Online Advantage: Romney
by Patrick Ruffini :: August 30th, 2007 10:31 amYou know that when a campaign puts the words, “Yes, we’re serious” in a campaign e-mail, it’s gonna be good.
Mitt Romney’s create-your-own-ad contest is exactly the kind of online innovation I’ve been waiting for out of the Republican candidates for President. The winning ad gets a real, live media buy. In other words, supporters are co-creating something of actual value and importance to the campaign. That’s meaningful, and supporters get that.
Lots of user-generated content contests fail because the sponsor tries to create an incentive that exists only in the online parallel universe. Users sense the second-class treatment, and yawn. This is gutsier because they’re putting real dollars behind it (hopefully it won’t be just a phantom buy), and after MoveOn’s Hitler ads, the quintessential example of bad user generated content, it’s particularly bold.
The JumpCut platform will help the campaigns manage the flow, and give even average users the chance to edit a video. The production values and complexity of the winning video probably won’t match what the TV admakers can put together. But does it matter? Wasn’t the great thing about “The Pitch,” the best campaign video of 2004, the fact that it was understated — effectively a bunch of photos stitched together? (See if you can remember the narrator.)
Plus, as has been pointed out before with user-generated contests like this, the genius is not what happens with the winner, but how the also-rans take pride in their videos and spread them through their personal networks. This is a creative way to spread the Romney message with hundreds of small videos distributed throughout the Web.
I don’t know if Romney is anywhere close to Hillary Clinton’s one million e-mail addresses, but it’s creative stuff like this that shows me that Romney has the warewithal and creativity to catch up. It should be no surprise to anyone that I buy into the Trippi theory of insane Democratic competition on the Web redounding to the benefit of (probably) Hillary. The relevant bit starts at 2:15, but the crack right before about the GOP candidates and YouTube was depressingly (if temporarily) prescient:
I’ve had some issues with Romney, but his supporters are right to point out that his superior organization is a point in his favor when going up against the brutal Clinton machine. It’s something savvy Republican primary voters have a right to evaluate, and this year, the Web is going to be a huge component of that organization, because we will be outraised by $100 million or more if our campaigns only start thinking about building lists and engaging online on February 6th.
Kudos to Team Romney. Now let’s see the Rudy, Fred, et al. counter, and start a spiral of online competition that will make the eventual nominee stronger.
Tagged: mitt romney 
online politics strategy user generated content video
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You’ve got to be kidding, right? Romney?
I guess you haven’t been paying attention. So here’s the scoop: go to YouTube and search on the name Ron Paul. What you will find is hundreds of videos produced by Dr. Paul’s supporters around the world (yes, the WORLD, not just the US.) Watch a few hundred of them and then come back and tell me that there is anyone in either party who matches the enthusiasm of Ron Paul’s supporters.
I looked at Romney on MeetUp. Zero. Zero members in zero groups. Absolutely NO support at all. Compare that to Ron Paul with (as of this moment) over 38,000 members in 817 groups. EACH of these MeetUp groups is holding its own events and producing its own videos. (Paul’s nearest competitor is Obama with 68 groups. None of the GOP candidates comes close to even that pitiful number.)
There’s no way that any of the other candidates can possible catch Ron Paul at this point. His is the only campaign with real boots on the ground grassroots support.
I guess you haven’t been out of the house lately. I guess you haven’t noticed the Ron Paul signs that seem to be everywhere.
Wake up, pay attention. The Ron Paul revolution is coming to YOUR town.
How out of touch are you? Go to youtube and search for each candidate’s name in turn. I dare to you to publish who has the most grass-roots-created videos. Some extremely high-quality stuff, too.
Unfortunately, it’s not possible to do any kind of statistics on grass-roots videos on youtube, except by individual go-look-see. But here’s some interesting quick insights:
http://techpresident.com/youtube
These charts shows video views for each candidate, just for “official” content. Who leads on youtube? It ain’t Hillary, and it ain’t Obama. It certainly ain’t Mitt Romney!
