New Media • June 25th, 2008

Politicians tweet to future voters

by Jon Tingley

You may have heard about a crazy new thing called Twitter lately. The truth is, it’s not that new, and it’s not that crazy. Twitter was launched almost two years ago in July and has since gained almost 2 million users worldwide. The number of Twitter users is constantly growing, as is the sites popularity; around 2 million tweets are sent each day. As you’ll read below, a few politicians have started using Twitter and one has seen overwhelming success.

What is Twitter? Well, as confusing as it sounds, the idea behind the service is very simple. The service is based on the question “What are you doing now?” and from that, you can communicate your own or your business’s status to the world. Twitter was created as a cross-platform tool to communicate your status to friends. All you have to do is create an account, find some people to follow, find some people to follow you, and start tweeting. The beauty of it all is that your followers can choose how they would like to receive your updates, either by text message, instant message, or on the web. You can also update your status from your mobile phone, instant messenger, on the website, or through the multitude of applications and plug-ins that have been created just to tweet.

What can this do for you? Twitter may have been intended for individual use, but it hasn’t taken long for a few enterprising minds to think of ways to use this in political settings.

For example, Barack Obama, Hilary Clinton and John McCain have all embraced the service as a way to recruit and communicate with America’s youth. While it has been successful for two of them, Obama is leading with nearly 42,000 people following him over Clinton’s 4,142 and McCain’s 68. What’s interesting about Obama’s use is that not only does he have thousands of followers, but he is also following over 43,000 people; imagine the tweets he gets. Click the links for their pages. Obama. Clinton. McCain.

The bottom line is that we are living in an age where information is updated and disbursed every second. For a politician to succeed, they will have to figure out how to keep up. Will Twitter be the way?

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New Media, public relations, wispundits • April 29th, 2008

TXT Release

by Greg Batiansila

A creative public affairs pro will constantly be testing and exploring new platforms for their releases. So this and this were inevitable. And, if you ask me, it’s not going to go away. So remember to come up with a brief version of that three-paragraph release for those who have a trigger reflex for cell vibrations.

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New Media, public relations • April 17th, 2008

Divorce, YouTube-Style

by Chris Lato

Divorce by YouTube

Since my business is communication…and business is good!…I am fascinated by disturbing new trends, like this video. Some of the discussion in the middle of this clip may be NSFW if you’re in a prudish environment…so keep the volume low.

This is pretty groundbreaking in all the wrong ways. I can’t believe her estranged hubby won’t sue over this, and I can’t imagine he wouldn’t win, but what does this open the door to? All sorts of wild, unsubstantiated allegations posted on video? I know in many ways, the Internet is already the wild wild west, with all sorts of crazy stuff being posted all the time. But this seems to take things into newer territory, where it becomes easy for ‘regular people’ to accuse and embarrass one another without the benefit of a fair response.

Also, what’s to stop disgruntled former employees of businesses making videos accusing the company of engaging in illegal or unethical conduct (except for the obvious lawsuit)? Are businesses prepared to respond fast to something that can spread like wildfire if it has a good hook? It is what crisis communications is all about, and I suspect too many businesses – and people in high places who could be slapped with this kind of stuff – may not have the first clue as to how to respond. Online crisis communications doesn’t get a whole lot of attention and this trend could get a lot bigger before all is said and done.

Think PR, people…(end of commercial).

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Branding Politix, Fundraising, Messaging, New Media, Report from the Field, Research & Ideas • April 8th, 2008

It’s a millennium thing. Get used to it.

by Greg Batiansila

For years, American culture – from politics to entertainment to our interpretation of law – has been under the influence of the Baby Boom generation. Boomers will continue to enjoy considerable power and sway even while they gray and retire. But Americans will now have to reckon with a new force – the Millennial Generation.

Millennials – the name given to those born between 1978 and 1996 – boast Boomer-like numbers, education and clout. Researchers are finding this new generation is very different from previous generations in their view of the world and how they vote. For example, almost 50% of Millennials identify themselves with the Democrat party while only 35% align themselves with Republicans.

Laying claim to the media platforms where Millennials communicate, shop and visit is an essential part of today’s and all future campaigns. McCain’s may be the last of the dinosaur campaigns that ascend almost solely through traditional fundraising and media. Look for all campaigns in the future to use the web – perhaps exclusively – create and enhance community, and raise money.

In 2008, close to 50 million Millenials will be eligible to vote. How many actually vote, and how they vote, and what moves them remains to be seen. But you’re already seeing the beginning salvos…like here and here and here…in a battle for the heart, soul and vote of the Millennial generation.

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2008 Primaries, Branding Politix, Creative, Grass Roots Organization, New Media • March 17th, 2008

MoveOn beckons Web 2.0 to race

by Greg Batiansila

MoveOn.org, the outspoken left-leaning political website, is showing just how much the political grassroots landscape has changed in just one election cycle.

The site is calling on filmmakers, writers, directors, actors, editors, composers, graphic artists, and animators to use their creativity and create an ad supporting Barack Obama. MoveOn has even YouTubed their call to creative arms.

What you’re seeing and will continue to see is a move on the Internet toward social media, one where the audience creates content and essentially contributes in a conversation with itself and a website. The result is powerful – you give contributors their minutes of fame and priceless exposure, get free content, and engage the audience to share and contribute.

