlington, VA right down to the second precinct in Franklin County, Ohio. The hierarchy was quite pronounced and organized. The HQ was at the top, than regional chairs, state chairs, state-regional chairs, county chairs, precinct chairs. All had their own recruitment goals, canvassing quotas, etc.
Moreover, the relationship between national campaign officials and local folks was symbiotic. In the early leg of the campaign the top depended on the bottom for feedback, information, and frame of mind of voters. In the later legs, the top directed the bottom as to the campaign message of the day, etc.
It is remarkable the operation the Republicans installed throughout the 2004 campaign. It was organized, provided guidance and direction, as well as incentives and rewards to do well, much like Amway does, and it worked!
I wonder if this will be the model for future elections and if the Democrats will tap in to the Amway organization?
Bai explained the pyramid organization of the Bush campaign through a narrative about his time spent with Bush volunteers throughout Ohio early in 2004. Throughout the article, Bai compares the tactics and strategies of the Bush team to that of Amway; right down to the organization, goals and incentives, and educational tools employed by both organizations.
It was a rather brilliant idea by the Rove and his cronies straight from multi-level marketing giants like Mary Kay, which brought organization from the headquarters in Arlington, VA right down to the second precinct in Franklin County, Ohio. The hierarchy was quite pronounced and organized. The HQ was at the top, than regional chairs, state chairs, state-regional chairs, county chairs, precinct chairs. All had their own recruitment goals, canvassing quotas, etc.
Moreover, the relationship between national campaign officials and local folks was symbiotic. In the early leg of the campaign the top depended on the bottom for feedback, information, and frame of mind of voters. In the later legs, the top directed the bottom as to the campaign message of the day, etc.
It is remarkable the operation the Republicans installed throughout the 2004 campaign. It was organized, provided guidance and direction, as well as incentives and rewards to do well, much like Amway does, and it worked!
I wonder if this will be the model for future elections and if the Democrats will tap in to the Amway organization?
1 Comments:
I certainly hope we do give the Amway style a try, especially in larger states. It does such a great job of helping to grow the organization in a viral way, and the Bush campaign did a great job of maintaining control over the message the volunteers distributed on the ground. It's probably overkill for a small campaign, but it certainly seems to me that any larger campaign would be foolish not to use this method to empower their volunteers while still retaining ultimate control.
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