Getting Out the Vote: From Xbox to Jewish Grannies

I had a post ready to go out earlier this week about a recent McCain rally in which GOP supporters were saying some pretty scary stuff. But I decided to restrain.

Instead, I thought I would take a look at two non-traditional marketing tactics Sen. Obama launched over the last week. It's no secret that the Obama Camp has ushered in a whole new era of marketing for political campaigns.

Much of that work has come in the realm of online marketing and social media which is well documented here, here, and here.

With less than three weeks to go to Election Day, the Illinois Senator has released two new tactics: one is cutting edge, and the other is a throwback to social media (pre-internet.)

Gigaom reported yesterday that Obama Ads are now showing up on billboards in the Xbox 360 racing game Burnout Paradise. Talk about reaching the youth vote.


And on the opposite end of the generation spectrum, The Great Schlep, "aims to have Jewish grandchildren visit their grandparents in Florida, educate them about Obama, and therefore swing the crucial Florida vote in his favor."

I'm not saying either of these tactics will single-handily swing the election. But they do represent more out of the box thinking from a candidate that has not only pushed the envelope of campaign marketing, he's reinvented the game.