Driving the Youth Vote do the Famous Matter?

I saw a lot of famous people in the audience of the debate tonight. It makes it all the more interesting to show you this piece I read today about the impact endorsements from famous folks have on young voters . It has some good points and it has some questionable statements. And further I feel it leaves out something even more essential - issues.

According to the Newswire article:

"One marketing ploy used by presidential candidates of both parties is celebrity endorsements. Whether or not endorsements are effective in wooing young voters, is a question Phillip’s marketing colleague Natalie Wood, Ph.D., explored in her recent research paper: “Political Star Power and Political Parties: Does Celebrity Endorsement Win First-Time Votes?”

Published in the Journal of Political Marketing, Wood concluded that in terms of voting behavior, family and significant others are more influential than celebrities in engaging youth support for a political candidate.

“Sometimes, when young voters perceive that a celebrity is using his or her status in order to influence their voting, they will rebel against the endorsement, and vote the opposite of what they are urged to do,” explained Wood. She said that the best strategy for celebrities in affecting the outcome of elections might be to urge young people to vote, but also to make their own decisions.

One thing we consistently talk about here on FM and in other youth voting venues is the fact that young people are more engaged in the issues this election than ever before. While last time around I would argue that they did feel a certain issue driven focus - I feel the fault dear friends was the lack of a cohesive message and further a lack of outreach with that message on the issues that concerned young people the most.

What does this translate to? Talk issues. Talk about them in a personal way. Not like - well I'm for better health care cause I have chronic tourettes around the GOP, but talk to people about things in an intimate way - face to face, chatting with friends, in bars, etc.

The beginning of the piece nails it on the head

"It's an issue of niche marketing," said Phillips. "Candidates can't be everything to everyone, and young people know this. Young people favor authentic candidates--those who stick by their beliefs."

Phillips said that young adults perceive Barack Obama as an authentic candidate, citing his victories in Iowa and South Carolina where his primary wins came almost entirely from adults under 30. "Young people are very cynical of marketing ploys," said Phillips. "They want to be able to say, 'Here's someone that gets me.’"

And they're right. We respect authenticity and we value people who stand for something, but moreover we value people who authentically stand for communicating their issues to us. Neglecting us is the number one way to fail - connecting with us - without your swanky famous people is just as valuable and more respectful of us as whole.

Connecting... not neglecting...