Obama, the big Twitter winner

This tweet, from @BarackObama, was sent a few hours before the final scores of the elections:

Barack Obama

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@BarackObama

Four more years. pic.twitter.com/bAJE6Vom

7 Nov 12

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In that span of time, it became the most retweeted tweet of all time. In that span of time, the note-image combo was retweeted — as of this writing — 298,318 times.

Not only that, but another Obama victory tweet garnered 167,939 retweets tonight in the space of just under 40 minutes:

Barack Obama

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@BarackObama

This happened because of you. Thank you.

7 Nov 12

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Which means that President Obama gained another victory tonight: Not only did he retain the presidency, but he outsted none other than … Justin Bieber. The singer — before tonight — held the record for the most retweeted tweet, at (as of this writing) 223,376 retweets:

Justin Bieber

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@justinbieber

RIP Avalanna. i love you

26 Sep 12

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The president also ousted Green Bay Packers offensive linesman T.J. Lang (98,688 retweets):

TJ Lang

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@TJLang70

Fuck it NFL.. Fine me and use the money to pay the regular refs.

25 Sep 12

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… and Floyd Mayweather (89,055 retweets):

Floyd Mayweather

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@FloydMayweather

Manny Pacquiao I’m calling you out let’s fight May 5th and give the world what they want to see.

10 Jan 12

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We’re not waiting for the others to concede. Barack Obama is the clear Twitter winner. Obviously, this is the victory the president will be savoring most tonight.

Better tomorrow,

PR Pret-a-Porter.

Twitter political index

According to Twitter official blog, they launched a new barometer for the election.

The Twitter Political Index is a daily measurement of  Twitter users’ feelings towards the candidates as expressed in nearly two million Tweets each week.

The Twitter Political Index is built in partnership with the data analysis team at Topsy(@Topsy) and two respected polling firms: The Mellman Group (@markmellman) andNorth Star Opinion Research (@northstaropin).Each day, the Index evaluates and weighs the sentiment of Tweets mentioning Obama or Romney relative to the more than 400 million Tweets sent on all other topics. For example, a score of 73 for a candidate indicates that Tweets containing their name or account name are on average more positive than 73 percent of all Tweets.Just as new technologies like radar and satellite joined the thermometer and barometer to give forecasters a more complete picture of the weather, so too can the Index join traditional methods like surveys and focus groups to tell a fuller story of political forecasts. It lends new insight into the feelings of the electorate, but is not intended to replace traditional polling — rather, it reinforces it.For example, the trend in Twitter Political Index scores for President Obama over the last two years often parallel his approval ratings from Gallup, frequently even hinting at where the poll numbers are headed. But what’s more interesting are the periods when these data sets do not align, like when his daily scores following the raid that killed Osama bin Laden dropped off more quickly than his poll numbers, as the Twitter conversation returned to being more focused on economic issues.

By illustrating instances when unprompted, natural conversation deviates from responses to specific survey questions, the Twitter Political Index helps capture the nuances of public opinion.

The Index for each candidate updates every day after 8 p.m. ET to reflect shifts in conversation from that day’s events, and is available along with a historical chart atelection.twitter.com. During the runup to the election, our partners will be featuring this data on their sites as well: Topsy will be posting detailed analysis atwww.topsylabs.com/election, and USA Today is using the Index to create the USA Today/Twitter election meter throughout the campaign. We’ll also tweet daily updates and other observations at @gov.

Posted by Adam Sharp, Head of Government, News and Social Innovation – @AdamS

Facebook user arrested in Egypt for “blasphemy”

According to mashable.com, an Egyptian has been arrested for anti-Islam activity on Facebook. The article informs that authorities held Bishoy Kamel, 32, for four days for managing a Facebook page where people shared cartoons thought to defame the Prophet Muhammed and the religion of Islam.

Pictorial depictions of the Prophet are considered a form of idolatry, and is thus taboo to most Muslims.

