If Ryan Combe wins Tuesday’s primary in Utah and becomes the Democratic candidate for Congress, he’ll owe at least part of that victory to the video he posted late last week.
Combe, a Democrat in a predominantly conservative state, launched an online ad that has quickly gained national attention. Titled “Mom, Dad… I’m a Democrat,” the short video aims to entertain, hypothesizing about what it’s like to be a young Democrat in Utah. But for Combe, it has done more than just entertain. It has gained him more attention (and thus more name recognition), which can only help in the June 26 primary.
Since posting it, the video has been featured on Politico, CNN, MSNBC, Roll Call, the Atlantic, and Gawker. According to a letter to supporters, it also gained Combe the endorsement of the Blue America PAC. In the letter, he wrote, “This is an amazing opportunity to explain our campaign, and the challenges we’re ready to meet in order to bring real leadership to this district.”
In the days since it was posted, the video has had more than 94,000 views on YouTube, but that’s likely only a fraction of the number of people who have seen it, thanks to exposure on cable television. His other video, poking fun at his Democratic opponent, who happens to be a bobsledder, only has 434 views, but is also just as well produced.
It’s clear that Combe’s campaign is social-media-savvy, and in an era where such things matter, it could be a blueprint for YouTube-based campaigns. And the plan is simple: Be funny. Those videos (and anything really absurd by Herman Cain) are the ones that get shared the most and thus spread your message around—and quickly. Last week, most national news organizations had no clue who Combe was. Now, that’s changed, and it’s all thanks to one well-thought-out Web video.
Photo via YouTube