By: Adrianne Miller, Account Manager
Once upon a time (in 1788), our very first president took office, following the unanimous votes of 69 electors and the presumptions of the framers of the Constitution. He was enormously popular and free of opposition.
Now fast forward to 1840: It’s William Harrison, the underdog, vs. Martin Van Buren. This political race changed the pace as Harrison reached into his bag of tricks and introduced banners, merchandise and a catchy song (Tippecanoe and Tyler, Too!) to promote his campaign and target his opponent. This brilliant move alleviated his small-fry status and through effective, catchy marketing, resulted in a landslide defeat against Van Buren.
Political campaign tactics continued to evolve as the first televised debates graced black and white TV screens across the country when Kennedy and Nixon took the stage in 1960. Kennedy took home the win for the debates, the election, and was deemed “best dressed” by adoring viewers, establishing the relevance of political awareness. Americans could see the candidates, from the comfort of their homes and allow “presence” to help shape their opinions.
This American history lesson comes to an end as we reach the 21st century. In 2008, a presidential candidate decided to mix politics with digital media. He tapped into social networking streams to reach the younger demographic. The pioneering move proved advantageous as President Obama engaged American youth with the political campaign.
During his campaign, almost all content was streamed online and made public through YouTube, Facebook and Twitter. It was no secret that the 18-25 crowds were using social media to gain important information about an enormous range of subject matter. By introducing politics to an engaged online audience, users were never out of the political loop.
The 2008 campaign transformed the political movement for future candidates by taking the race to the Internet. The accessibility to information is fast paced and appeals to a generation that thrives on instant gratification. Gone are the days of gathering around black and white television sets, waiting eagerly for the debates. Now Americans have immediate “live” access from their smart phones, lap tops, tablets, iPads and computers at all hours of the day.
The online audience can “Tweet” the President or “Like” the opposing candidate’s Facebook status. The mobile strategy grants accessibility to political figures and has made the race much more personal. Users can connect with politicians, debate amongst themselves and express their views with the cyber world with uncensored ease.
This campaign year, both candidates are embracing social media and the online audience is engaged. According to US News, “Twitter announced shortly after Wednesday’s debate that it had been the most tweeted event in U.S. political history, topping this year’s Republican and Democratic National Conventions. With 11.1 million comments, Wednesday’s debate was the fourth most tweeted telecast of any kind, coming in just behind the most recent Grammy awards, MTV’s Video Music Awards and the Super Bowl, according to William Powers, director of the Crowdwire, an election project of the social analytics firm Bluefin Labs.”
Americans are still tuning in to their televisions to watch the debates or catch the news. However, social networks are allowing viewers to connect across cyberspace to share opinions and influence their peers (and undecided votes).
Could social media determine the outcome of our upcoming election? We’ll stay tuned for November.