Even if we've never listened to the President's weekly radio address, we've at least learned of this tradition from pop culture or by watching The West Wing, right? You had no idea the President gave a weekly address?
Now President-elect Obama, in staying true to the online marketing efforts he exhibited throughout his campaign, is taking this weekly address even further by adding a web video component. Each address will now be digitally videotaped and distributed online using YouTube.
To me, what's most interesting about this decision isn't Obama's use of internet video marketing. (I bet you thought that's the only reason for writing this blog post), it's the fact that Obama is choosing this moment in American history, a moment when we're faced with great economic uncertainty and a war, to bring a major innovation to the way the President communicates to the American people.
Compare that to the fact that when the radio addresses first began with President Roosevelt in the 1930's, the American people were also facing an economic depression and a war, and for that time period the radio broadcasts were also considered a major innovation.
I'm sure countless comparisons will be made over the next 4 years between Obama and Roosevelt, I even heard an interviewer the other night ask Obama if he'd been been brushing up on Roosevelt's presidency, and there will be plenty of people who can talk to that point better than I can, but the role of communications technology here should not be observed as a mere coincidence or even insignificant.
I joked earlier about how most of us probably didn't even know the President gave a weekly radio address. Does that mean no one cares what the President has to say?
Here's a prediction for you - I bet in the next four years more than half of you reading this will have one of President Obama's weekly internet video addresses shared with you by a friend.
I think the voter turn out this year proved we all care what the President has to say, we just needed him to say it in the right medium so we have a better opportunity to listen. Viral marketing will bring relevance back to an important, and much needed tradition.
Now President-elect Obama, in staying true to the online marketing efforts he exhibited throughout his campaign, is taking this weekly address even further by adding a web video component. Each address will now be digitally videotaped and distributed online using YouTube.
To me, what's most interesting about this decision isn't Obama's use of internet video marketing. (I bet you thought that's the only reason for writing this blog post), it's the fact that Obama is choosing this moment in American history, a moment when we're faced with great economic uncertainty and a war, to bring a major innovation to the way the President communicates to the American people.
Compare that to the fact that when the radio addresses first began with President Roosevelt in the 1930's, the American people were also facing an economic depression and a war, and for that time period the radio broadcasts were also considered a major innovation.I'm sure countless comparisons will be made over the next 4 years between Obama and Roosevelt, I even heard an interviewer the other night ask Obama if he'd been been brushing up on Roosevelt's presidency, and there will be plenty of people who can talk to that point better than I can, but the role of communications technology here should not be observed as a mere coincidence or even insignificant.
I joked earlier about how most of us probably didn't even know the President gave a weekly radio address. Does that mean no one cares what the President has to say?
Here's a prediction for you - I bet in the next four years more than half of you reading this will have one of President Obama's weekly internet video addresses shared with you by a friend.
I think the voter turn out this year proved we all care what the President has to say, we just needed him to say it in the right medium so we have a better opportunity to listen. Viral marketing will bring relevance back to an important, and much needed tradition.
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