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Modern-Day Mayor Uses Modern-Day Medium!

By | December 8, 2008


Mayor Gavin Newsom of San Francisco

I was reminded this week of the growing influence and interest in Web video by Mayor Gavin Newsom of San Francisco and his State of the City stunt on YouTube. The self-proclaimed "policy wonk" had a lot to say to his constituents about issues facing the City by the Bay, so he filmed a whopping 7.5 hours of discussion on topics like homelessness, education, environmental conservation and universal health care, and created 45-minute segments viewable on his own channel on YouTube. As the mayor told Information Week via the San Francisco Chronicle, "We have a lot we want to share, but it gets filtered. To do an address that's unfiltered, what better way to do it than on YouTube?"

Newsom is obviously a savvy politician who understands the vast reach and effectiveness of Internet video as a communications tool. (He's also encouraging online shopping this Holiday season). Not only can he promulgate a huge amount of information to the public in a manner that bypasses the editing and censoring processes of more mainstream media sources like radio, TV and newspapers – who have very limited time and space for covering events with any detail – he's also able to present and deliver his message for free! Of course, there are fees for video production, and as in most other cases, one gets what one pays for. But for maximum reach and density in terms of delivering a message, Web video is highly effective and offers much more control than other promotional or information sources. Newsom has his own channel on YouTube for crying out loud, and there are more video sharing sites like Meta Café and Vimeo out there as well!

At Fathom, we're proud of our growing list of clients who have realized the exposure they can leverage through viral video marketing. And we're proud of Mayor Newsom as well – it's always nice to see 21st century leaders using 21st century technology. Good job, Mr. Mayor.

About the Author:

Working at Fathom for the past seven-plus years, Daiv learned SEO and Internet marketing from the ground floor up. He's developed content strategies for many clients, written for multiple industries, managed accounts and written and produced online videos. He's also had a cable access TV show, created several video art installations, and enjoys blogging about the Internet video marketing industry & Fathom's top-notch production values, as well as the exciting world of content marketing.

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1 Comment so far

  1. Mike Murray - December 8, 2008 at 10:57 am

    It's amazing how many diffent ways people can use YouTube. Government tends to be weighty and slow.
    It's good if people watch the videos, but it's also good for image improvement just for organizations to participate in this sector.

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