Social Media / Politics

Just when I thought it couldn't get any better...

Politics, Social Media, Yet Again

This is the most creative one I've seen yet...

How It Happens - Social Media / Politics

In late September, I published the Sarah Silverman Great Schlep video. Funny stuff, right? A day or so later I received a fantastic email from Dr. Marla Felcher, a professor at Harvard. What she told me was that it was her idea that would become The Great Schlep. I was honored that she sought me out and told me how it all came to be. I asked her if she'd be ok if I shared the story with you, so what follows is the letter that Marla wrote to me. There are no attachments, and the dates have passed for the Great Schlep, but you'll get the idea. What I really wanted to show you was how a Social Media in the Political World viral video gets from concept to execution. Marla has told me that she hopes to do a case study on this sometime in the early part of next year. If she sends that to me, I'll post it here. Thanks for sharing Marla.

Enjoy...

Hi Larry,

Thanks for talking up www.thegreatschlep.com on your marketing blog. You'll be pleased to know that it was my idea - and I am a marketing professor. Who said we can teach but not do? I've attached my initial pitch letter. I sent it to everyone I knew, including people on the Obama campaign. My friend's son, who works for an ad agency, took it to his CEO and they decided to implement it. Originally I called it "Another Bubbie for Obama" but they came up with a better name. You'd probably be interested to see the changes between the initial conception and the current reality of the campaign.

Then, two weeks before the Sarah Silverman video was up I sent an email to about 100 people - friends, family and colleagues, trying to raise money for the Schlep. That became viral very quickly, something I had not anticipated.

I used the principles of social marketing, which I teach, to come up with this idea. Who knew? It works!

GOBAMA,
Marla Felcher

Dear Family and Friends,

Like many of you, I woke up last May to a New York Times headline that read, "As Obama Heads to Florida, Many of Its Jews Have Doubts." The article reported that it's not all Jews in Florida who have been slow to support Obama - it's the elderly Jews.

The Times article got me thinking about how to change the minds of elderly Floridian Jews - people near and dear to my heart. By the end of the day it had come to me: THEIR GRANDCHILDREN. If there is anyone a Jewish grandparent will listen to it's their (brilliant, gorgeous) grandchild. I wrote up a couple of pages of ideas for a marketing campaign, sent it to everyone I knew, and within a few days I was on the phone with a friend's (Jewish, brilliant, gorgeous, recently engaged) son who has a (big) job at a (big) ad agency in New York City.

My idea is about to become a reality: A campaign is underway to help Senator Barack Obama become president, by educating and changing the minds of Jewish voters in Florida. (I know that I don't have to remind you of the importance of this swing state). Our messengers will be their own beloved grandchildren, who, like us, recognize the importance of an Obama victory. The campaign is called THE GREAT SCHLEP.

TheGreatSchlep.com website will target, engage and activate Jews 18-24 years old - the Facebook generation. A viral Internet campaign will allow the Jewish young people, a.k.a. Schleppers, to communicate with and meet other Schleppers. Then, on Columbus Day weekend (October 10-13), Jewish kids from all over the United States will schlep to Florida to spend the weekend with their grandparents, a.k.a. Bubbie and Zadie. Organized dinners at Chinese restaurants, pool parties, rec room discussion groups, etc. will faciliate intergenerational pro-Obama discussions. The kids will arrive in Florida with the facts about Obama-- facts that will counteract the false rumors many of their grandparents have heard.

I'm writing today to ask for your financial support of this project.

So, Marla, WHO is ORGANIZING the GREAT SCHLEP?

The Jewish Council for Education & Research (JCER), a political action committee, was created to develop and disseminate information to voters around the issues of concern to the Jewish community. Its premier initiative is JewsVote.org, a campaign that supports core public values, including cultural liberalism, a strong but not beligerant foreign policy, and support for Israel. The website provides users with a range of tools to increase support of Obama, including personal emails and videos. JewsVote.org is where the iPhone meets the local kosher deli. The target market for the site is middle-aged Jews. JCER was founded by Mik Moore and Ari Wallach, two smart, young movers-and-shakers in the Jewish community.

TheGreatSchlep.com is a JCER initiative that will appeal to younger Jews. Its goal will be to give them the tools they need to persuade their grandparents, both on-line and in person, to support Obama. Because not everyone will be able to make the trip to Florida, the site will allow kids to do "virtual schleps" over the course of the election cycle. They will be able to send their grandparents video-grams, and they'll be asked to sign pledges to call their grandparents frequently during the weeks leading up to the election.

Marla, I'm on Board. Where do I SEND MY CHECK?

Click on the attached pdf that says Donor Card. Fill that in, and send your (whopping) check -- campaign laws allow you to give up to $5,000 -- directly to JCER. Remember, JCER is a PAC, which means it is INDEPENDENT of the Obama Campaign. This means that the money you give to the organization will NOT apply towards the maximum contribution you can make to the Obama campaign.

And if I SEND a Check, What Will it be Used for?

The money will pay for the websites, travel scholarships for Schleppers, Florida events (the Early Birds are cheap!), travel for organizers, Schlepper persuasion materials, advertising, marketing, and general Schlepper Support. Donations to JCER are NOT tax-deductable.

Well, Marla, I Still Have a Few Questions. Do you Have Answers?

Of course. I have attached to this email a couple of documents that go into more detail about JCER and its founders. And of course, feel free to call me with any questions or concerns.

Marla, Can I do ANYTHING in ADDITION to DONATING MONEY?

Yes. Forward this email to as many people as possible. The more money JCER brings in for The Great Schlep, the more schleppers and their grandparents we'll reach. And remember:

YOU DON'T HAVE TO BE JEWISH TO SUPPORT A SCHLEPPER.

Thank You. Thank You. Thank You.

Marla

Politics, Social Media, Blah, Blah, Blah

Another one. I like this much better than Leo and company yelling at me...

Politics in the Social Media World - Part 4 - I'm Guilty!

What can I say???

Politics in the Social Media World - Part 3

We're a month away from the election. So, the political world in Social Media is ramping up. The Sarah Silverman video I mentioned the other day for The Great Schlep was a funny slant on the importance of voting. Now here is the serious version. If you want to watch tons of famous people telling you to register to vote, then this video is for you. Not sure I want to be scolded by Leo, Dustin, and Ellen, but at least they are doing it in a pseudo-non-partisan manner. The best part about this video is Jonah Hill. Thankfully they didn't edit him.

Watch for yourself HERE...



Now, for something completely different. Watch this to see what happens when you piss Jonah off...

Actor Jonah Hill Freaks Out during interview



I'd vote for Jonah. And I'd definitely vote for Michael Cera!!!

Super Me

In case you wonder what I do in my off hours, watch this...