Kamel said that while he did indeed manage the Facebook page where the cartoons were found, he didn’t control what others posted there. He added that the page was “hacked” on Saturday.

It seems that it isn’t the first case for Egyptians. Earlier this year, Egyptian police arrested a 17-year-old boy for a similar offense. Gamal Abdou Massou was convicted after posting cartoons of the Prophet Muhammad to Facebook, where his friends then shared them out. In April, a judge sentenced Massou to three years in prison.

Like Massou, Kamel is reportedly Christian. Kamel faces up to five years in prison if convicted of blasphemy charges.

Better tomorrow,

PR Pret-a-Porter.

“Twiplomacy” study: world leaders are using Twitter

The governments of almost two-thirds of the 193 UN-member countries are present on Twitter, while 45 percent of the 264 accounts analyzed are personal accounts of heads of state and government. Out of these just 30 world leaders tweet themselves and very few on a regular basis, revealed the “Twiplomacy” study, which is described by the PR firm Burson-Marsteller as the first-ever global study of world leaders on Twitter.

Save the world via Foreign Policy

Foreign Policy asked 13 experts in various domains about how can we change the world’s economic collapse and what can all do for saving the world. These are the main ideas:

Martin Luther King Jr. and Social Media

I just discovered Heidi Cohen, actionable marketing expert, who wrote a post about Martin Luther King Jr. and how his speeches can be lines for social media today. Take a look:

• “You don’t have to see the whole staircase, just take the first step.”  Social media is scary. Everything is public. (Don’t think so? Check this article on privacy.) In today’s connected world, you have to take baby steps to find your way. The best guidance can’t substitute for actual participation. Once you do though, you’ll find people ready to welcome and engage with you.  Social Media Lesson: Listen to Dr. King, “Take the first step in faith.” Just do it.

• “Life’s most persistent and urgent question is, ‘What are you doing for others?’” Dr. King’s words ring true on social media where it’s expected that participants and marketers pay-it-forward. Unlike other media platforms, social media is about the community and the greater good. Participation is more about what you can contribute to the community, not what’s in it for you. Social Media Lesson: Find a way to help others each day. It can be as small as acknowledging someone’s birthday or good post.

• “Means we use must be as pure as the ends we seek.” Social media heeds Dr. King’s lessons. One of the reasons marketers and businesses are afraid of social media is that it requires a level of transparency. It’s not about deceptive gotcha marketing. From a business perspective, it can be scary because the public has media tools to make themselves heard.Social Media Lesson: There are no ends, only means. You can’t justify deception by saying it’s for a good cause. You are as good as your deeds.

• “Love is the only force capable of transforming an enemy into [a] friend.” What a beautiful way to express this sentiment. Social media enables marketers to listen to disgruntled customers and their problems. By acknowledging them and responding to these issues, marketers can turn angry customers into raving fans. Social Media Lesson: Pay attention to what prospects, customers and the public are saying about your organization. Respond to issues quickly and sincerely to fix problems.

• “Never succumb to the temptation of bitterness.” How true! Since we’ve always got an electronic device within arm’s reach, our fingers can quickly tap out a response without ever thinking about the person at the other end of the communication and their current situation and perspective. Social Media Lesson: Take time before you answer or leave a negative comment on social media. Your words will be there forever. Understand that the writer might not speak the language or have another reason for his communication.

• “A genuine leader is not a searcher for consensus but a molder of consensus.” Social media is about disseminating information that helps others as well as taking action for the collective good. Social Media Lesson: When you communicate on social media, think us, not me! What can you do to help others and improve the small world around you.

• “Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter.” Since social media provides the tools to enable anyone to be a publisher, we have the ability to reach out and let our voices be heard in support of our better ideals. Social Media Lesson: Social media platforms aren’t just about idle chatter and push marketing messages. They’re true social tools for change. Think about how you can help make the community better one small communication at a time.

Better tomorrow,

PR Pret-a-Porter.

