Right now you can add former first lady Michelle Obama to the contacts in your phone. Starting July 20, people can text the South Side Chicago native at 312-847-4044. Obama is the latest big name to join Community, an SMS marketing platform that enables brands and public figures to connect directly with their audiences via text message. Since launching in 2019, the social network has amassed more than 30 million members.
Mrs. Obama joins the ranks of her husband, former President Barack Obama; President Joe Biden; and other public figures and notable brands known as “Community leaders” including former Georgia State representative Stacey Abrams and actresses Kerry Washington and Jennifer Lopez.
“Mrs. Obama is excited for the opportunity to engage with people in a new way and hear what’s on their minds,” says Crystal Carson, communications director for Mrs. Obama. “Over the last several years we’ve all lived through a pandemic, a rise in bigotry, intolerance, and hate, but there has also been moments of hope and light. With everything going on we can all could use a little more community.”
While it remains to be seen exactly what type of content Obama will share, it’s probable that she will include updates on the Obama Foundation; initiatives she led as first lady, including healthy living and nutrition; as well as voter registration through When We All Vote, the organization she founded in 2018, which is also part of Community.
“So for instance, if Mrs. Obama wanted to message people in her audience on Community on their 18th birthday with a voter registration link from When We All Vote, she can do that,” explains Molly DeWolf Swenson, head of global partnerships at Community. “And we know from our multiyear partnership with When We All Vote and a number of their cochairs that teens are 10 times more likely to complete their voter registration, if it’s texted to them by a Community Leader.”
President Obama was the first major politician to join the platform back in 2020 as part of the Democrats’ campaign strategy ahead of the presidential election. Meanwhile, Biden joined Community earlier this month to ask people to share their personal stories about how gun violence has impacted them as part of the White House’s larger outreach initiatives.
When you text someone on Community, you receive a link to add your contact information (name, birthdate, location, phone number, and email) to Community’s database. Then you’ll receive a contact card to save the person’s number to your phone. Standard text messaging rates apply.
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