Patrick Ruffini (at Hugh Hewitt) is very impressed with Team Romney’s innovative “create your own ad” campaign.
Sayeth Patrick:
You 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.
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.
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.
This is a great idea. Not only because it harnesses the creativity of your supporters while engaging them directly in the campaign, but also (as Patrick notes) these videos will be shared via personal networks by their proud creators multiplying their impact.
August 30th, 2007 at 10:02 pm
[...] post by Kavon W. Nikrad and software by Elliott [...]
August 30th, 2007 at 10:06 pm
Someone associated with Hugh Hewitt is impressed by Mitt Romney? Shocking.
August 30th, 2007 at 10:23 pm
Dan,
Patrick Ruffini is a well-known Rudy supporter and helped Rudy’s presidential committee get off the ground by designing their website. Pat’s also absolutely right–Mitt’s idea is impressive.
August 30th, 2007 at 10:43 pm
It’s not original, except for the idea of putting it on TV. I have noticed news channels playing Mitt’s ads for free as news. Based on that, he should keep making them, but not pay for a lot of air time.
August 30th, 2007 at 11:19 pm
Unquestionably Mitt is showing a good organisation, which has launched him to near the top of the top tier despite a thin political resume.
This idea is a good one, and again highlights the gulf between the candidates on “new media”. I’ll be interested to see if any others (Rudy?) follow his lead…
August 30th, 2007 at 11:48 pm
Perhaps Romney is taking this action because he doesn’t really have his own platform? Rather than continue to flip-flop, he can just run his campaign how everyone else tells him. I mean he is a populist RINO after all, so why not.
August 30th, 2007 at 11:56 pm
i’m sure everyone pleased with this great idea romney put forward is also elated by hillary too. after all, it’s a hillary rip-off. Kind of like how Mitt ripped off hillarycare.
*GO hillar…er. i mean go Willard!!!
August 31st, 2007 at 12:05 am
Yeah. This is a really good idea. I do worry about Romney. And the others can’t use this idea because it just would make Romney look like a leader worth emulating.
Giuliani had better hurry up with something good.
August 31st, 2007 at 12:07 am
TLG,
you worry about romney?
Great and with good reason.
August 31st, 2007 at 12:33 am
I for one give credit to TLG and Kavon for showing some maturity and enough objectivity to openly recognize when another candidate shows some promise; there’s not enough of that here.
Guys, as soon as I find something good to say about Rudy I’ll join you
August 31st, 2007 at 4:47 am
One problem with the idea is that it will inspire some to use the materials to make ads lampooning Romney. To wit, the first thing that popped into my head when I heard this was to have a dolphin with Willard’s face. Another idea just occured to me. You could take the video of Willard jogging and in the bushes you have Larry Craig, and an aborted fetus, and some uninsured, and baby Jesus and the object is to steer Romney through these varios hazards but when one reaches out and chatches him the words “campaign over” appears. Actually, I really like that one but I am not creative enough to make it.
August 31st, 2007 at 7:08 am
None of us Rudy guys on this site worship him dogmatically. Although it seems to have passed a little, back in June or so there was a lot of ridiculously unmerited praise of Romney from a few people on this site regardless of the news about him — everything was good news for him somehow! These people don’t comment as much as they used to or have moved on, but they’ll forever have ingrained the “Romneybot” image in my head.
I don’t think he shows promise as a candidate, by the way — I still wouldn’t vote for him because he’s a liar — but I think he’s running a strong campaign. He’s the only one in the top tier I wouldn’t vote for on our side (McCain and Gingrich included). I hope Romney doesn’t win the nomination, or I’m not going to have very much fun through Election 2008.
August 31st, 2007 at 8:35 am
#7 Sampo
Sampo wrote:
“Kind of like how Mitt ripped off hillarycare.”
I hope this was a joke, if not, pleeeease explain, I’d love to
hear how he ripped off “Hillarycare”, I’m more interested to see
the spin you put on it, I need a good laugh this morning. Your
credibility was already shot but I think everyone would love to hear
you explain this one.
August 31st, 2007 at 12:08 pm
I still wouldn’t vote for him because he’s a liar — .
You get dafter every day.
June 30th, 2009 at 3:40 am
Kewl site man…
keep up the good work man…….