"Yes, We Can"--a non-traditional political ad

Have you seen Barack Obama's music video "Yes, We Can" on Youtube?  I'm sure you have by now; it's a couple of months old.  It was created and produced by Will.I.Am., a member of the (former) Hip Hop group Black Eyed Peas. (I don't think they really classify as Hip Hop anymore--maybe more pop--but that's my personal opinion.)

Anyway, Will.I.Am used text from Obama's speech in New Hampshire in January 2008 as lyrics for the song and video.  Various music recording artists make an appearance in the

 video, singing the lyrics of the speech with an original guitar tune strumming in the background.  A few of the artists I am familiar with are Hip Hop and R&B artists Common, John Legend, and Fonzworth Bentley, but there are many others.  The ones I mentioned are African American, but this is a multi-racial and multi-genre music video. 

Or should I say, ad?    

This is so much more than a music video.  It works as a political ad--created by an entertainer to support a political candidate and his message.  There can be no mistake about its message--the actual recording of the speech is used.  It has all the elements of an effective ad--celebrity appearances; it plays to the emotions; it's memorable, creative, and catchy.  It was probably inexpensive to produce.  I don't know if Obama "officially" endorsed this video, but I know he's aware of its existence.  

It's on his Myspace and Facebook pages.  Which leads me to my other point--this video uses non-traditional media.  I first saw the video on YouTube, but I first heard about it on Facebook, a social networking site.  I've watched it on all three sites (before even visiting Obama's campaign site to view it).  It's not a TV commercial, but it serves the same function.  It advertises Obama, Obama's campaign strategy of hope, Obama's slogan "Yes We Can," and the celebrities who support Obama.  I sing along to the song in this video just as I would sing along to, say, the old Kit Kat commercials.

What's even more remarkable is that regular, everyday Obama supporters continually post the video on their social networking pages, YouTube, and blogs, leave comments, tell their friends, and essentially the video--and the cause--spreads by word-of-mouth.  A modern grassroots effort, if you will.   Obama is truly the multi-media, interactive, new media candidate of the future, but he's campaigning now.  What will be interesting to see is if his opponents, and political leaders in the future, follow in his technologically-savvy footsteps.  No doubt he has young people in their 20's working on his campaign marketing strategy.  I think they're doing a great job to reach one of his most important target markets--young voters under 35.

Not to minimize the importance of Obama's platform, but it's true that this music video is an ad that sells a product: Barack Obama's campaign.  Talk about product placement.  I'd buy it.