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dull_election.jpgBy B.L. Ochman
Let’s face it, from an online marketing point of view, this election is a dog. (Sorry Benny Bix) Sure Iowa caucus winner Mike Huckabee masterfully manipulated mainstream media by showing his supposedly banned anti-Romney ad to them so they’d play it for free and give him far more exposure than the ad would have gotten otherwise. But neither he, nor Obama, nor Hillary have used social media marketing well.

“Once you see it,” Huckabee said craftily as he played the video, “you’ll see why we won’t run it.” Reporters laughed out loud, but the evening news was on it like flies on shit.

Hillary Clinton’s Sopranos spoof was the campaign’s only candidate-made viral to date (unless Obama Girl actually works for him)
There are several social media marketing campaigns by political groups that are going to play a big roll with the crucial young vote in the election.

The Tech Crunch Primaries is not one of them. It’s nothing more than a bid for more advertising because you can vote every day. That makes the outcome effectively worth absolutely nothing.

The ones that will count:
MoveOn.org/League of Young Voters Primary,

perhaps the best-designed Facebook app to date, is a presidential youth primary for voters under 35. The problem: Facebook is under fire by the digerati and may fall from favor before the election.

Unity 08

The only truly Internet-savvy election social networking site. It allows visitors nominate candidates and pick the issues most important to them. Then the community will prioritize the issues and select a candidate who they’ll then work to get on the ballot as an Independent. It appears at this point that the candidate could very well be Mike Bloomberg.

My dream team in this election continues to be Bloomberg/Gore, although Bloomberg/Hagel or Bloomberg/Edwards are more likely. Will Bloomberg grasp the change potential of social media marketing? Remains to be seen, but I bet he will.
Still believe mainstream media will be the most important force in the election? Stay tuned. You’re about to be proven wrong, as a true revolution begins.