The social election: what we learned
A few weeks ago I was asked to contribute a weekly column discussing how social media permeated the Federal Election. Now the outcome is decided and voters have spoken, it feels fitting to share a quick recap of what we saw, what we’ve learned, and how social media will continue to evolve in the Australian political reality.
Firstly, I had read an article a few months back talking about the impact of Google’s “doodles” (you know, the cutesy drawings that Google overlays on their logo to acknowledge and/or commemorate the relevance of key historical events) on popular culture. (If you are interested, you can find all of them here.) According to this article, it turns out that people’s ability to recall a historical person, place, or thing was significantly higher if that thing had been “doodled.” Well, this election definitely sparked Google’s interest as the internet giant not only created a custom doodle on the 7th to mark the election, but for the first time ever they also set up an online hub for nearly real-time news. Additionally, they created a tailored YouTube index that pulled content from a whole host of courses to provide political coverage.
Second, this was certainly the election of memorable hashtags. Sure #AusPol & #AusVotes dominated the twittersphere and were undoubtedly the most frequently leveraged ways to group tweets into conversations, but there was no shortage of other Internet memes and their ability to trend quickly. I personally got a kick out of the #suppository tag that quickly trended when Tony Abbott misspoke and said ‘suppository of all knowledge.’ But it didn’t stop there as he managed to snafu again as “sexappeal” went viral quickly after another off the cuff remark linking female Liberal candidates with youth, feistiness, and sex appeal.
Thirdly, in what seems to have been a case of too little, too late, the Labor Party’s use of YouTube is something of note. In spite of the fact that “Tony’s Internet” wasn’t run on the official channel, (it was run on the ‘Reality Check’ subdomain of Labor’s main website) the video was viewed nearly 985,000 times and poked fun at Abbott’s proposed National Broadband Network efforts. The video went viral as its mockumentay style was quite comical. Scoring again in this arena, Labor did an absolutely fantastic job promoting this video that showcased Kevin Rudd’s response to a question from Christian pastor Matt Prater on ABC's Q&A. The view was seen about 2.75 million times within a week. I said too little too late as views on YouTube don’t necessarily mean actual votes in the voting booth.
Fourth, I want to take a moment to shout out yet another site that I really enjoyed in the final days leading up to the vote. DontbeaF*#$ingidiot.com (the real URL can be found here and I warn you in advance that the site may not be work appropriate) is a beautiful example of how real people can create real content that goes viral online. Granted, the site’s creator, Jesse Richardson is a digital creative in the advertising industry who thinks about how to do things like this on a daily basis. But his simple site touched a nerve among the voting public. Not only did it amass incredible traffic as explained here, but quickly showed how a single individual could creatively spark conversation quickly.
Lastly, and certainly most crudely, it seems that this election simply reinforced something that we’ve all known for years: that the contest basically boils down to a glorified popularity contest. And in the digital age, that really means he with the most Facebook friends (i.e. “Likes”) wins. Following what seems to have become an unwritten rule of the American political system, the outcome of the election between Tony Abbott and Kevin Rudd could have been determined without a single vote being cast. Just like Barack Obama had more “Likes” than John McCain the first time around, and more than Mitt Romney more recently, Abbott was trouncing Rudd on Facebook. That doesn’t always hold true … but I’ve yet to see a recent example where that isn’t the way things have gone. And the controversy as to whether all those “Likes” were real or purchased seems to have now died down completely.
A visit to Tony Abbott’s Facebook page today greets all visitors with a “Thank You” and a promise that he’s planning to work for all Australians. We’ll all have to wait and see how well he keeps his promise, but I can assure you that social media will help to hold him accountable and remind him of his pledges to the nation.
Yianni Konstantopoulos is group managing director of Social@Ogilvy.
Please login with linkedin to comment
Latest News
Scroll Media Recruits Costa Panagos From Twitch
Digital publisher network Scroll Media has employed ex-Amazon Twitch gaming executive Costa Panagos (lead image) to strengthen its Scroll Gaming capability. Panagos is highly experienced in game advertising and media sales professional with two years in account management at Twitch and three years in media sales at News Corp, so will bring his extensive media agency […]
Year13, Microsoft & KPMG Australia Launch AI Course For Gen Zs
School-leaver service Year13 has launched a new Artificial Intelligence course to upskill young people in AI, made in collaboration with Microsoft and KPMG, at an event to rally industry support behind youth AI fluency. The free online course AI Amplified which is part of Year13’s Academy aims to provide all young people with the opportunity […]
General Motors Snares Heath Walker From Scania
General Motors has announced the appointment of Heath Walker (lead image) as the new marketing director for GM Australia and New Zealand, effective April 23, 2024. Walker brings a wealth of marketing and communications experience gained from working across various industries, including IT, sporting, and auto – notably Tesla, Nissan and most recently, Scania in […]
VML Launches New “Envoyage” Brand For Flight Centre
VML unveils new brand for travel operator Flight Centre. Alas, no sign of those paid actors pretending to be pilots.
Subaru Places Media Account Up For Review
Subaru puts media up for review, as adland journos get set for mandatory "agency drives off with..." headline.
TV Ratings (17/04/2024): Contestants Faced With Harsh Realities As Alone Australia Heats Up (Or Cools Down)
Alone still doing the business for SBS. Overly long train journeys not doing the business, but they persist anyway.
Ben Fordham Loses Number One Spot As Ray Hadley Celebrates 156th Ratings Win
The radio numbers are in! Discover who's off for a boozy lunch today & who's waiting for the dreaded HR death knock.
