The 2009 Gubernatorial races in Virginia and New Jersey are being called a "snapshot of U.S. attitudes", an "indicator for 2010" and a "referendum on President Obama." Polls consistently show that Republican nominees Bob McDonnell (Virginia) and Chris Christie (New Jersey) stand poised to take back one, if not both Governor mansions next month.
I have long said that online video will continue to play a larger role in campaigns across the country, and these two races are proving me right. Both Republican candidates have invested heavily in online video and have used it very effectively. But as I have watched this race unfold, particularly on YouTube, one theme has emerged that from my perspective, has truly captured the voice of Americans at this snapshot in history - Bob McDonnell's theme of being a "Jobs Governor."
I once heard a member of Barack Obama's video team from the campaign talk about how the campaign used online video to create the "aesthetic of hope." I would argue that Bob McDonnell's online video team has successfully created the "aesthetic of jobs." At a time when Virginia's unemployment rate is at 6.8% (more than 2% higher than it was a year ago), McDonnell has captured the voice of hurting Virginians in his use of web video.
My fascination with this message of jobs began when I saw this ad touting McDonnell's plans for "new energy" and "new jobs" in Virginia. Unlike the "Drill baby, drill" message of 2008 which focused more broadly on energy independence, McDonnell's pitch for new energy centered around the specific theme of his campaign - JOBS! In fact, in this one 30 second spot the word "job" or "jobs" was spoken/written out 10 times.
As I dug deeper into McDonnell's online video content, I discovered that McDonnell's 25 TV and web-ads posted to his YouTube channel referenced the word "job" or "jobs" an average of 3.6 times per ad. Here are the 25 videos I have defined as TV or web-ads:
The aesthetic of jobs permeates throughout McDonnell's online video content. As the nation looks to Virginia as an indicator of things to come in 2010, it will be fascinating to see how that message resonates with Virginia voters.
