Obama, My Son, and A Revelation Through Email

For his political thought class, my 18-year old son has had to track various facets of the presidential campaign in both parties. He has signed up for email updates from all the candidates to see how they are using the Internet to connect with voters. My son has been giving us regular updates as to who he, and his friends feel, has a prayer to connect with his generation. From his point of view, it's Obama, hands down. Here's one reason why.

Just hours after the State of the Union speech, Obama e-mailed his own rebuttal to his supporters. The simple You Tube video connected him directly to my son, in his bedroom, at midnight, in a way that seemed personal and direct. No need to wait for the paper the next morning, or the nightly news. Obama completely circumvented the traditional media, and, instead, created his own "newscast." And got it delivered directly to the desktops of the people who wanted to hear what he had to say. Also, take a look at how visitors to the page are clearly asked to "support," "volunteer," etc. It's clear, direct, and compelling.

When I asked my son if the same message from Obama would have had been as effective if he had seen it on Today the next morning. "Is that show still on?" he asked. Looks like the effectiveness of timely email marketing can even help bridge a generation gap.