The World is Never As it Seems

In a little less than 12 hours, we’ll finally pick the next leader of the free world. In my many discussions with undecided Ohio voters, one common thing has become clear – we’re all fed up with the politics of division that have hijacked our highest office and national politics for nearly a decade. We’re failing on the most basic issues: the economy, healthcare, and education, among others. It’s become increasingly clear that we MUST come together to address the challenges that are slowly crippling this country to ensure that we can still fulfill what Barack says is America’s promise as “the last, great hope on Earth.”

As I traveled through trailer parks where four different people had been laid off from four different jobs, as I talked to a mother who was losing her home, I got flesh and blood proof that this country is at a crossroads, that this election has offered us the opportunity to reverse the looming tide. Being in Ohio has confirmed what I’ve always known – the world is never as it seems; this great country has a remarkable penchant to continually revise and make better on its promise. Today, I hope we have the courage to do it once more.

We Stand Up

So I’ve failed to keep my pre-Ohio promise to keep this blog current like a politician who inherits a crippling deficit and has to scale back on all of his/her campaign promises. Maybe it’s the 14-15 hour days, the door-to-door canvassing in torrential downpours and hail storms, or it could be the 4 hours of sleep I’m getting a night. But every time I get a little tired or cranky or lazy, I remember the volunteer who took a semester off of school to be here, or the high schooler who spends her free time helping Barack, or the staff members who have dedicated a year of more of their young lives to run this campaign. And in that light, my contribution pales in comparison.

As if speaking to me (and scores of other volunteers), Barack said yesterday: “if we’re willing to reach deep down inside us, when times are tough, when it’s cold, when it’s raining, when it’s hard — that’s when we stand up.”

I’ll remember that as I go door-to-door in the snow this afternoon because on Nov 4th there will be no tomorrow.

Thank You Bob Schieffer

Dear Bob Schieffer,

Thank you for pressing the candidates on a wide range of major issues including: the inevitable economic sacrifices each will have to make, Roe v. Wade (and our inherent right to privacy), the decision-making process that prompted their vice presidential picks, and the decidedly negative tone of each campaign.* I managed to not fall asleep this time around.

Fondly,

Elizabeth Owuor

* Although, let’s be fair- McCain’s ads are much more so.

Blog Action Day 08: Poverty

Given that almost 2 billion people worldwide live below the poverty line, I’m happy to unite with bloggers around the world today to address this serious issue. Each of the candidates have dealt with this pressing topic in their own way – John McCain’s plan is conspicuously unarticulated while Barack Obama intends to expand access to jobs, raise the minimum wage, and increase access to affordable housing.

If the world economic crisis illustrates anything – global is local – which doesn’t even account for the nearly 40 million Americans who struggle to make ends meet everyday. Don’t you think it’s time to put something on paper, Senator McCain?

Interestingly enough, as the world economy teeters off-balance, Marxian ideology is again coming back in vogue in some regions of the world. Dismayed that unfettered capitalism has failed to solve all of our problems, some intellectuals have begun to seek comfort in Marx’s premise that capitalism would ultimately self-destruct in favor of communism.  While most of us can agree that a classless  isn’t the answer,  at the very  least we need to ensure that there are safeguards in place to protect the least fortunate among us.

What can you do today to combat poverty?

Photo credit: J K Velu

http://blogactionday.org/js/3683184fb6bc63b6e9d07312b0d2ece22da7c7ba

Countdown: Ohio

I’m very excited to let you know that I’ll be joining the Obama campaign in Ohio as a volunteer from October 25th through Election Day! The GOTV (get out the vote) period is the crucial week or so before any election where the campaign makes a final, grand push to ensure voters are at the polls on November 4th. And as a battleground state, Ohio is pivotal for an Obama victory.

