Let me explain why I have politics on the mind during this laid back week between holidays. Tomorrow I’m speaking to a winter-term class at the University of Iowa on “Blogging Elections: How Online Social Media Have Changed Political Communication.” Specifically I’ll be sharing my insights after leading two recent political campaigns (21 Makes Sense, Jacoby for House) both of which benefitted from social media engagement.
As one campaign was a candidate’s primary race and the other a local ballot issue (the bar entry age in a college town — I am something of a glutton for punishment), each used social in different ways. The candidate campaign built personal connections through blogging and YouTube. Given the prominent exposure of the 21 issue, Twitter was key in engaging media outlets and offering real-time coverage of the many debates and forums. While Facebook stood at the core of both campaign’s community-building activities with event organizing, avatar campaigns, and the like.
And though it’s off-topic for tomorrow’s talk, both campaigns utilized core brand/message development principles that our firm would apply to any client in the private sector. That’s because politics, like many things in the world around us, is increasingly a brand-driven pursuit. While new media is increasingly driving conversation and altering how information on issues including politics is shared among individuals, brand/message architecture is still at the core. Social is the medium. The brand — the political figure or issue on the ticket — still needs to have a carefully articulated message. We certainly see this in the 24-hour cable news cycle on the national level but I can tell you from experience that social can drive local races as well.
If you’d be interested in seeing this presentation, give me a holler. Have a thoughtful break as you get aligned for the “brand new” year ahead.
