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Social Media’s Campaign Limitations

May 14th, 2008
By Jennifer Brinkmann

I have become obsessed with watching primary returns on CNN.  Isn’t the “magic map” cool?  Watching last night the commentators pointed out the rural areas Clinton continues to win by a very wide margin. 

By now, everyone is familiar with Clinton’s argument that she is the only Democratic candidate who can secure the vote of white, bluc-collar voters.  And everyone in our industry has followed the Obama campaign as a fascinating case study in social media.

When reading a recent survey by Scarborough Research that analyzed digital savvy consumers and where they live, I began to think about the correlation of Obama’s  success in social media and his seeming inability to reach white, blue-collar voters.  Here are just a few of the headlines from the research:  

  • Digital savvy are more likely to be male
  • Digital savvy are more likely to be younger (under 44)
  • Digital savvy are upscale
  • Digital savvy are more likely to be white collar

    • The “digital savvy” sound like they could be that nasty e-word, “elite.”  I wonder what  this means for corporate social media campaigns.  What do you think?

    This entry was posted on Wednesday, May 14th, 2008 at 9:51 am and is filed under Reputation Management, Social Media. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

    2 Responses to “Social Media’s Campaign Limitations”

    1. Laura Says:
      May 19th, 2008 at 1:28 pm

      I think it means that when you’re trying to build relationships with an audience as large and diverse as U.S. voters, social media as a set of tactics is not enough.

      Personally, I think Obama can relate to the blue collar block, but it will have to be on their terms, in their space, which is not online.

      Even so, the principles we’ve learned from social media still apply — be pithy, be funny, be heartfelt, be real. Above all: don’t avoid the truth or pretend to be someone you’re not.

    2. Jennifer Says:
      May 20th, 2008 at 8:43 am

      I agree, Laura. The key is to take the learnings from the online world and apply them in offline spaces. Whether or not we are urban or rural dwellers, a millenial or a baby boomer, wealthy or middle class, we all desire the same thing from our leaders: honest, authentic leadership.

      Social media allows us to form what feels like a one-to-one relationship with individuals and even corporations rather than relying on the intermediaries of media and political parties. Honesty and authenticity are easier to convey in a direct conversation rather than one that is moderated by others, making face-to-face communication still the ultimate form of communication.

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