The Creative Campaign of the Century
Disclaimer: I did cast my vote for Obama. However, this is not a post about politics. This is a post about the creative marketing strategies of a well-run campaign. My political opinions and beliefs are of no consequence as I discuss the logistics of Obama’s bid for president.
They are finally catching on.
Don’t get me wrong. There are still plenty of them that don’t get it. But, there’s hope.
It’s hard to break out of a cycle that’s been the norm for more than 200 years. Ever since the earliest of presidential elections, political campaigns have focused on one thing: the candidate. “Let me tell you about me. See how capable I am. Did I tell you how much better I am than my opponent?”
No wonder we can’t stand politicians.
Defying The Norms, Yet Defined By A Scream
With Howard Dean’s 2004 campaign paving the way, Obama’s team openly and vulnerably embraced the thing every presidential campaign should revolve around, and made it their one focus.
Americans. After all this is our country, and our government. The president may run it. But we own it, and that means we decide who runs it. It’s the beautiful part about this whole democracy thing.
Joe Trippi is a name familiar to those in politics. He’s worked on more than 100 political campaigns, and he was one of the very first to “get it.” In his book “The Revolution Will Not Be Televised: Democracy, The Internet And The Overthrow Of Everything,” Trippi discusses his stint as Campaign Manager on the Dean For America campaign.
The whole book is filled with gems of insight and inspiration from a man who helped change the face of political campaigns forever. Each story, anecdote and musing is filled with Trippi’s priceless experience and wisdom. However, there’s one passage I always return to when I pull the political memoir off my shelf.
This is the difference between the Dean for America campaign and every other presidential campaign of the past 20 years. Every other candidate has started out by saying — Look at me, aren’t I amazing?
But every time Howard Dean got up to speak, every time his campaign staff got on the web to blog, the message was Look at you, aren’t you amazing? And they were; 60,000 people committed to a new democracy.
Aiming At The Right Target
Picking up where Dean’s campaign left off, Obama redefined the meaning of a grassroots campaign.
In today’s world, we are a community of bloggers and twitterers and texters. Obama and his staff recognized that there are countless ways we take in and soak up information. Instead of forcing us to receive a campaign message on their terms, they delivered it on our terms — our thousands of unique, individual terms.
Art for the artists. Technology for the innovators. Poetic prose for the readers and writers. They adapted their message and presented it through thousands of different mediums. And, guess what….an incredible thing happened. A campaign all about hope gave people hope - hope for the future, hope for their country, but most importantly, hope and belief in themselves.
Most failed political campaigns are unsuccessful for one reason. It’s usually the reason for any failed marketing or advertising campaign. Missing your target.
The Obama campaign nailed a perfect bullseye. It’s the people, stupid.
Blog Action Day: I Wish You Enough
No matter how many times it happens in my life, it never ceases to amaze me. God, my Higher Power, the universe — or whatever name you give it — always finds a way to snap me out of my narcissistic coma. Whenever my self-importance starts to become a little too important, inevitably, I get my reminder.
This round’s reminder: Blog Action Day.
Recently…Not Even Close to ‘Unobstructed’
So, okay, the last few weeks have not been easy ones. My husband and I have been faced with some hurdles that require significant leaps of faith in order to get over them. Really, the only bright spot has been that, in our new marriage, we have each other to lean on.
All this “upheaval” has truly gotten me out of sorts. I’ve quit blogging all together, but, even worse, I’ve quit any of my personal writing all together as well. The only kind of writing I’ve accomplished in these last few weeks is freelance assignments — and that’s only because they produce income. Even then, it took entirely too much effort to get those articles written and submitted.
So, what have I been doing instead? Not much of anything except wallowing in self-pity. It has been pretty pathetic actually.
This morning, after I finally pulled myself out of bed, made way downstairs and fired up my Mac, there was a kick in the ass waiting for me. As soon as I moved my mouse, and my word clock screen saver disappeared there it was…an iCal alert. Not one of my weekly or monthly reminders, though.
“Write a post for Blog Action Day.”
More Than Enough And No More Excuses
When I am hungry, I eat. When I’m thirsty, I head to the refrigerator. When I am tired, I make my way to a comfortable bed. I have a roof over my head and car in my driveway. I have a husband who would give me the world if it was his to offer. I have a dog, and a cat and a closet full of outfits for every kind of occasion.
I sometimes forget just how rich I really am.
“No one should be able to say, ‘I don’t have a reason to talk about poverty.’”
I made my pledge at blogactionday.org weeks and weeks ago. In just its second year, the blog topic for the this year’s big day is poverty. The idea is to encourage bloggers everywhere to post about the same issue on the same day. It’s an incredible way to shine a big spotlight on a topic that really deserves to bask in the likes of Shea Stadium lighting.
The tricky thing about poverty is that it’s a lot more than just being hungry or homeless. There are so many dimensions — many of those dimensions being things we too often take for granted……While most of us celebrated the new millennium in style, thankful that Y2k bug decided not to bug us, almost one billion people came into the twenty-first century unable read or write, or even sign their own name. [source]
I have no excuse, no reason for not writing. A few strokes of crappy luck, a couple of raw deals here and there and a self-absorbed attitude don’t justify any of it. I live in the land of opportunity. But more importantly, I have the means to take advantage of all that opportunity. I have enough of what I need, and more than enough of what I need to make my dreams and aspirations a reality.
The written word is a powerful, inspiring, compelling, beautiful thing. And, it’s what I do for a living, revel in on a personal level and now, thanks to that iCal reminder, give to others who so desperately need it. Opportunities are everywhere, and I cannot wait to delve deeper for ways I can help.
