That's More Like It

On Election Day, I scoffed at Starbucks' lame attempt to give away coffee for those who voted.  Claire argued that Starbucks was emphasizing its brand promise of community involvement, but I thought that free coffee for voting was a weak connection and more a jump on the bandwagon.  Their Inauguration Day effort resonates much better with community involvement and service.

When I logged into my Facebook this morning, an ad on the side invited me to Starbucks' event, "Free coffee if you pledge 5 hours of volunteer time."  Unlike on Election Day, Starbucks is taking initiative to be a leader in community involvement versus lining up with a myriad of other brands to distribute their goods.  This offer has a clear goal (inspire 1 million people to volunteer), is the only Inauguration Day offer I've heard of so far (feel free to correct me in the

 comments!), and is taking initiative to encourage people to join a cause and be part of a big movement in their community.  I don't think free Starbucks enticed any non-voters to vote on Election Day.  People who have never participated in community service probably won't change their ways for a free Tall coffee, either.  But for past volunteers who have heard Obama's encouragement to join a community service project again, this Facebook invite and pledge effort might be the additional push they need to head to Starbucks, sign up, and actually make a difference.  

Although I'm still not a huge fan of giveaways in general for Starbucks, I think creating their own cause (or at least jumping on one that's not quite as exploited as Election Day) puts them in a much better position than they were two months ago.  Win.

UPDATE

Curt, a loyal reader, sent us an updated image of what popped up on his FB page today!  Thanks Curt!

GET OUT AND VOTE TODAY!

Hello all, it's your friendly PR gal reminding you to get out there and vote! I stood in line for almost 2 hours in not so comfy heels, and it was worth every second.

Now, just a small interesting article to share with you all. Obviously, strategic communications is THE major aspect of campaigning. Speech writers, spokespeople, and campaign strategists are all working toward something that PR professionals do every day. We work to change or reinforce public opinion. It's just a bit (ok a lot) more important in their case to get the public behind a candidate than it is for me to try to get the public to like a can of soup.

That being said, PR Week released a great article today with some insights from highly respected public relations professionals giving their insights on who will win today, and why. It's worth the read.

Don't Vote

See more funny videos and funny pictures at CollegeHumor.

STOP and VOTE.

With the DNC and the RNC going on these past couple of weeks, theres been an awful lot of hubbub about the election in November. Debates on who is the better candidate, distasteful advertising, and relentless reporting is sure to leave the next two months in a state of chaos. Whoever you are voting for, the most important message is, you need to. There are 50 million of us between the ages of 18-29 years old, and if we all vote, it's impossible for our demographic to be ignored.

While I was in NYC I met with a small agency called The Concept Farm. One of their directors, Griffin Stenger, told me about all of the awesome work their interns are up to. They've created their own campaign called Stop and Vote. The full interactive site will be up and running Sept. 9. In the mean time, visit their facebook group and flickr page. You can also register to vote, find your closest polling place or receive absentee ballots on their website. As part of the campaign, they are encouraging people to put "VOTE" stickers over stop signs (which has already been happening). I love this because it's people our age who had the ambition and drive to create this campaign all on their own. Stop making excuses and VOTE!!