I’ve decided to do this because I believe this election is bigger than me, bigger than all of us; because I’ve sat by for far too long as history is accomplished in this great nation. Barack Obama’s campaign is a historic achievement. But it’s also a tightly run grassroots machine where ordinary citizens can, and will, make a difference.

I know not everyone can afford to take time off work or from their families to contribute to this campaign, but there ARE things YOU can do, including: canvassing neighborhoods, participating in a phone bank (even from home), and registering those last-minute voters. Please visit www.barackobama.com and select the “States” dropdown menu to see how you can make a difference in your community.

If you’d like to follow my progress, please keep visiting this poorly maintained blog, I PROMISE to update it while in OH!

P.S. – Here’s a little bit of self-serving Obama trivia: who also has a father from Kenya and a mother from Kansas? You guessed it…me!!!

VOTEBAMA!

Photo credit: dbthayer

Well…That Didn’t Take Long

After last weeks very well scripted truce, the candidates are back on the trail, and thanks to the faltering economy it’s finally unfettered of the trivialities of lipstick wearing swine, tanning beds and randy kindergarteners; all of which, I’m sure we can agree, were all-time political lows.

Our silver lining might just be the fact that the candidates are back to talking about the serious, topical issues that SHOULD be dominating this election season. The Blackberry, however, still managed to wriggle its way into the political discourse.

With Wall Street imploding and the economy taking the forefront again, the Democrats seemed to have regained their footing – but for how long? McCain’s admitted weak point is the economy and he’ll probably be paying for his original statement that “the fundamentals of our economy are strong,” for some time – no matter how he tries to recast it.

It’s clear that the Democrats will use this comeback to their every advantage – Obama has already released a new two-minute ad that directly addresses the economy and the American people.

Is this the beginning of Obama wresting back control of his recently troubled brand?

Photo credit: Canis Major

Today the Candidates Remember – Together

The presidential candidates have teamed up to put politics aside by marking the seventh anniversary of September 11th and appearing at a forum on service at Columbia University. And even though their joint appearance is sure to be on message and free of the political rancor we’ve come to expect this election cycle, the look-and-feel of their respective websites is a testament to how each politician approaches linking their key messaging with the commemoration of this somber day.

Overall, I’d say the McCain website tribute is on-brand from start to finish. Beginning with the flag that dominates to the tagline “serve a cause greater than self” to the landing page that exhorts Americans to “consider getting involved helping others either here or with the thousands of other organizations serving the greater cause.” While the landing page looks a tad non-specific and repurposed, McCain’s main campaign message, “Country First” remains crystal clear.

Obama takes a similar, but divergent approach. His home page opens with a letter and a flag set in the muted surroundings of his campaign colors. It refrains from any personal branding and sends a subtle cue that today is more about standing together than engaging in political rivalries.

Obama’s letter encourages Americans to “renew that spirit of service and that sense of common purpose” that united us in the days following 9/11. But he also uses this resolve to indict the Bush administration for the terrorists that are still at large and to bolster his own commitment to keeping the country safe.

Final thoughts? McCain’s message is immediately clear and on-brand while Obama’s goes further to intertwine the call to service with his larger vision of a new America.

After this hiatus, are you interested to see how long it takes before the candidates return to the ferocity of the trail? After Palin’s sit down with Charlie Gibson tonight, I can’t imagine it’ll be long…

Announcing: Series 54

So, this blog is taking less of a severe detour and more of a political dalliance to the left to cover the 54-day whirlwind finish to the White House. Please DO NOT FEAR, I am still humbly committed to exploring “the balance between marketing, advertising and true conversation in the digital age.”

But what is an election, if not the most concentrated, persuasive form of marketing and advertising? And this is one particular “purchase decision” with a profound and lasting impact.

Even adman extraordinaire David Ogilvy had something to say about the intersection between politics and advertising. And it wasn’t good. Maybe that’s why most Americans group admen and politicians in the same sinking ship.

