By now, most of my friends know that I support Barack Obama. I've replaced my Facebook picture with the famed Shepard Fairey print and posted the "Yes We Can" video on my own wall. But with any luck, supporting Obama will be more fruitful than being a Patriots fan this season (I don't do well with heart-breaking disappointment).I originally joined the Obama camp about a year ago - after watching the passionate speech in which he declared an official bid for the White House. I didn't know much about the guy, except that he was a damn good speaker - but hey, you gotta start somewhere.
Now, after debates, super primaries, and a healthy heap of slander, the Obama brand has transformed into a pop culture powerhouse. There's a great article in Ad Age that documents Obama's cultural penetration. But virals are only a symptom of the Obama outbreak - there's something bigger behind the scenes.
I love Obama and I love advertising - but I've been keeping one girlfriend from the other. To save you some time, I'll give a quick list of the Ad Age name-drops that have contributed to the Obama camp:
Yes We Can music video/mash-up (over 10m views):
-Co-Produced by Mr. Jurkovac, former VP-director of integration at FCB, and head of NYC boutique Cyclops
Hope Changes Everything video tribute:
-Created by Eric Hirshberg, president-chief creative officer of Deutsch, LA
Obama Girl videos:
-BarelyPolitical.com - headed up by Ben Relles, former Agency.com employee
Two AmigosDeObama.com songs, Reggaeton and Mariachi-Style
-Created by Miguel Orozco, president of Nueva Vista Media
And here's the best part - the cost of millions of dollars in brand impressions:
$0
I'd like to think that many of the young Obama supporters have become attached for two reasons:
1) most importantly, Obama's unique ability to restore emotion in a generation of politically apathetic voters.
2) brilliant minds using new media to increase brand equity, touchpoints, and buzz.
At the end of the day, brand perceptions come from the consumer, not the brand itself.
But with a powerful message, great creatives, and a candidate who embodies change, I think the Obama campaign will piss off a lot of old, fat, WASP's.
