I haven't spent much time on MTV in many, many years. Sure, I'll turn on the occasional Yo Momma marathon to while away the hours, but when it comes to making money or getting involved in politics, MTV just doesn't strike me as the best place to make an impact with my time.
But I'm not a politician.
I'm doing some research for a client (more about that later), and I've been spending some time on RocktheVote.com and MySpace. My first impression, and I'm sure it's accurate, is the overwhelming liberal message you get at those sites. Maybe that's from years of watching Kurt Loder and hearing Rock Stars complain about the environment, but when looking through the actual Rock the Vote site, something odd struck me. Only liberal think tanks and non-profits partner with Rock the Vote.
We know that younger voters often skew liberal, but don't vote, and by the time they vote, they're married with kids and paying taxes, which makes them Republicans. After 9/11, and in the middle of a war, there was hope that our youth was growing up at a faster rate than previous generations. Recent polls show that not to be the case, but I wonder if that's because we're not doing enough to fight the "progressive message" in the online forums where youth hang out.
Check out the sponsor page at RockTheVote.com.
Acorn, League of Women Voters, NAACP, People For The American Way, and True Majority.
Where's the Heritage Foundation? AmericanSolutions? The Hoover Institute? AEI? Where are the Freedom Vets and Move America Forward (or maybe to feed conspiracy theories, the PR firm for the Swift Boat Vets)? The answer is we're nowhere to be found. We've given up on MTV and their viewers and then blame it on the youth when they don't understand the conservative message.
We know the Democrats spent 2004 (and 2006) trying to scare young voters by telling that Republican wars were going to lead to a military draft. The story, though denied by all major Republicans, is an effective tactic, and though we deny it in the major papers and on blogs - what happens when MTV tells the story?
If we're serious about combatting the liberal message, web-savvy conservative organizations have to get in the game.
It starts at Rock the Vote, but that's just one website. Where else are we dropping the ball with our youth?
Comments
Follow the ratings slid of
Follow the ratings slid of MTV which is now so yesterday for a lot of the kids.
Heck I just read a story somewhere about how they are trying to get their MoJo back because they are loosing their grip.Â
Is it successful?
Having grown up with Rock the Vote, I've loosely followed the campaign. It's really doubtful how successful it's been. Even before I worked in communications and studied campaigns, it never had much of an impact on me.
Voting rates among young voters are up, and Rock the Vote has been quick to take responsibility for it. However, there are a lot of generational factors that are different for Millenials/MTV Generation than Gen X. Millenials are far more involved with their community and volunteer at higher rates than other brackets. Voting is viewed as a responsibility as a "global citizen."
Secondly, there are significant arguments against celebrity-based campaigns like Rock the Vote. Too often the focus becomes that celebrity rather than the message. P. Diddy's Vote or Die stunt in 2004 is a good example. Furthermore, celebrities always carry significant risks because of their behavior. How many endorsements does Michael Vick have left? Will anyone turn to Lindsay Lohan or Britney anytime soon?
Young Voter Strategies at George Washington University has the best information on young voters. Oddly enough, they just merged with Rock the Vote.
Exactly...
Does it work? Is it worth the investment by organizations when there could potentially be more bang for their buck elsewhere?
The youth movement was supposed to carry Kerry into the White House in '04 but it didn't really exist. Can young voters be credited for '06 or is that a result of adults being dissatified with the status quo?
This is where the quesiton of effectiveness of MySpace campaigning comes up. Yes, you're going to engage young potential voters, but does it really work and is that energy, time and money that could be spent elsewhere?
Don't Discount Youth
Don't discount the youth vote. Rock the Vote doesn't work for a variety of reasons, but young people are voting in numbers that rival their grandparents' generation.
If you candidate has a large population of young people, or it's going to be a close race, the youth vote is particularly important and the investment is worth it for Facebook. I highly recommend reading YVS's report on the 2006 election. Republicans are losing across the board here.
I covered this in a earlier post a while back.
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