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, public relations • February 29th, 2008

5 great movies about politics

by Chris Lato

At the end of a long week, let’s have some fun, shall we? I’m taking my love of movies (and I mean LOVE – I even suffered through “Be Kind Rewind” this week) and drawing up a list of my political flick favorites. These movies all speak to the rigors of campaigns and those who participate – some of the best stuff in these movies shows how communication, PR, messaging and ‘packaging’ candidates impact politics.
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Branding Politix, Creative • February 25th, 2008

7 ads that win

by Jon Tingley

One of the most crucial things to a campaign these days is a great ad campaign. In the business world, the ultimate goal of most ads is to increase revenue, but political ads lead to something much more powerful…votes. Listed below are some ads that win. Some of these ads may not be political, but they are creative, innovative and sometimes inspiring; these values certainly relate to advertising in the political arena.

• Lexus “the letter h” campaign for their hybrid line. Watch the spots here and here, read the whole post including the press release via Autoblog.com

• Leo Burnett’s Arcor Bubblegum ad via thecoolhunter.net

• Christy Mihos for Governor of Massachusetts

• Dove’s “Evolution” ad promoting its Real Beauty Workshops

• The classic “Daisy” ad for Lyndon Johnson

• Bill Richardson’s presidential campaign ad, “Interview”

• And another from thecoolhunter.net from Australian police…here.

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2008 Primaries, Grass Roots Organization, Views on News • February 20th, 2008

McGee scores win from jail cell

by Chris Lato

This one just fascinates me. Milwaukee Ald. Michael McGee Junior has survived a major-league challenge in Tuesday’s primary.

The caveats: Michael McGee Jr. is innocent until proven guilty in a court of law, etc.

What blows me away is this: McGee clearly understands his Milwaukee constituents, what they respond to, how to connect with them so deeply that they will stand behind him even while he’s sitting in a jail cell facing a host of criminal charges.

Lots of politicos would feel blessed to have this kind of connection with the voters.

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wispundits • February 18th, 2008

Veteran editor joins Wispundits… Sykes, Shook top online poll

by Karl Robe

An online poll conducted at Wispundits.com shows Charlie Sykes and Dennis A. Shook leading speculation about who will join Wispundits.com. Sykes captured 56 percent of the votes with Shook registering 31 percent. James Rowen and Jay Weber shared equal parts of 12 percent. And, no one believed Bill Christofferson would become the next Wispundit.

For more than 30 years, our next Wispundit’s award-winning journalism on issues, politics and government has graced the pages of the Journal Sentinel, Wispolitics, Waukesha Freeman, Kenosha News, Racine Journal Times, Shepherd Express and numerous others. For 10 years, he worked at the Waukesha Freeman where he became part of the fabric of the western suburbs.

Now, Dennis A. Shook will be contributing to Wispundits.com, offering commentary on issues from the local municipalities of southeast Wisconsin to the state house to the White House. Wispundits.com provides insightful, interactive commentary on what is working to differentiate political and issues campaigns in a crowded field of ideas in Wisconsin.

Dennis has appeared on Charlie Sykes’ Sunday Insight television program, anchored radio news and served as a legislative policy analyst for state Sen. Robert Wirch, focusing on transportation and environmental issues. Dennis is described by notable media, politicians and policymakers as one of the most knowledgeable sources of information on Wisconsin politics, government and issues dating back to Gov. Patrick Lucey.

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