The Virtual-Reality-Based Community—The RNC’s open-source quest for an online strategy
I was reading Slate.com this evening and blaring out at me I saw “Republicans discover twitter”. As a fellow American living in Canada and an ardent follower and supporter of the Presidential elections that just passed, I couldn’t resist clicking on the link to read what this article was about. The media through-out the election chastised John McCain as he was not very computer literate. Whether or not this was or is true is irrelevant. What is true is that the Republican party did not command in any way, shape, or form the use of technology the way Obama did and continues to do. He galvanized his community by organizing them on the world-wide-web—leading a virtual marketing coupe. One that continues to be studied and used as an example for companies, who must understand and implement a community of brand evangelists for their products and services. A community that will share their message over and over and over again.
From my perspective, there is a tongue and cheek sensibility to Christopher Beam’s article. The humor is tied to the notion that such a conservative organization has now pulled out all the stops to host a tech summit. As they and the country saw first hand, the success and power that can be attained by using social media as a way to communicate, organize and reach people, extends far beyond the original bench marks of a traditional strategy and marketing plan.
I have selected 2 paragraphs to insert into this post and have included the link to the full story at the end of this post. The power of this article is the ongoing message that in this uncertain economic time, EVERYONE (even the most conservative) must look outside that box and find new, unique and innovative ways to communicate their message.
“To our friends on the ‘Net, what’s up!” Michael Steele is waving at a tiny video camera at the National Republican Club on Capitol Hill. It’s the Republican Party’s first-ever Tech Summit—a gathering of party leaders, wonks, and tech gurus—and the idea of a simulcast must feel rather exciting.
When the mugging is over, the RNC chairman outlines the Steele Doctrine: “If we haven’t done it, let’s do it. If we haven’t thought of it, think about it.… Don’t just think outside the box—I hate that phrase anyway—take it someplace the box hasn’t even reached yet.”
All of which might sound like hollow rhetoric, if it weren’t for the box-busting nature of the event itself: The summit might be the most un-Republican thing the Republican Party has ever done.
Newt Gingrich touches on this during his (surprise!) appearance. (Apparently he had just learned about the summit online.) “Every generation has to use the technology of their generation,” he says. Thomas Paine saw the power of the pamphlet. Abraham Lincoln understood the rotary press. FDR got radio, JFK got TV, and Obama gets the Web. But “what really matters is not how you communicate but what you communicate.”
The GOP’s new open-door policy seems like a good start. “This is not about outreach,” Gingrich says. “This is about inclusion.” It’s a key distinction. One means dictating. The other means asking the audience what you should be doing.
So here is the bottom line. You can no longer wait to see if what you did before will engage your consumer. You must be first, be courageous and engage them. They are eagerly waiting to hear from you.
Click here to read the full article.
Best Nicole