Nevertheless, the next 54 days of PolVertiZing (yes, I’m trying to coin that one) should be a tumultuous ride ripe with marketing fodder in one of the most memorable elections EVER.

Photo credit: Aprille

Just Joe

So the first Obama-Biden event is taking place right now in Springfield, Illinois.

And although it was leaked to the media a few hours before, I was super psyched to get a text message this morning around 3 am announcing the ticket. It read:

“Barack has chosen Senator Joe Biden to be our VP nominee. Watch the first Obama-Biden rally live at 3pm ET on www.BarackObama.com. Spread the word!”

This was quickly followed by an email.

The Obama campaign continues to use the power of the Internet to reach out and truly connect with its constituents on a grassroots level.

You could practically hear the collective sigh of relief throughout the Democratic party since this decision has strengthened the Obama brand in some key areas, including: foreign policy and wooing the working class. And after watching the speech, it’s clear that Biden’s ready and willing to step in and do the dirty work required of a vice presidential candidate.

But is the Change candidate diluting his brand by picking a Washington insider? Or has he made a wise decision in picking a man who can boost his campaign on some critical fronts?

Photo credit: www.barackobama.com

A New Digital Democracy?

For Those Who Think Young

Considering that nearly 2 million of you tuned in to Mad Men’s Season 2 Premiere, For Those Who Think Young I can safely assume that everyone else is just as mad for the breakout AMC series as I am.

And though I was a far distant eventuality in the 60s, during which time period the show is set, I can certainly appreciate this fictionalized portrait of Adland’s heyday and its deft handling of the social overtones of the period.

Bravo Matthew Weiner.

The C Word

After watching the show, it got me thinking about that oft-cited, but rarely welcomed word: change. Known in some circles as the C-Word (scaaarrryyy). In the premiere, we’re presented with an agency grappling with change on all fronts – in the world of advertising, in the world in general – and how it struggles to cope. While visionary creative director Don Draper rallies against change at work and at home, the landscape around him is altering – whether he’s prepared for it or not.

But this isn’t a post about that highly-lauded show.

Generation V is Out There

It is about an interesting study from Gartner via Marketing Charts which reveals that Internet consumption habits can no longer be classified along age, gender, societal or geographical lines. Generation V, or Generation Virtual as Gartner brands them, are using the Internet to inform, inspire and discover.

The study finds that this new digital divide exists in four categories: creators, contributors, opportunists and lurkers:

1) Creators:

These make their voice heard within the community, but they don’t necessarily build that community. They are informed and aware and exhibit this knowledge with product reviews or by answering other Web users’ answers.

2) Contributors:

These people want to own their own piece of the digital pie. Whether they accomplish this via a blog, podcast, or other digital means, it’s important to them that they build a community from the ground-up.

3) Lurkers:

This group comprises more than 80% of the Internet community, which makes sense. Why build a community or actively contribute when you can sit back, relax and reap the benefits of the reviews, blog posts and comments that inform your views and purchase decisions? We all begin our digital life in this gestational stage.

4) Opportunists:

These people may not have intended to contribute to the community, but maybe they accidentally landed on the product review page, or needed a question answered or randomly wanted to contribute to an online poll. Either way, they contribute, however sporadically or unintentionally.

But Can We Reach Them?

Like Don, some institutions will fitfully rally against change and only welcome it grudgingly (often right before the inevitably of extinction), while others will practically usher it through the door – and be all the better for it.

So my question is: will advertisers and marketers begin to embrace this new simultaneously defined and amorphous blob of Web users? Or will they continue to fragment their conversations with customers along the same ol’ demographic distinctions?

Won’t it be hard to reach an elusive group that doesn’t fit neatly into any of the old checkboxes? Or should they simply marry the old and the new worlds (ie defining young contributors vs. wealthy contributors, female lurkers vs. male lurkers, and so on and so forth)? Gartner says that businesses should actively address all four segments, but can it be done…and well?

What do you think?

Photo credit: www.amctv.com