Here’s some more:
Go ahead, post it, I dare you! You’ll see that one candidate doesn’t need a contest to inspire an enormous library of ads.
Come on man, don’t wake Ruffini up again. He’s liable to start planting deliberate disinformation to mess with campaign expectations again. If you get him too riled up he’ll start claiming that Paul raised 20 million in August or that the Pope and Dalai Lama are coming to NH to campaign for Paul. Just let sleeping Ruffinis lie.
Wow, the cluemeter is stuck firmly on zero.
Go to YouTube and search the phrase “Ron Paul.” You’ll find over 13,000 videos. A large number of those were produced by motivated supporters who didn’t need promimses of “media buys” to invest their time, energy, and money. Ron Paul motivates by his example, Romney has to buy his support.
If you want to see innovation, enthusiasm, and creativity, open your eyes. Google Ron Paul, and learn something, if you dare.
Now Romney has to buy You Tube videos just like he has to buy straw poll votes. Funny, but when there’s no Mitt buss, free ticket or free lunch, Ron Paul wins hands down.
Hey Patrick Ruffini: Thanks for today’s dose of laugh out loud humor!
I mean, really. Romney? HAHAHAHAHA!
Whats next the “Romney Revolution” or maybe he’ll claim he wants to repeal the 16th ammendment and dump the Fed too?
lmao!!
Patrick, this is silly.
8 Ron Paul supporters so far in this thread.
14,992 to go!
Patrick Ruffini is clueless and the narrator is, FRED THOMPSON another loser! Bwahahahah.
Ron Paul owns the internet, Patrick wake up and smell the coffee!
Romney is an empty suit with no internet support and no support in NH..
Apparently Patrick knows about the Ron Paul success and so does Romney which is why Pat is ignoring it and Mitt is copying it!
Par for the course eh friends?
Patrick, ignoring Ron Paul does not make Ron Paul go away.
We in the Republican Party need to take our heads out of our collective butts and get a good whiff of reality. It’s either vote Ron Paul as the Republican candidate or watch the Republican Party splinter in two while Hillary wins in 2008.
Mitt Romney and Rudy Giuliani are not conservatives, Patrick!!! As a conservative why should I have to vote for them when their voting records prove that they don’t support my beliefs? Just because they support the Iraq War? Please.
Ron Paul believes in limited government and less taxes and he has the voting record from 20 years in Congress to back it up. He represents all that Republicans USED to stand for, and that’s why he’ll have my vote no matter what.
Oh, and his You-Tube videos are better, too.
Is that the best rejoinder you have, Patrick? Your post is silly.
Here’s another metric for you to hate, Patrick.
http://blog.compete.com/2007/08/30/presidential-candidates-wikipedia-ron-paul/
How anybody could write an article talking about the Online Advantage and not even mention Ron Paul makes me laugh.
Thanks, I needed that.
Seriously Mr. Ruffini, that reply above is argumentation? You cannot dispute the assertions made by the Ron Paul people, so you degenerate the “discussion” to ad hominem attacks and ridicule?
New Hampshire
The only romney video i’ve stumbled across youtube is some lame one that has been posted multiple times that shows his support in the media polls. Yee haw. And, like here, the video was followed up by everyone saying how much better ron paul was.
“8 Ron Paul supporters so far in this thread.
14,992 to go! “
Well at least the number has been raised slightly more realistically beyond the 85 internet spammers being reported previously.
HUGS!
From,
Ron Paul Supporter # 14,993
I’m sending Romney a video for the contest. In it Romney is saying, “Hi, I’m Ron Paul!”, which will win him some votes he won’t have to buy. Better hurry, though - I hear Fred Thompson is making one like that for his campaign.
Seriously folks, aren’t Ron Paul supporters ridiculous? They actully support and defend their candidate. For free, no less! Have they no shame?
Ummm … Romney who?!
Rpn Paul pwns the net, dude!
Thanks for my bellylaugh of the day!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9j7l2yUk13I
“Mitt Romney’s create-your-own-ad contest is exactly the kind of online innovation I’ve been waiting for out of the Republican candidates for President.”
