Learning about the Dean campaign was fascinating. Before we delved into this for our Social Media class, I knew almost nothing about Howard Dean and his brand of politics. And truthfully, what I learned from looking at his campaign was far less about him — or even politics for that matter — and more about the practical applications of social media.
As we looked at pictures of Dean at some of the Meet Ups, I noticed he wore a white shirt with a tie tied tightly — very traditional politics. But there was a twist: he had his shirt sleeves rolled up to his elbows, which was clearly an effort to meet his new audience where they were.
You might be wondering why this ridiculously insignificant observation even warrants space on my blog, but that variant from the norm made me start wondering about Howard Dean’s real personality and how well suited it was for an online (read: young, energetic, nontraditional) campaign.
In actuality, Dean would have preferred a much more formal contest, but in the beginning, he didn’t have the resources to fight a traditional political battle. Thus, Joe Trippi and the rest of Dean’s campaign staff used social media tools to put the traditional politician on the map.
Did that mean his brand of politics was compromised to some extent? Did he lose control of the direction of his campaign when he became beholden to his unchosen online audience? Do social media tools leave you at the mercy of those to whom they allow you to communicate?
The answer is yes, and Dean’s rolled up sleeves are a tangible sign of that.
All semester I’ve grappled with the question of how social media tools fit into the corporate communications mix. Dean’s campaign shows how useful the tools can be, but it also highlights an important point. Their use should be strategic. Communicators should never use them just for their gee-whiz factor. The tools should create solutions to problems (not enough resources to compete head to head) or provide unique opportunities (opening conversation about the candidate/product/service/cause to new groups).
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