I think I caused Obama to lose the election...

MORE than six million people have so far been emailed a spoof video blaming them for electing Republican John McCain as the next President of the United States.

The video is going out to more than 30 new people per second as a direct and personal reminder to them to vote in next Tuesday’s Presidential election.

The spoof video is set after the election and “reveals” that Democratic candidate Barack Obama has lost by just one vote. The ‘missing’ voter is the person receiving the personalised video!

In the spoof news-style video, the missing voter’s name is blazed across headlines in the New York Times, is personally thanked by George W. Bush and is castigated by irate US citizens (including an hilariously foul-mouthed grandmother, pictured above) and a lonely goat herd who now fears his flock is about to be bombed by ‘President McCain’.

The video is witty, irreverent and extremely well done – and it may have the desired effect in helping to Get Out The Vote as well as becoming a global hit.

Research shows that this kind of social “nudging” is extremely effective. The organisers are aiming to reach 10 million people before Election Day in the USA – but look set to easily reach their target.

As the organisers, MOVEON.ORG POLITICAL ACTION say: “Studies show that by far the best way to get people out to vote is to convince them that (a) everyone else is voting, and (b) everyone will know if they don’t vote.

“This video does both—with a smile (or a smirk, in some cases).

“It takes just seconds to send, and it could be the thing that actually pushes a friend of yours to the polls.”

It is entirely coincidental, of course, that Barack Obama will be the beneficiary of this ingenious tactic which sets impeccable new standards in communications and political campaigning.

In the next British General Election, will Gordon Brown or David Cameron try something similar?

Check out the video here

Social marketing was “born” as a discipline in the 1970s, when Philip Kotler and Gerald Zaltman realized that the same marketing principles that were being used to sell products to consumers could be used to “sell” ideas, attitudes and behaviors.

Social marketing, often combines education and promotional communication to motivate healthy behavior and lower risks associated with negative behaviours or reinforce positive behaviours. In the past social marketing told us to wear seatbelts, to look after the planet, to look after our health, to stop smoking, care for endangered animals and to start recycling.

In the age of web 2.0, we’re also seeing the introduction of social media marketing [or some just say social marketing for short].

Social Media Marketing (SMM) combines the goals of marketing with social media sites such as MySpace, Facebook, Youtube and many others. The idea being that if you get to know your target well, understand where they hang out online & how they connect, you have a much greater chance of creating a lasting connection with them.

Rigid professional “advertising” goes out the window in favour of a more personal disruptive communication that feels one-to-one. It’s the lack of formality which helps the viewer feel connected to the communication, the cause and others who are also engaged in the issue.

Now whilst ‘Social Media Marketing’ is not  the same as the more traditional ‘Social Marketing’ both disciplines share similar characteristics. Mostly they’re looking to connect with people on a personal level, to move beyond one way communication to stimulate dialogue and a greater level of involvement and engagement.

This latest ditty we’ve found from Haagen Dazs is an absolute ripper and a great example of a brand using ’social media marketing’ techniques for a social marketing cause. It’s part of their Help the Honey Bees campaign and is worth a look.

Social marketing and Social Media Marketing . .  Isn’t it nice when they play together?