Obama 2012 touts social media savvy in new video
In an ongoing attempt to appeal to young, social media-minded voters, the Obama campaign on Friday released "The Story of Us," a four and a half minute web video celebrating the president's path to the White House and beyond -- through the lens of social media.
(Watch the video at left.)
The video, presented from the perspective of a person surfing the internet, weaves a narrative of some of Mr. Obama's most memorable political moments -- including the announcement of his presidential candidacy on Feb. 10, 2007 and his remarks surrounding the end of the Iraq war late last year -- via a handful of YouTube clips and Twitter and Tumblr posts.
It also features some lighter moments: Viewers are reminded of the president's recent impromptu rendition of Al Green's "Let's Stay Together," and he's also shown dancing with the popular daytime talk show host Ellen DeGeneres. In Tumblr posts, pulled from what appear to be random users' pages, Mr. Obama is pictured hanging out with his daughters, squashing a fly -- the caption under that user's post reads "The Ninja President"-- and hugging his dog Bo. One featured Tumblr post features a "gif" of Mr. Obama bopping his head; under it, the caption reads, "who doesn't love the golden girls theme?"
"The Story of Us" also presents attacks against Mr. Obama, seemingly aimed at getting voters not just inspired but, as the Obama campaign might say, "fired up" as well. One clip shows Sarah Palin mocking Mr. Obama's record in community activism; another features a Fox News personality questioning the president's use of the so-called "terrorist fist bump." That clip is followed up by a video of First Lady Michelle Obama happily fist bumping the hosts of "The View."
The video seems a direct appeal to young, internet-savvy voters, many of whom log significant time on platforms like Tumblr, Twitter, and YouTube - and who are expected to have a lower turnout this election than similarly-aged voters did in 2008.
In 2008, Mr. Obama enjoyed a significant edge among young voters, who according to Pew Research helped usher in wins for him in swing states like Indiana and North Carolina. His efforts at using the internet to appeal to young voters -- and raise money from them -- were viewed as particularly innovative at the time.
Mr. Obama is not the only candidate in the race who has figured out to leverage social media to his advantage, however; nearly all of the president's current Republican rivals are active on Twitter and Facebook, among other platforms, and have harnessed significant online fundraising operations.
According to a recent Newsweek profile detailing the president's re-election operation, Mr. Obama's team in Chicago is devoting considerable resources to not only keeping up with social media, but creating new ways of operating within social media to gain an advantage in the general election.
Appropriately, Obama campaign operatives were getting the word out via Twitter on Friday. Stephanie Cutter, deputy campaign manager for Obama 2012, Tweeted: "Something special for your Friday morning - "The Story of Us: Five Years Ago Today."
