Via offers multimedia election post-mortem
Maine-based independent Via leaps onto post-election bandwagon, wrapping buildings in New York with slogans and phrases that dominated the media scene during the Obama-McCain race for the White House. One memorable wrap takes the form of an angry clown face (that's what it looks like to me) comprised of words like "recession," "depression," "war in Iraq" and "Joe the plumber." There's also the video above, and a "community platform" over at Via's Web site, designed to foster political discussion. Overall, the effort's called "Believe," and sure, we can all believe it's a self-serving attempt to build buzz. But maybe that's not such a bad thing. I sure don't recall this level of engagement after the wins by Clinton or G.W. Bush. Regardless of the specific motivations, this year's election cycle has energized Americans like never before—a (giant) sign of the times indeed. —Posted by David Gianatasio |
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Published on November 7, 2008 | Permalink
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How did the fringe candidates do, anyway?
Here at CampaignFreak, I highlighted (term used loosely) a few of the 2008 fringe presidential candidates. They prefer "third-party candidates," but in fact they're just big losers. Independent loudmouth Ralph Nader, Libertarian flag-bearer Bob Barr, Green Party flower-child Cynthia McKinney and Socialist worker-bee Brian Moore ... how did they fare? The short answer, of course, is woefully. Nader's "best state" was Massachusetts (of course!), where he grazed, but failed to surpass, the 1 percent threshold. He blames the media for his dismal showing (of course!). Barr pulled 0.8 percent in his home state of Georgia, probably his best result. When all's said and done, this crew will be lucky to share 1 percent of the total vote combined. But who am I to judge? I'm too jaded to participate in the Democratic process—I'm not even registered to vote. So, um ... I guess that makes me the biggest loser of all! I'll wait until every vote's counted before saying so for sure. Even though I didn't run for president, there's still a chance I finished ahead of Moore. That guy's hopeless. UPDATE: CNN has posted an all-candidate vote update! Nader cracked 1 percent! Yes he did! —Posted by David Gianatasio |
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Published on November 6, 2008 | Permalink
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Mother New York celebrates Obama victory
Here's a detail from a CNN ad, created by Mother in New York, celebrating Obama's victory on Tuesday night, and the cable news network's coverage of it. It's running this morning in The New York Times, The Washington Times, and The Washington Post. Full ad here. |
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Published on November 5, 2008 | Permalink
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What a wonderful Election Day I'm having
What an amazingly exciting and busy Election Day it's been so far, especially when you work in the wonderful world of digital media! (And heck, I basically live on the stuff.) So, I woke up early and hit the Web for Huffington and Drudge, until the traffic got so intense the sites wouldn't load. So, I checked my various mobile Decision '08 updates every 10 minutes, dutifully blogged about the race on CampaignFreak, flipped between CNN, Fox News and MSNBC during lunch in the break room, replayed the most memorable political ads of the season (those NRA dudes are a hoot—and by "hoot," I mean they're "complete maniacs"). Tonight I plan to drift off to dreamland bathed in the glow of live Election Night coverage from the broadcast nets. In all the excitement, I may forget to vote. But I'm sure lots of other loyal Ron Paul supporters will put our guy over the top. Right? ... Hello? —Posted by David Gianatasio |
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Published on November 4, 2008 | Permalink
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Will Election Night set TV ratings records?
There's no telling who will be elected the next president of the United States today (though we all know it will be Obama). An even more tantalizing question, at least to CampaignFreak's nerdy, data-obsessed parent Nielsen, is whether Election Night '08 coverage will set TV ratings records. In terms of raw numbers, the 2000 election, in which Bush beat Gore (way to go, Electoral College), is the all-time leader with almost 41 million households, followed by the 2004 contest, in which Bush beat Kerry (thanks, Ohio) with about 38 million households. The 1996 race drew the smallest number of households ever—fewer than 25 million—with the lack of viewers mirroring the nation's lack of interest in GOP hopeful Bob Dole. Actually, in terms of the total percentage of TV households tuned in, the 1960 Election Night returns reign supreme. With far fewer channel choices, nearly 66 percent of all TV households watched Kennedy beat Nixon (much obliged, Chicago Democratic party machine). UPDATE: So, did we set a new record? Yes we did, with 47.5 million households, per Nielsen! (I went door to door just to make sure it happened. OK, prove I didn't.) —Posted by David Gianatasio |
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Published on November 4, 2008 | Permalink
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McCain turns up the music for the election
Election Day is finally here, and John McCain is celebrating with this rockin' five-minute music video that recaps his campaign. The guitar riff gets a bit old, but it's a valiant and enthusiastic effort. Barack Obama hasn't posted any new ads in the past day, but as usual, his YouTube channel is awash in celebrity videos, including new ones showing Wilco playing an Obama gig in Wisconsin and Orlando Bloom making calls for the Democrat in California. |
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Published on November 4, 2008 | Permalink
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'American Tune' spot best of the campaign?
Paul Simon's "American Tune," originally written as a depressed response to Richard Nixon's re-election in 1972, is used expertly by Progressive Future in this pro-Obama spot, which broke this weekend. Lots of YouTube commenters are falling on their knees, overcome by its brilliance. Is it as good as all that? |
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Published on November 4, 2008 | Permalink
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Grey sees Election 2008 in black and white
Consider who you're voting for: Obama or McCain. Now, look at the reversed-race image created by Grey. Ask yourself: If their races were reversed, would it change your opinion of either candidate, even for a second? Grey New York chief creative officer Tor Myhren explains: "This is a non-partisan image. We wanted to address the race issue straight on. And it cuts both ways. If you're hopping on either candidate's bandwagon solely due to the color of their skin, you're voting for the wrong reasons." So, the agency's hoping to provoke discussion. Fair enough. Discuss. —Posted by David Gianatasio |
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Published on November 3, 2008 | Permalink
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McCain, Obama airing campaign's final adsAs we enter the home stretch of the home stretch, here are the latest campaign commercials from the two presidential candidates. John McCain goes (mostly) positive with his "Freedom" spot (top), which includes old photos of the candidate from his military days, and the line, "Don't hope for a stronger America. Vote for one." Barack Obama, meanwhile, goes negative with his latest spot, "Delighted," which calls attention to Dick Cheney's endorsement of McCain over the weekend. |
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Published on November 3, 2008 | Permalink
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Obama backers link John McCain to robots
This pro-Obama spot zings John McCain for his use of robotic phone messages and essentially uses the Republicans' own words against them. Note the presence of the imposing Gort from the original The Day the Earth Stood Still. Good casting, as that was one badass bot, a machine after the GOP nominee's own heart. Perhaps the Obama supporters are implying that McCain is himself a robot? That would explain his 300-year lifespan and desire to destroy humanity. And Sarah Palin's fembot status is, pardon the gentle pun, unimpeachable. Tomorrow, of course, machines will have the ultimate say. And I mean the voting machines in booths across America, which are, thankfully, still under human control. (Except maybe in Ohio. We'll just have to wait and see.) —Posted by David Gianatasio |
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Published on November 3, 2008 | Permalink
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