Political

It looks like North Carolina’s controversial Amendment One, which goes up for vote Tuesday, May 8 and is aimed at banning same-sex marriage, is provoking plenty of agency reaction in the “Old North State.” We already mentioned one Winston-Salem shop’s efforts to encourage NC residents to vote against the proposed amendment, and now The Pitch stars at Durham, NC’s McKinney are getting involved in the action by launching their own initiative called “Vote Against One.”

A few staffers including McKinney CCO Jonathan Cude and GCD Ellen Steinberg have launched the “Vote Against” campaign as part of the agency’s Ten Percent program, which encourages employees to devote 10 percent of their time on projects unrelated to client business. Anyhow, the folks involved came up with a series of printable images which reflect their view that Amendment One also “steals legal protection from children, seniors and victims of domestic violence.” You can check out credits and a few larger images after the jump to get an idea and visit the Vote Against One site if interested.

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Launch a social media campaign that will build your brand and deliver results in our online Social Media Marketing Boot Camp starting June 7. Speakers include Abigail Cusick (Bravo Digital), Gregory Galant (Sawhorse Media), Alex Leo (Thomson Reuters Digital), Jim Tobin (Ignite Social Media), and many more. Read the reviews.

From Portland-based prodco Mmmmm Society comes “Put a Job On It,” a new political ad for Portland mayoral candidate, Eileen Brady.

As fans of IFC’s breakout hit Portlandia will note, the spot borrows heavily from the style and tone of the satirical TV show, with Brady walking optimistically down the streets of the Rose City accompanied by younger-looking facsimiles of comedic stars Fred Armisen and Carrie Brownstein. It seems that while the dream of the 90s may be alive in the hipster haven of the Northwest, young professionals who move to the city for its vegan-friendly, craft brewery heavy, bicycle-loving environs are being devastated by a difficult job market. Yes, there are only so many Fair Trade coffee houses in the city that need tattooed, Sleater-Kinney fanatic barisitas. So, the Brady campaign is focusing on job creation, borrowing its title from one of Portlandia’s most-beloved skits, “Put a Bird on It.”

According to a press release, the spot was produced as a donation in association with members of Portland’s thriving film and television industry. Of course it was. Brady says in a statement, “I’m honored to have been supported by the incredible talents of Mmmmm Society’s Michele Carnes Ellis and an amazing team…assembled on a collaboration with my campaign team. Their creativity was only matched by their professionalism, dedication and attention to detail.” Well, we’ll see what percentage of the bohemian vote she receives come election time, when Brady will face off against 22 other quirky, eccentric candidates. Seriously, Portland. What the hell. Credits after the jump.

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Well, this probably won’t diffuse any anger felt by those who are accusing W+K, Clint Eastwood and Chrysler for sending out a pro-Obama message in their Super Bowl ad (which is now live again, by the way). But here’s a little clip that’s being dubbed as an “alternate version” of the official big game spot, the latter of which Eastwood has recently defended, claiming there’s no spin to be had in his “Halftime.” But as you’ll see, we can’t say the same for this quick mash-up, which makes its message loud and clear by the end. Did you think the original had an Obama bias or was it “apolitical” as Eastwood claims? Or should we just discontinue the conversation altogether and let the ad be?

Credit Stephen Colbert for bringing the term “Super PAC”  to the public’s attention during this election season. If you aren’t a regular viewer of the Colbert Report, see the work paid for by the Super PAC known as Americans for a Better Tomorrow Tomorrow by watching this political ad for Herman Cain, a man who’s such a Washington outsider that “he’s not even running for president.”

Of course, in reality (aka not the South Carolina Primary), big name Super PACs like the American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations (AFL-CIO) are in the midst of gussying themselves up for this election. As the AFL-CIO’s main focus is on workers’ rights, its new “Work Connects Us All” campaign from SS+K seeks to reach out to those in a variety industries where AFL-CIO’s work may not be readily apparent. For the slick new site, SS+K partnered with production co. B-Reel to make the project come to life, who’s NYC Executive Producer Max Ahlborn speaks favorably of AFL-CIO’s mission.

He says in a statement, “In Sweden, where I am from, unions have traditionally played a very prominent role building the society from ground up and are currently facing a lot of the same issues as unions of the 2000’s do in the US. They all are in need of changing the public perception of them from being just against policy to being for an equal, just, modern and progressive society. By adding some positivity and forward-thinking, this website is a strong step forward.”

Visit WorkConnectsUsAll.org, compare it to AFL-CIO’s current site for a laugh, and view credits after the jump.

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Seeing as Mitt Romney‘s tax returns have got the media’s full attention this week, why not keep with the political theme and highlight a rather timely site that just sprouted up called Romney & Me. If you were ever wondering how your salary translates in the GOP candidate’s world, look no further than this web destination that will do all the calculating for you. For instance, you can learn how long it would take ol’ Mitt to earn your yearly wage, and how much you’d save were you to be taxed at his rate. It’s simple, snarky and just a little side-project from Tim McCormack (a VML ACD/writer), Danny Adrain (BBDO NY art director) and Kesal Patel (BBDO NY techie).

