As the campaign season just begins here in the Bay, presidential campaigning is already in full bloom in the US, even though the first serious voting doesn’t begin till next February!

The freshest development is the use of the internet to broadcast videos — often prepared totally independently of the candidates. Some are designed to poke at opposing candidates’ weak spots. Others are prepared by the campaigns as trial balloons or to raise money before they are actually placed as TV ads. All are placed online first, in hopes that the commotion they cause will force the mainstream media to pay attention.

Here are some of the most notorious examples that have gotten heaps of attention so far. The Clinton and Obama examples have each had about 3 MILLION views on the internet, in turn triggering widespread airing on mainstream TV.

So turn up your audio, click on the links, watch and enjoy. [Caution: best viewed on a broadband connection!]

As you watch them, can you imagine these tactics working here in NZ? How about here on BayBuzz?!

  • Poking fun at Hillary Clinton as the stiff, controlled, establishment candidate, the infamous “1984“.
  • Instant celebrity status for Barack Obama’s “Obamagirl“. Does this tell you Obama is the “hot” candidate?
  • Here’s a parody of Obamagirl that pokes fun at the Republicans’ most right wing, religious conservative candidate, Mike Huckabee.
  • Here’s political advertising perfection … Bill Richardson using a 30-second spot (little room for content) to convince you he deserves an in-depth look via his website.
  • And here are my favorite two candidate ads so far in the season … what to do if you’re not being taken seriously … also officially prepared by the Bill Richardson campaign (they’ll play back to back).

I don’t know about you, but these videos make me think about pushing the envelope on HB’s Channel 51!

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