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Somethings are meant to remain classic like the Jefferson Airplane song, “Volunteers of America.” It’s safe to say that rock aficionados would not appreciate a digital, synthesized version of this 1969 tune. So, what’s that got to do with television advertising? Everything.

Watch the video and hear the song through the link below

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6ljxpyH4dnA

Messages and the quality with which they are captured must evolve with the times. As the Jefferson Airplane lyrics point out, “we got a revolution”—a digital revolution and Wild Bunch Media is keeping up with it everyday.

Candidates need to keep current on each and every political issue and their ads should look cutting edge too, right? RIGHT. So why are so many agencies still producing ads as if it’s 1969?

Technology has democratized production, but its only in the skilled hands of professional filmmakers that  truly outstanding ads are created.  Technology should never compromise the quality of your advertisements. As our example points out, appreciating a classic, American rock song from 1969 and understanding the realities of 2011 are two different things. Both respectable but very different.

We’ve got a revolution alright. And our work reflects that we’re evolving, not being held back by a lack of understanding of new technology.

Join the revolution with Wild Bunch Media.

Politics As Usual Politics As Digital

2,095,006,005. According to InternetWorldStats.com, this figure reflects the amount of Internet users worldwide. And while English may not be the universal language, in many foreign countries TECH is.

At Wild Bunch Media, we know it’s important to create multi-media campaigns that can be accessible online, anywhere, any place. Compelling messages are important but only if you have the viewership to embrace the message of your campaign or ad.

So, what makes a campaign compelling in today’s online space? Strategy. Understanding the audience, what makes them tick, how to get their attention. Listening in on the conversation. The Internet really helps our firm and partners understand the various audiences we wish to engage. Through Twitter and Google alerts, we set up listening stations, we can monitor the political and media landscape, we can get involved in conversations, observe citizen journalists and create ads that really send the message loud and clear.

#Politics (this ladies and gentlemen is a Twitter hashtag).

We know that videos don’t “go viral”; ads don’t go viral. The audience decides what gets broadcast in a viral fashion across StumbleUpon, Facebook, Twitter or even Digg. And each day as these platforms emerge and evolve, Wild Bunch Media is right there in the trenches. We want you to be with us so what are you waiting for? This is not the age of “Politics as usual.” This is the age of “Politics as Digital.” Contact us today: 202.429.9453 (Even though we’re digital, we still believe in the telephone. Give us a ring).

This morning during an appearance on MSNBC’s “Morning Joe”, Mark Halperin, a senior political analyst for MSNBC, and a smug example of the punditocracy, actually called President Obama a four letter derivative of the name Weiner ….LIVE ON AIR.

Halperin immediately apologized after realizing his remark went out live, but the damage had been done. This man has been on television countless times and certainly understands the concept of “Live” so what could he have possibly been thinking?

Perhaps credentials don’t count these days in the media, but this action was totally amateur as far as on-air broadcasts are concerned. Moreover, as an author of numerous books on presidential races and politics as well as the former director of political coverage for a major network, Halperin is a “professional commentator.”  He should be fired immediately.

In this current political climate where Beck, Limbaugh, O’Reilly, etal feel free to make outrageous, offensive, dehumanizing remarks about political figures while politicians like Sarah Palin publish hit lists of political opponents, a major network needs to draw a line in the sand. Enough is enough.  An apology is too little to late. Add Halperin to next weeks list of those seeking unemployment benefits.

Wild Bunch Weigh In: The networks need to step up and set a limit to the political TV trash talking. Agree or disagree?

How do you think the pioneers of journalism would respond to the wave of new media that technology has created? And why is this analysis so important?

In the Web 2.0 world, journalism has become much more loosely defined. Everyday individuals now have the opportunity to report events, issues and trends to a broad audience through the Internet. But how credible are these sources? Better yet, how credible are they compared to standards of traditional journalism?

If the facts weren’t necessarily the facts before, how accurate are they now? How will the coverage of your candidates and issues be reported when there are several sources contributing to that coverage that don’t actually investigate what they’re reporting.

Technology and its rapid distribution have left limited time for fact checking particularly when a stream of tweets can spread like wildfire. Take the news of the shooting of Representative Giffords. Several online sources were quick to announce her death while the broadcast news reported her true status, which was “alive and in critical condition”…. contrary to the deafening buzz on the web.

There’s even a new documentary, “Page One: A Year Inside the New York Times” that focuses on the influence of social networking and news aggregator sites on traditional journalism.

We’ve been building up a blog series this past few weeks to emphasize the significance of traditional media while also highlighting the benefits of embracing new technologies particularly as they relate to candidates. And so we ask, how do we combat this issue, the issue of quality coverage in the new media world? Do credentials still count?

We don’t have the answers yet, we’re simply asking the questions and we’d like to know your thoughts. Feel free to comment here on our blog.

The Weiner headlines are still dominating the web, television and talk radio almost three weeks AFTER the public first learned of his social media “scandal.” According to Media Bistro, “the Anthony Weiner case accounted for 17% of all news coverage last week”, receiving more mentions than news on the Middle East and economy.

Weiner is no stranger to utilizing social media platforms, particularly Twitter and Facebook. In March of this year, the Congressmen utilized Twitter to answer questions on universal health care as well as the media and the NY Daily News covered it.

The point is that Facebook, Twitter, Linkedin, Youtube and blogs now provide round the clock coverage and distribution of news including the decisions of political figures (Weiner, Schwarzenegger, Spitzer). Sources estimate that in the first week alone, Weiner’s indiscretions were mentioned 13,000 times in online news articles. Even if your candidate got a fraction of the coverage Weiner has experienced, that overall visibility is a home run.

At Wild Bunch Media, we’re involved in the social space and invite you to connect with us through any of our channels:

http://www.twitter.com/nkammerman

http://www.facebook.com/wildbunchmediawork

http://www.linkedin.com/pub/neil-kammerman/6/75a/478

http://www.linkedin.com/pub/mark-longabaugh/21/a87/239

WE CREATE COVERAGE THAT COUNTS. Our ads have been talked about in various outlets including the Washington Post and Huffington Post. Contact us today: WILD BUNCH MEDIA 1250 Connecticut Avenue, NW Suite 200 | Washington, DC 20036 | 202.429.9453