After the Iowa caucuses, I predicted that word of mouth not advertising would tip the balance in favor of one of the Democratic candidates for president. Recently released data is proving this prediction true.
Before the Iowa Caucus, Hillary Clinton spent approximately $7.2 million on advertising in Iowa yet she came in third place. The day before Super Tuesday Clinton likely spent millions to buy a block of prime time on the Hallmark Channel, which reaches about 84 million households, for the "nation's first televised town hall" which gave voters in the 22 primary states an opportunity to ask her questions. The scripted questions and answers produced dull television. Although ratings aren't available, it's doubtful that the show had much impact on Super Tuesday's results in which Clinton and Barack Obama finished in a virtual tie.
In contrast to Clinton's reliance on advertising, Obama has been racking up primary and caucus victories based largely on the enthusiasm of his supporters lobbying friends and family on his behalf. Over the last week, a new video by the Black-Eyed Peas singer will.i.am featuring Scarlett Johansson, Kareem Abdul Jabbar and others has become the most popular YouTube video. The Obama campaign had nothing to do with the creation of the video nor with its dissemination. According to The USA Today , more than 3.7 million watched the video online its first week which far surpassed the size of Clinton's Hallmark audience. It's a certainty that people will continue forwarding the video to friends. As word of mouth spreads, more members of the media and blogosphere will report on the video which in turn will create more buzz.