Politically, this is the first major step toward audience-created media that skirts campaign rules and campaign-driven “talking points.” If MoveOn.org posts its top 100 videos, and one or more are risky or take avant garde stabs at the opponent, both MoveOn and Obama can simply disassociate itself from the ad as something made by a novice and not from their campaign – even while displaying the ad under the context of a contest. But if something is truly moving and great, Obama or MoveOn can snatch the ad up and give it national play.

Locally, politicians could use the same platform to engage the electorate. more »

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Messaging, New Media, wispundits • March 11th, 2008

Hmmm…

by Chris Lato

If this is true, then why do we even bother? Because we love the sound of our own voices crying in the wilderness?

Yep. That’s probably it.

Anyway, 56 percent of the American people never read political blogs. 22 percent read them regularly, and 23 percent read them ‘several times a year.’ I would have thought the ‘never read’ number was actually a bit higher. Of course, those numbers will only increase as time goes on and blogs continue to gain acceptance in the mainstream of political news ‘n’ views.

What is the appeal of blogging? I’ve only been doing it for a short time, but so far I’ve enjoyed it. And, it is a great leveler. Anyone can have one. And if you have interesting things to say, then you too can generate some heat. You can post anytime, anywhere, and others have that same 24-hour-a-day access.

Blogs are good for disseminating news ‘the mainstream media doesn’t want you to see/hear/read about.’ (I use the quotation marks only half-jokingly.) Blogs have broken some big stories locally, statewide and nationally, that left some egg on the ‘mainstream’ media’s collective face. Some blogs, admittedly, are little more than gossip/innuendo/half-truths, but the observant among us are sharp enough to separate the good ones from the pretenders.

For campaigns, it is a great way to communicate without the media filter. Of course, you have to feed the beast and keep posting regularly, giving folks a reason to keep coming back. If you establish an audience, it is a tool that is definitely worth using.

Your thoughts? Do you blog on politics and issues, and if so, why? In the face of this new poll, will you just shrug and give up, or will you (I assume) hang tough and keep on bloggin’?

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Branding Politix, Messaging, New Media, Views on News • March 6th, 2008

I’ve Seen The Future & It Will Be…

by Greg Batiansila

Milwaukee County Executive Scott Walker has made some headlines for creating his first web-specific video ads. As commented earlier on this blog, Mr. Walker has undoubtedly turned to the future of local and regional politics – messaging using the web platform.

In today’s world, no other platform matches the web’s ability to get your message out instantly and cheaply. Even in the smallest, least-funded races, candidates will continue to warm to web communications – from Utterz voice messages to web video – over almost every other medium.

The danger is that while candidates are employing “cheap” methods of messaging, their message shouldn’t be cheap. Or cheapened. Walker’s web videos reflect some of his intrinsic characteristics – frugality, self-reliance, an everyday man quality. But the videos also have bad audio, bad shot composition, and some ad-lib issues that might not reflect Walker’s oratory abilities.

It pays to understand social media. Candidates should know that YouTube lists its videos as “thumbnails” using the middle frame of the uploaded video. Our video editor here makes certain our video’s middle frame has a great shot so that the thumbnail is a little ad in itself. Even in the world of shoestring budgets and “do-it-yourself” media, leaning on experts will elevate you and your message.

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Branding Politix, Messaging, New Media, Promotions • March 3rd, 2008

Walker on the web

by Chris Lato

Voters in Milwaukee County will be choosing their County Executive for the next four years April 1, and incumbent Scott Walker is using the Internet as a way to spread his message.

In a series of three no-budget ‘ads’, Walker covers taxes, transit and parks – three hot button issues in Milwaukee County politics.

It’s just Scott Walker standing on the sidewalk talking directly to the camera – no cutaways that I recall, all single-camera, very obviously done on the cheap. Walker even stumbles a bit once or twice, but the camera keeps on rolling.
more »

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2008 Primaries, Grass Roots Organization, New Media • February 18th, 2008

New tech on the campaign trek

by Jon Tingley

Many people may not have decided on a presidential candidate, even this close to the Wisconsin primary. But they would likely agree that the 2008 election has spawned an entirely new style of political campaigning. There are several key reasons for this.

more »

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2008 Primaries, New Media, Research & Ideas, Strategic Blueprints • February 15th, 2008

Rising star, part 1

by Greg Batiansila

When notable conservatives are comparing Barack Obama’s presence to Ronald Reagan’s - you’ve got a rising star.

And when you’re creating pieces like this for your campaign… if you haven’t seen the video I’ve dropped in below yet, watch it. And, frankly, if you’ve seen it before, watch it again. This is a scintillating product, moving art, remarkable. No other candidate would try to make something like this - and if he or she did, we’d wonder why they’re trying to imitate Obama? Check and mate.

Not to say we wouldn’t try to emulate it. I sat and watched it with the head of our video department and he was genuinely impressed with the timing and the vision. He mentioned that a novice might figure someone turned a camera on and let people kind of “riff.” But it’s not. This has been lit and shot and planned, planned so immaculately that it looks effortless. And it doesn’t hurt that you’ve got Scarlett and Kareem involved. But honestly, the power of this piece has less to do with who is in it than how it’s shot and edited, and the focus on message.

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