Well, it happened, everybody. The “Shit (this kind of person) Says” meme has found its way into an actual viral marketing campaign. Funny, because I always assumed the whole #Occupy hashtag thing would creep into the commercial real estate industry before this happened. A comforting thought: If this steadily growing meme wasn’t quite played out already, then maybe the commercialization of it will be the nail in the viral coffin. Of course, try telling that to the thousands of people around the country busy filming their own videos right now, titled anything from “Shit Dental Assistants Say” to “Shit Koalas Say.” (Admittedly, I did get a kick out of watching “Shit Chicagoans Say” this morning.)

“Shit Politicians Say” comes from LBi for Americans Elect 2012, an organization seeking to put a third, nonpartisan candidate on the presidential ballot in every state. To do this, Americans Elect is asking voters to cast their ballots for a nonpartisan nominee, using its website as a guide to politician’s and business professionals’ stances on controversial issues. Currently, Ron Paul leads all other candidates as the person with the “most tracked” delegate on the issues, which give his popularity with a niche group of Republican voters isn’t too surprising.

To determine if Americans Elect sounds like a reasonable (read: sane) organization, read this New York Times op-ed on the “radical center.” Credits after the jump.

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In an effort to bring awareness to its new Politics channel, YouTube tapped AKQA’s San Francisco office to create the above promotional clip that will be aired as pre-roll during the online video giant’s debate/primary coverage. As the AKQA spot emphasizes, YouTube Politics’ coverage of debates, etc., will allow for viewers to form a video dialogue with candidates. Get those Rick Perry/Herman Cain questions prepared, stat!

Those of you find it too inconvenient to actually head down to Zucotti Park in downtown Manhattan (or any other OWS location at this point) and actively participate in the movement can now play armchair occupier thanks to a new project from creatives Dalit Saad (who’s now at GOOD/ Corps) and Adam Rosenberg. The advertising couple has launched “I Can’t Be There But I Care,” which gives you the chance to show your support from afar via buttons that cost a measly $5. Now you can “Occupy” from the club, the bar, your couch or even jazzercise class (do they really still do that?) with these accessories. Hey, with temperatures dropping in NYC and elsewhere, perhaps this is a better alternative for body and mind. Besides, all proceeds are going to OccupyWallSt.org.

Now that he’s wrapped up yet another rollicking State of the Union address, President Obama is hitting the YouTubes and answering questions from you, the viewers. AKQA worked with the site to create the State of the Union homepage that streamed Obama’s speech live on Tuesday night. Today, though, the prez will face the masses and address their biggest concerns, whether they be regarding foreign policy, education, healthcare, you know, the usual Washington talking points. The deadline to submit video entries and what not has already passed, but you can watch the commander-in-chief respond this afternoon at 2:30 EST here.

The digital shop also created a custom YouTube logo (below) that includes the presidential batphone. What AKQA isn’t commenting on, though, is whether or not the Google-owned giant selected AKQA SF to launch a new movie portal. We’re looking further into this.

Yesterday, the Illinois Appellate Court declared that former White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel did not satisfy Chicago residency criteria, which would’ve allowed him to run for mayor of the city. The ruling shocked many (Emanuel included), as popular opinion was mistakenly held, even by some AgencySpy commenters, that Emanuel had already proved residency, and his name would appeal on the mayoral ballot. America’s endless appeals system wins again.

While Emanuel and company have ample time before the Feb. 22 mayoral election to get the Illinois State Supreme Court to overturn the ruling, early voting opens in the city in less than a week on Jan. 31. If Emanuel’s name doesn’t appeal on the early voting ballot, his campaign is in quite a bit of trouble, and donors will not be happy. As his people scramble to get the high court to reverse the ruling, Emanuel is reaching out to his supporters via the internet, asking them to vote online and offer their e-signature to a campaign trying to get Rahm’s name back on the ballot. Locally-marketed websites like Chicagoist are being covered with “Your Opinion Counts” flash banner ads. But, will this digital campaign help convince the Illinois Supreme Court that Emanuel can run?

For those wondering why Emanuel’s duty to the federal government made him lose Chicago residency while part of the Obama administration, the law states that he may still vote in elections in his hometown, but it says nothing about his eligibility to run for office. As Emanuel was sitting comfortably in the lead with polls predicting 44 percent of the vote going his way, Former Sen.Carol Moseley Braun, with 21 percent support, is looking to gain some of Emanuel’s supporters. However, most believe that former school chief Gerry Chico with 16 percent tallied will benefit the most should Emanuel stay off the ballot.

Update: The New York Times is reporting that the Illinois Supreme Court just ordered Emanuel’s name back onto the ballot. The Court also agreed to hear the case on an expedited basis, nullifying the validity of 300,000 ballots without Emanuel’s name that had been printed by noon.