Ladies and gentlemen, I give you Representative Tom Tancredo (R-CO).
FACT FILE: TOM TANCREDO
ACCOUNT NAME: TeamTancredo
NUMBER OF VIDEOS: 133
NUMBER OF SUBSCRIBERS: 795
TOTAL CHANNEL VIEWS: 437,140
TOTAL VIDEO VIEWS: 514,771
All kidding aside, Tancredo's people are far more involved than Hunter's when it comes to maintaining their candidate's YouTube presence. Part of this comes from simple participation; staffers are still logging in daily, interacting with supporters and posting new videos (the last update, as of today, came yesterday afternoon). However, the Tancredo campaign's strategy goes deeper, and is best reflected in the content of the videos themselves.
Now, make no mistake: Tancredo still spends plenty of time making sure everyone knows where he stands on hot-button conservative issues like immigration, federal debt, and the war in Iraq. However, unlike Duncan Hunter, Tancredo doesn't stop there. Among the videos, there are traditional television spots, staged interviews, and calls to action against opponents both Democrat and Republican. However, the majority of his videos fall into two categories: highlights of debates and interview appearances, and informal, candid discussions about his stances and beliefs. Given his status as a fringe candidate, this approach makes sense. Without the face time or coverage of the other candidates, Tancredo has to get his name into the open somehow. If the media isn't going to give him the time he needs, YouTube is a natural alternative.
However, this approach is still hampered by the candidate's relative lack of recognition. Tancredo, much like Hunter, has to spend the majority of his time getting people to remember his policy, a tactic which leaves little room for spotlights on personal character or non-issue related interests. We get little to nothing about Tancredo's past or personality from these videos. In the end, we may know Tancredo the politician, but we still don't know Tancredo the person. For a candidate with limited exposure, this is a prime example of an opportunity wasted.
Personally, I certainly know more about Tom Tancredo now than I did before, at least as far as his political leanings and media coverage go. I still think he's basically crazy, but I do appreciate his humorous response to the whole "John Edwards and his $400 haircut" debacle from a few months back. If we can't laugh at ourselves, who can we laugh at?
Though Tom Tancredo has little hope for a successful nomination bid, his strategy when it comes to YouTube promotion seems to follow the standards set by some of his more popular counterparts. Though he doesn't go far enough in terms of content variety, the videos are a step in the right direction. In that hands of a more high profile candidate, I think we'll see a very different mixture. Only the analysis can tell for sure.
Tomorrow, head back here to see how the candidate with the silliest name since Dale Bumpers approaches the YouTube challenge. That's right: it's Mike Huckabee.