Gourmet Ice Cream Brand Connoisseur Launches New “Thrill Your Senses” Iteration, Via SICKDOGWOLFMAN
Rattling the old "truth in advertising" adage comes this ice-cream spot full of noticeably thin people.
Paramount’s Global Sales Boss: ‘Australia’s Converged Model Is A Blueprint For How I’d Like All Of Our Markets To Be’
Paramount's global sales boss gives local sales ops the thumbs up. Didn't weigh-in on the Lisa Wilkinson debacle.
TikTok Starts Testing Its Instagram Rival In Australia
In exciting news for piano playing cats & brattish pranks in shopping centres, TikTok unveils its Insta rival plans.
Man Wrongly Named By Seven As Bondi Killer Hires Lawyers
Struggling to save for a house deposit? Why not get wrongly identified by Sunrise!
Smartsheet Appoints Indie Agency Sandbox Media To Its Media Account
Can't stand your colleagues? Like to dob them in when they miss a deadline? These work management platforms are ideal.
Boss Not Letting You Come To Cannes In Cairns? Use This Business Case To Convince Them!
Stingy boss won't spring for a ticket to Cairns? Add this to your persuasive argument repertoire. Or grovel.
Alt/shift/ Brisbane Builds Portfolio With Ausbuild Creative, PR, Content & Social Account Win
The Brisbane comms/PR agency lands constructor Ausbuild. Also hoping for a discount on its new glass conservatory.
Young Guns Versus The Old Guard: Who Adds More Value to Our Industry?
Cannes In Cairns poking this hornet's nest in a lively debate. Just so long as the oldies can get up the stairs.
70% Of Aussies Don’t Have Green Power Plans ENGIE Says In Major Brand Campaign Via HERO
Are you the notorious "light leaver on-er" in your flatshare? Quell any infighting with this green energy news.
PrettyGood Launches Offering Brand & Media Solutions For Australasian SMEs
B&T applauds the charitable nature of this new agency. Although we'd hate to see it impact any Chrissie present sends.
A Blunt End: Dolphins Medicinal Cannabis Sponsorship At Risk
Yes, it's another NRL drug story. Yet, thankfully it doesn't involve coke in Kuta during the off-season.
Slew Of New Creative Hires At Leo Burnett Australia
Ahhh, all black! The outfit of choice for agency creatives, David Jones staff and everyone in Melbourne.
Under Armour Unveils Local “Live in UA” Campaign
American apparel brand set for yet another tilt at the Aussie market, as Nike declares "we'll see about that".
Pepsi Launches New Look, Refreshing Classic Fashion Staples Via Special PR
Are you always the bridesmaid, never the bride, as the old saying goes? How do you think Pepsi feels?
Pure Blonde Returns To A Place Purer Than Yours In New Campaign Via The Monkeys
B&T's always been a huge fan of the 'drink yourself thinner' diet plan. So big thanks to Pure blonde, vodka & tequila.
Spotlight On Sponsors: Carsales Strikes With Another Storm-Based Team
Think our hacks are living their sports journalist dreams vicariously through B&T? Confirm it with this reporting.
Commission Factory & AGL Energy Ignite Strategic Partnership To Empower Australian Energy Consumers
Concerned by global warming yet ran the fans non-stop over summer? Add to the guilt with this read.
Allied Nabs Nicola Gold From Pico International Dubai
Seasoned marketer relocates from Dubai to Sydney. Says the shopping's not as good but at least you can get a drink.
Nine’s Push For Gold, Silver & Bronze Ad Opportunities Could Break New Ground In Broadcasting
Nine insists that AI won't dominate its Olympics coverage. And not merely because Bruce McAvaney doesn't understand it.
TV Ratings (16/04/2024): Toxic City Girls Too Much For Farmer Bert
Fans calling out toxic behaviour on Farmer Wants A Wife, seemingly unaware that's the very premise of any dating show.
Kaimera Wins Afterpay ANZ Media Account
Have couriers even started to mention you're overdoing the online shopping? Probably best to avoid this Afterpay news.
Industry Reacts: Stuff Group Swoops In To Save 6pm News After Newshub Closure
As you'll read here, New Zealand's media's in a right state of flux. And nor have they forgotten 1981's underarm.
a2 Milk Launches “Only a2 Will Do’ Brand Platform In First Work From BMF
A2 milk drinkers tend not to bother everyone with their gut health issues & it's a lesson for vegans & the gluten-free.
Can You Recite It In Under 4 Seconds? Maccas Relaunches Iconic Competition With Modern Twist
Do you know what would make a fantastic ad? Drunk people at 3am trying to recite the ”two all-beef patties"
‘Liar, Liar’: Lehrmann Exposed As High Profile Defamation Case Comes To A Close
Having exhausted all avenues in his defamation case, is there only one option left for Bruce - reality television?
MECCA & Fendi Among Premium Advertisers For oOh!media Woollahra OOH Network Launch
If you've not been to the snooty suburb of Woollahra, the locals would like to thank you again for staying well away.
Yahoo Academy Announces Class Of 2024
This academy is strictly for "emerging leaders". Courses don't include 'sleeping at your desk' or 'bunking off early'.
Top 35 Media Leaders Announced For 2024 TikTok Agency Accelerator Program
Despite the ban threats, TikTok keeps marching on. Cementing its reputation as the Julian Assange of the tech.
AiMCO Announces First-Ever Diversity Webinar To Explore Inclusion In Influencer Marketing
Think influencer marketing's a little on the white side? This free webinar's for you. Sadly, it's not given TV ideas.