Politics and advertising for Latino voters

In US, Hispanics represent about 9% or 10% of the electorate, but in key states can make up 12% to 16% of voters, and as much as 35% of the voting population. And, what’s surprisingly,  they’re not as interested in the immigration issue as politicians appear to believe they are.

“They’re more interested in the economy, jobs, education, government waste and higher taxes”,

“Language is also important. A large percentage of the swing voters — one-third or more — is Spanish dominant. A relatively small group only watches English-language media, and even they think it’s important to advertise on Spanish-language media. They say that’s a sign of respect for their community.”

Eighty-four percent of registered Latino voters go to the polls and vote, said Chiqui Cartagena, VP corporate marketing at Univision Communications. She said that 34% of Latinos are under 18 and that every year 500,000 Latinos turn 18, offering both parties an opportunity to woo young voters.

She said neither party is well-versed enough in Hispanic consumers to show they care about them. “They want to tick the [Latino] box and make the other candidate look bad. I want to be talked to about jobs and health care and government waste.”

Ms. Cartagena said that 40% of new registered voters in 2008 were Latinos. Among all Latino voters, about 16% can be considered swing voters.

Those Latino swing voters are likely to be important in the 2012 presidential election. Mr. Mellman cited five states — Florida, New Mexico, Arizona, Colorado and Nevada — that will play a central role and have substantial Latino populations. Other very divided states like Virginia and North Carolina have smaller numbers of Latinos, but “every vote will count,” he said.

In 2008, the Obama campaign spent about $25 million on Spanish-language media and the McCain campaign spent about $5 million. Lionel Sosa, a long-time Republican political consultant who currently works for Newt Gingrich, said he doesn’t see that changing.

“Obama will be able to spend $25 million,” he said. “The Republicans, it’s hard to say. If it’s Romney, he’ll probably spend less, because even though Latinos don’t care about immigration, when you talk about guns and fences, it sends out an unfriendly message. [But] the world could change 12 months from now. If things are looking up again, they could give Obama another chance.”

He said it’s more important for Democrats than Republicans to advertise in Spanish, and that Republicans can “feature a Latino as the hero in your general market ads. You don’t spend one more nickel.”

Source: AdAge

Better tomorrow,

PR Pret-a-Porter.

Google Plus helps politicians

I really love Google and his ambitious projects. Today, I found out that he even help politicians to communicate with their voters. Please take a look below:

Elect to connect

Share more with your voters and constituents through a Google+ Page

By creating a Google+ Page for your public office or campaign, you and your staff can promote an issue, platform or cause across the web. You can put a +1 button anywhere on the web that you’d like for people to support your content, and you can connect your Google+ Page to your website and Google search results, via Google Direct Connect. Regularly posting interesting content, engaging with your followers by asking questions, and sharing photos and videos are all ways to keep people coming back for more.

Check it out: See how Senator Bernie Sanders polls his constituents for ideas or how the French governing party, UMP, and main opposition party,Parti Socialiste, share their campaign platforms on their Google+ Pages.

Show what you support, and who supports you with +1

To help define your political positions, you can now publicly support political ideas, projects or news articles by clicking the +1 button on other Google+ Pages, posts or articles across the web. And people who share your viewpoint can express themselves by clicking the +1 button on your Google+ Page or on your posts. You can also set up the +1 button on your office website or on your campaign display ads to connect it to your Page.

Check it out: Constituents expressed their viewpoints on British Prime Minister David Cameron’s post about the G20 summit through +1s and comments.

Tailor messages to different audiences with Circles

Google+ allows you to group followers into Circles, so you can tailor messages to different groups of voters or constituents. For instance, you can create a specific circle for those who shared or +1-ed your posts, or for your donors. If you want your message to reach everyone, simply click on Public.

Check it out: See how Michigan Governor Rick Snyder reached out to his Google+ followers to add more people to his circles.

