|
What impact will "I Got a Crush on Obama" -- the semi-salacious, MTV-style video that has been viewed nearly a million times since Thursday -- have on Barack Obama's 2008 campaign?
. It’s not likely to move voters to, or from, the voting booth;
. it could help him;
. it takes the stuffing out of election advertising;
. and it has surely opened the flood gate of consumer generated political material that will to impact the YouTube election.
So how should Obama and other candidates respond to unauthorized videos that go viral on the Internet? An Obama campaign official said its team had nothing to do with the video, but otherwise declined to comment, reported ABC News.
I think Obama's campaign should say something like "We like a laugh as much as anyone, and although this may be a little over the line of good taste, we're flattered. Now let's get back to the issues."
The Crush Kicks Its Creators' Careers Up a Notch
The "Crush" video's creators understand the power of peer-to-peer marketing and what they are very cleverly marketing is themselves. The video pumps up the celebrity of 21-year-old Temple University journalism student Leah Kauffman and 32-year-old New York City ad executive Ben Relles - who made he video for under $2,000. A few months ago, the pair's "My Box in a Box," was viewed more than 3 million times on YouTube.
Kauffman and Relles used the video to launch their political commentary site called "Barely Political" which promises lots of user-generated video and also sells the team's original song, with other merchandise to come. You can bet you'll be seeing them covering the Democratic convention for one of the networks.
They report on their blog “We did over 10 TV interviews...with Fox News, MSNBC, Inside Edition (on tonight!), and a bunch more. Even met John Bolton in the green room! And we've been featured on over 150 TV stations….Nice!”
Still no word from B : (" Here to stay
An earlier, negative video about Hillary Clinton also got no response from her team, which has made use of YouTube by asking the public to suggest and vote on her campaign theme song. John McCain, Milt Romney and several other candidates have also been the subject of YouTube videos, and have more or less taken the "no comment" path with hope that this new medium would just go away. But user-generated content is here to stay.
What happens when the subject is negative?
What happens when a video equivalent of Swift Boat emerges will be a different story. Answer videos and blog posts pop up almost immediately when a controversial video surfaces, and all sides of the issue will play out in a far less scripted way than ever before.
Apply Sense of Humor, Rinse, Repeat
Says The NY Times: “…the video has a campy appeal while also giving a nod to the issues in a playful manner. While overtly salacious, the video is unlikely to raise any objections from the Obama campaign.”
And like we said last week: "Successful use of video will need to have a sense of humor, of the community that's watching it and creating their own, and of the sea change that online activism and putting the tools of content creation in everyone's hands creates. Negative, nasty, mean, deceptive (insert your own adjective for mainstream political marketing and advertising) will backfire on the Internet."
|
Comments
When someone takes the time to remark on your brand, company or cause you should 1) listen and 2) acknowledge it. Show us you're listening, appreciative and not trying to control what we're saying and sharing. Sure, it's a sassy video (and we both know that subway station well, eh?) but the production quality was high, her voice was nice and she supported her candidate.
Plus, Obama is ALL about getting back to the people. So, thank her.
Posted by: CK | 06.18.07
I agree completely. But I think the Obama campaign is afraid to say too much because it's so sassy.
Acknowledging it would be one thing, but thanking her could be problematic because the video is a commercial venture for her and her partner.
Also the idea of candidates as sex objects is, pun intended, touchy.
Posted by: B.L. Ochman | 06.18.07
I can't decide. The name recognition such exposure will engender serves him well, and I think most people are smart enough to realize he didn't create it.
However, this feeds right into the crowd that views Obama's celebrity and popularity as an unearned "irrational exuberance."
Whether he acknowledges it or not, it won't hurt him.
On the other hand, when the attacks start coming via YouTube and other sites, a different strategy very well may be warranted.
Posted by: Cam Beck | 06.18.07
Cam - that's a point i was trying to make - as i am sure attacks will come. and every candidate, and for that matter, every business, needs to think about how to respond when it happens.
i fear that the consultants who've long specialized in political attack ads will figure out a more horrible and heinous way to use the internet than any of us have imagined.
but i don't think the YouTube public will go for that type of attack. A lot of people want a different kind of election this time.
Posted by: B.L. Ochman | 06.18.07
I don't know... The public can be pretty vicious.
Posted by: Cam Beck | 06.18.07
Cam - it's going to be interesting to see if the digital native generation really wants change and if they can use their bandwidth to bring it about, starting with the election. I'm rooting for them to pull it off!
Posted by: B.L. Ochman | 06.18.07
With the messaging militia that politico's employ, I'm sure they could figure out a way to acknowledge the piece without thanking them.
If you're gonna listen to the people, acknowledge them (that is, Obama's whole "bringing Wash to the people" platform...so make good on it in ways big and small).
Posted by: CK | 06.19.07
I think that this is a very successful consumer generated marketing piece. It's interesting to see that when a consumer is interested, engaged or enthralled with a product, they'll generate their own marketing for the brand with no compensation, or possibly, intent. The Coke and Mentos videos were a good early example of this. You'll notice that the creators didn't hid the label or use other colas for other clips.
What I hope brands get out of this is that if you engage and communicate with your customers, and support their creativity, you can get alot out of it.
Obama may not get additional votes directly from the Obama Girl video, but it has certainly increased awareness of him, got him on the front page of CNN.com and other news outlets. For $2000 that the video is said to have cost, you can't buy a fraction of that publicity. It also helps show the lighter side of the candidate which may make him stand out more.
This is not the fist example of consumer generated marketing for Obama or other candidates. There are a plethora of videos on YouTube and other outlets of supporters of Obama. Not as titillating for sure, but helpful none the less. And who can forget that great Apple-inspired Hillary video? Not exactly positive marketing!
Posted by: Michael Durwin | 06.21.07
I got a crush on Obama works just as all other similar type of ads work --- they show a girl half naked on film and comfortable with it.
Posted by: Viral Marketing | 06.06.08