March 23, 2007
"The Game Has Changed"
Why won't 2008 be like 1984, or 2004, for that matter? Viral video, That's why!
User-generated-content and YouTube have yet again taken center stage in the US political elections. The first YouTube attack of a 2008 presidential hopeful features a "mash-up" clip of a 1984 Apple advertisement and Hillary Clinton.
The original advertisement aired in the 1984 Superbowl as the world's introduction to Apple's Macintosh computer. The 74 second clip was altered to present Democratic frontrunner Hillary Clinton as "Big Brother" with her face on a big screen and audio clips from her Web site speaking to the crowd of drones. The woman sprinting toward the screen with a jackhammer in hand has an an ipod in her ears the Obama logo superimposed on her shirt. The video ends with an "O" in the place of the Apple and BarakObama.com printed across the screen.
The clip has been viewed almost 2.5 million times making it the object of much attention from both the mainstream media and the blogosphere. Titled "Vote Different," the clip's creator has been identified as Phillip de Vellis. De Vellis was a strategist for Blue State Digital at the time of the posting, but has since separated his ties with the company. Barak Obama's Web site was created by the company but Obama, Blue State Digital, and de Vellis all maintain that de Vellis was operating as an independent citizen.
Asked about the Macintosh video on Tuesday, Clinton said: "I'm happy if its taking attention away from my singing. My singing was bad enough. I'm just happy that nobody is tuning into that." Clinton is referring to the YouTube clip of her singing an off-key rendition of the Star Spangled Banner. That clip has been viewed over 1 million times.
After being identified by The Huffington Post, de Vellis wrote a blog entry where he pointed out the impact of the dialogue created by this compelling user-generated-content.
"There are thousands of people who could have made this ad, and I guarantee that more ads like it--by people of all political persuasions--will follow. This shows that the future of American politics rests in the hands of ordinary citizens. This is not the first citizen ad, and it will not be the last. The game has changed."
Experts believe that the 74 second pitch could become a watershed moment in 21st century political campaigning, and the beginning of the end for traditional advertising.
YouTube Vids-
1984 Apple Advertisement
Vote Different
Star Spangled Banner
Related Articles:
Watching Big Sister
Anti-Clinton Ad Puts Spotlight on Obama
Mystery Creator of Anti-Clinton Ad Identified
Posted by Buzz Webster at March 23, 2007 01:21 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
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