Are you serious?! I’m sorry but this is just foolish.
You’ve been waiting? WAITING? Until, just now?
Wow.
Hey now Patrick is entitled to his opinions. I think that is what we are all fighting for…
I disagree with him completely and think there are glaring factual errors…but that is his right…our right to dispute of course 
Wow this post is stupid, Ron Paul is inspiring a grassroots movement all over America, and all over the net, without the need to offer incentives to make it happen.
Pathetic cheerleading for your hero patrick. Too bad its your children and their children who will suffer if another warmonger is elected.
hey if you want a candidate that can compete on the web you should check out Ron Paul. try google or wikipedia or myspace or youtube or meetup or facebook to learn more.
actually I think RPers should take Mitt up on his contest. this could be really fun. and once we post all the ads on youtube, the other candidates might think twice about making these incentive contests…
Sites like Patrick’s wouldn’t have more than a few readers if it weren’t for Ron Paul material.
Anti-Ron Paul or ignoring Ron Paul from the obvious inclusions is the only reason Patrick Ruffini even has an audience.
YEAH! I miss the days of creative writing in grade school. How hard could it be to make an ad to convince voters to vote Romney? Oh wait, I’m thinking of Ron Paul the only candidate who votes 100% along the Constitution! My bad.
I don’t understand why Romney doesn’t throw money at this like he does everything else?
Jokes over. Bring back the Constitution!
Good to see Trippi is just as clueless as Ruffini on this one.
I get it. Al Gore invented the internet and Romney has finnaly found a use for it. It’s stuff like that which sets leaders apart.
kinda makes me feel bad for all the uninformed people. I’m not sure what those videos were even trying to prove. Try Ron Paul instead.
Wow wow wow. So its true, you are in complete denial. That ol’Romney, he sure knows how to start a revolution, with his status quo ideas and government is the answer politics. SCREW that and SCREW you! Do you actually think by ignoring us Ron Paul supporters we will simply go away? Wake up GOP. You are in for your worst nightmare! Freedom from the neocons! RON PAUL 2008!
How is Ron Paul actually going to win the nomination? Don’t you have to actually win a real-world poll? Has Ron Paul won any real polls besides obscure small county straw-polls? I’m not talking about online polls, because that is not real world.
How can people say that Mitt Romney has no support? He has the most money in the race. Why? He has raised more for the primary election than any other Republican candidate, and from the highest number of contributors. Doesn’t that spell real world support? His support base is huge.
Too bad that every Ron Paul supporter can’t get online and vote in the Iowa caucus, or he might have a sliver of a chance of winning it.
I forgot to add that Ron Paul’s supporters are the hippies of 2000’s.
Ron Paul wants to protect our constitutional freedoms. Groovy man.
Nate G,
Did you say “real” poll? ROFLMAO!!!!! That’s an oxymoron, honey.
When they called my house for their “real” poll, I waited and waited and waited. Not one question about Ron Paul. NOT ONE!!! When I explained to the sad little telemarketer that I was waiting for a question about MY candidate in her “real” poll, she bumbled along that the computer just picks questions. I said, “WOW! Rudy must be lucky today”. Then I hung up. Get a clue, dear.
Is this satire or something? If not you should check your autocorrect settings, apparently your computer automatically corrects any instances of “Ron Paul” with “Mitt Romney”. You should look into that.
On Sept 14th, all US military aircraft will be grounded. Beware that on this date the likelyhood of another 9/11 like incident is enormous. Follow the money for the causes of 9/11. THE financial position of the US is far worse today than then.
Nate G. tellls us that online polls are not the real world. G Nate, I thought the internet and all those internet voters were real. I didn’t realize that only the MSM and THEIR polls are real. Did you gain this wisdom by watching TV? I wish I had a TV. Then I’d be living in the real world.
[…] Just the title of this blog entry raised the needle into the Get-A-Clue range: Online Advantage: Romney. Here’s how the entry starts: You know that when a campaign puts the words, “Yes, we’re serious” in a campaign e-mail, it’s gonna be good. […]