Living on Brand Street

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Jeanne Shaheen is now following me on Twitter

Since Dean for America circa 2003, which gave a huge boost to Web 2.0 start-ups like Meetup.com, social media has played a role in American political campaigns. Most candidates today tick the interweb boxes with a blog, Facebook and MySpace pages, et al.

But while Twitter Obama is smart enough to follow most of the people that follow him — in contrast to Twitter Clinton who chose to follow zero people — even his campaign still doesn't necessarily understand these tools. They use Twitter mostly as a sporadic RSS feed.

So I was surprised and delighted when I got the email notification that Jeanne Shaheen (former governor of New Hampshire, now running for U.S. Senate) was now following me on Twitter. Because I was not following her and don't even vote in NH. She found me. Her staff was smart enough to identify progressive Twitter users and proactively follow them. Well done Jeanne.

So, while I don't know much about this campaign yet, except that it is a great opportunity for the Democrats to pickup another Senate seat, I am now following Jeanne Shaheen.

The end of the Line

I have an idea I should share with my friends at BrandRepublic. Well, a couple actually, including the one Gordon and I chatted about a while back — getting a client to hold a fully transparent pitch where the whole process is webcast on BR.

This idea is adopting the political debate structure used by some research groups and have evangelists from the so-called below the line agencies present what they do v the agencies who are classified as being above this invisible line. The audience is, of course, the consumer. (Although most regular people would hardly describe themselves in that marketing-centric term.) They would get to vote on exactly where in their brains is this dividing line. And if their answer is nowhere, we can finally all stop talking about the freaking mythical Line and just get on with trying to sell stuff....

Story o' Stuff

Stopped myself from posting (and therefore thinking about) this before xmas. None of my loved ones would have gotten any gifts. Not wanting to be a grinch, instead I am now faced with a very personal identity crisis. Because in marketing, aren’t we all major players in this sordid story of stuff? And it isn’t a heroic role... Watch the whole thing here. This vid offers a (deceptively simple) well designed, charming presentation that anyone who creates online communications can learn from. But it is a devastating look at the interconnected environmental and social problems of Consumerism.

Produced by Free Range Studios, The Story of Stuff is a SXSW Web Awards Finalist. Check it — nice interview with writer hyphen host Annie Leonard on Alternet.

Blog Action Day

graveyard6.jpg, originally uploaded by candleque.

Great idear.

On October 15th, bloggers around the web will unite to put a single important issue on everyone’s mind - the environment. Every blogger will post about the environment in their own way...

Brands I'm watching

Got to meet Rep. Kirsten Gillibrand NY-20 at an event the other  day. More on this impressive woman later.

RIPeace Molly. Perpetual light.

"We are the people who run this country. We are the deciders. And every single day, every single one of us needs to step outside and take some action to help stop this war. Raise hell. Think of something to make the ridiculous look ridiculous. Make our troops know we're for them and trying to get them out of there. Hit the streets to protest Bush's proposed surge. If you can, go to the peace march in Washington on Jan. 27. We need people in the streets, banging pots and pans and demanding, 'Stop it, now!'"

- Molly Ivins (1944-2007)  last column

Yes. We are indeed person of the year.

Everyone was interested in Time’s Person of the Year. I was puzzled why many in the blogosphere were annoyed at the choice.... Atrios said, “....while Time's Person of the Year was stupid and condescending, the internets do provide an easy way for people to get involved, persuade, and lead.”

True. So I don’t care what made Time name all the people on the Internets, rather than pick one. It is true that we are collectivelly a bigger story than any one individual. Therefore righteous choice, imho. Well done Time.