We All Deserve ‘Enough’
In writing this post, I have had this one, simple, six-line verse in the forefront of all my thoughts and musings. I feel like it could be a good mantra for the Blog Action Day organization and all they strive to do. Life isn’t perfect, and isn’t always pretty either. Instead of letting the ugly moments leave you with an ugly attitude, put them to use in recognizing all the beauty in your life — and in sharing that beauty with other lives that need it.
I wish you enough rain to appreciate the sun more.
I wish enough “Hello’s” to get you through the final “Good-bye.”
I wish you enough loss to appreciate all that you possess.
I wish you enough happiness to keep your spirit alive.
I wish you enough pain so that the smallest joys in life appear much bigger.
I wish you enough gain to satisfy your wanting.
By: Bob Perks
Connecting With Your Roots
In The Right to Write, Julia Cameron includes a chapter about “roots” as related to writing life.
In order to bloom, all of us need a root system. Just as a regular practice of writing roots us firmly in our lives, a regular life roots us firmly in our writing.
Sometimes I get so swept up and taken away by all the creativity pumping through my veins. Do you get that? Inspiration overdrive, baby. I get tuned in and this state-of-mind can last a few minutes, a few hours or even a few days. And, when I am in creative-mad-woman mode, it’s hard to pull myself away. But, I have to - and so do you.
My wedding is in 9 days. For the last eight months, August 23, 2008 has been this sanctimonious day on my calendar. Crazy how a day can cause normally rational people to get downright irrational at times. (I’m mainly referring to myself). So much focus on that one single day. I recently realized what was happening.
The deeper I sank into the trenches of the wedding hoopla, the more roots I was severing. If I kept going at this pace, I’d have no lifeline back to reality - and to the real importance of my wedding day.
Replenishment
I’m blessed with some wonderful people in my life. Four of them will stand next to me as I marry my best friend and the love of my life.
Three of those ladies live in Denver and must have sensed that I was slipping away into wedding insanity. They put me on a plane and treated me to bachelorett fun, Denver style. (The fourth is preggo with twins :))
Nurturing roots of a regular life sure is a whole hell of a lotta fun! Girls, thanks for the much needed break and the memories that will stick with me forever. You gave my roots a much-needed boost.
Forget The Words, Write With Thought
Flipping through an old binder of mine from my incredible experience in Donna Ladd ’s writing classes, I found a Chip Scanlan article from last summer that I printed out and saved:
“Ways with Words, Ways with Thoughts: A Bond with Abraham Lincoln”
Chip got me thinking — which is somewhat amusing, since the whole premise of his post is about how good writers are good at what they do, not because they have a way with words, but because they are so savvy with their thoughts. So,
I only recently discovered how much passion I have for writing. I never had any trouble writing well, and never objected to writing during those years in college and graduate school. But, even through all that writing, I never found the spark to power that intense fire I now have for my craft.
Going back and reading Chip’s article I was suddenly aware of why it took me so long to find that fervor, and why so many people struggle so desperately when faced with the task of writing something - anything.
At War With a Blank Page
Writers and non-writers alike have experienced it. Sitting in front of a clean, white document on your computer screen, or staring at the unfilled lines of a legal pad on your desk. A blank page can be seriously intimidating if you approach it haphazardly. And, for the longest time, I approached it by eyeing what I just assumed was the prize for good writing: the language and the words.
I was so concerned with beautiful presentation, I ignored a fairly important detail. Was my material even worth presenting?
Seeking a Deeper Meaning
It wasn’t instantaneous. I didn’t roll out of bed one morning and decide, “Okay, today is the day I really start to think about my writing.” It would have save a lot of wear an tear on my computer’s backspace key, I can promise you that. No, instead, I gradually opened my eyes to new ideas about the writing process. I credit Donna Ladd, Anne Lamott, Julia Cameron, Chip Scanlan and so many other great thinkers with that awakening.
I finally stepped outside my ego and let go of that unhealthy desire for perfection in every word I put down on paper. Suddenly, writing became my way of making sense of everything, everywhere and everyone I encountered. I was on a quest to find the greater meaning, the ultimate truths, and I had the most reliable compass in the world to lead my on that journey.
Challenging Your Own Thoughts
The next time you get ready to sit down and type or write something, don’t do it. Well, not yet anyway. You probably are not as ready as you think. Instead, take a few minutes, or even a few hours if you’ve got the time, and really think about what you plan to write. You could ask yourself a million questions, but on account of space and bandwidth, I won’t list all of them. Here are some of my favorite questions, thought, that are sure to get your wheels turning. After that the words are easy.
- What will shock the reader most?
- In 10 words, how can I sum up what my story is about?
- What image or symbol best fits my story?
- What famous quote best relates to the topic?
- What one thing MUST be included in the story?
- What one thing can be left out?
- How many scenes does your story need to make sense?
- Is there conflict between any characters?
- Do things backwards. What should your final paragraph say?
- What are 5 words that best describe the sense of place you want to convey to your reader?
- The lede: what piece of info will make the reader want to keep reading?
- Pick 5 things in your story (a character, a place, and object) and list descriptive adjectives for each.
- What makes this story original?
- Think about how you might tell your story to a child?
The possibilities are endless. Once you become open to exploring new directions for your story, you’ll be surprised at how easily your thoughts start flow, and how easy and enjoyable writing is because of that.
My Guest Post at DIYBride.com
Khris Cochran is the wonderful author of the DIY Bride book and blog. I snagged a copy of her book in a giveaway she had, and have been inspired by it ever since.
Khris was gracious enough to let me share how I was able to create 175 of my wedding invitations for only $102. You can read my post here.