Hang out with your voters or constituents anywhere in the world, right from your office

Host a virtual Town Hall meeting, keep office hours, or meet face-to-face with constituents across the country through Hangouts, an easy-to-use high-quality group video chat for up to 10 people. In the future, you can also live stream your Hangout on YouTube for other interested parties to follow – a handy tool for communicating with voters.

Check it out: Broadcast live by Fox News’ Special Report with Bret Baier, Governor Mitt Romney spoke with voters through Hangouts. His Holiness the Dalai Lama and Archbishop Desmond Tutu used Hangouts to connect for the inaugural Desmond Tutu Peace lecture.

Share photos of your campaign and meetings

Google+ lets you easily upload, edit and share photos of your campaign wherever you are. With Instant Upload, photos you take with an Android device can be stored automatically online, so you can access them on Google+ in one click. If you allow geo-tagging to locate your pictures, constituents can also virtually follow you on the road.

Check it out: See how French leading democrat Deputy François Bayrou shared photos from his daily meetings with constituents, or how Senator Mark Warner shared a YouTube video of his trip across Virginia to meet with local communities.

Dear Google, you rock!

Better tomorrow,

PR Pret-a-Porter.

Facebook and Political Messages

Even politics went to Facebook. Who’s next ?

Better tomorrow,

PR Pret-a-Porter

Some PR politics

War or not, everybody needs PR. Today, according to PR Week, we found out that Muammar Gaddafi’s regime had plans to embark on an anti-Nato PR campaign in Britain.

The Daily Telegraph reported over the weekend that documents found in the Libya’s Prime Minister Baghdadi al-Mahmoudi’s abandoned office detailed the creation of a £8.8m fund to pay British and foreign campaigners to change the public perception of Nato’s intervention in the country.

The discover of the plans comes weeks after an email was sent to a host of London PR agencies by Libya’s Ministry of Information asking for PR support to improve the image of Gaddafi.

The paper wrote that the documents included plans to pay selected foreigners, the regime thought would be ‘sympathetic to Gaddafi’, up to £2m to lobby on his behalf.

Among the British officials named in the documents was a lobbyist who the Gaddafi government was planning to pay £200,000 a week, up to a total of £2m, to create an anti-war think tank called the Centre of Non-Intervention.
The paper reported that the lobbyist’s remit included releasing reports and studies, hosting lectures and conferences with ‘well-known British political thinkers’ and achieving the end goal – to ‘reject foreign intervention in Libya and around the world’.

Porter Novelli EMEA head of corporate Alex Woolfall said any agency attracted by this offer would ‘have taken leave of its senses’ and that now, more than ever, PR agencies are under ‘as much scrutiny as the clients they represent – they have their own reputations to think about’.

‘Assuming such a plan existed – I think it shows a pretty naïve view of what PR and lobbying actually is and can do,’ he said. ‘We complain about the media in this country, but they are a long way off from swallowing hook, line and sinker what they’re told by lobbyists. So, I can hardly see why they thought a few individuals would sway public opinion.’

Insignia Communications founder Jonathan Hemus agred: ‘When deciding with whom they would work, agencies draw the line at different places – and in some cases the lure of a large budget can move the line. But PR for the Gadaffi regime is way over the line for any agency I can think of.

‘In a strange way, the fact that the Gadaffi regime would consider spending such a large amount of money on PR just goes to underline the power and effectiveness of communication. It’s incumbent upon the mainstream PR industry to use that power responsibly.’

The Gaddafi regime also reportedly planned to ask Labour peer Lord Ahmed, who has campaigned for peace in Libya, to join the campaign. Lord Ahmed told the paper he had not been approached.

The Telegraph said the regime set aside an overall budget of £8.8m for the political and public relations campaign.

What’s next ?

Better tomorrow,

PR Pret-a-Porter.

Presidential reading list

I just found on the Internet what president of US, Barack Obama, has read during these years of presidency. Let’s take a look: