Sarah Silverman gets “Grandma” to Vote

Article By: Joshua ‘The Red’ Russak (Red@aclion.com)

The Great Schlep from The Great Schlep on Vimeo.

2008 is a hip-year for voters. Besides the fact that the candidates have driven more intrest through YouTube, Flickr, LinkedIn, Facebook and other social-media Web2.0 sites…there are so many 2nd tier efforts taking place on the side by companies seeking attention and results.

Actress and Comedian, Sarah Silverman took a brave approach with TheGreatSchlep.com As quoted directly from her site, “The Great Schlep aims to have Jewish grandchildren visit their grandparents in Florida, educate them about Obama, and therefore swing the crucial Florida vote in his favor. Don’t have grandparents in Florida? Not Jewish? No problem! You can still become a schlepper and make change happen in 2008, simply by talking to your relatives about Obama.” Just watch the video above and you’ll see what I mean.

This video inspired me to not only post a blog, but cover some other successful voting awareness and viral campaigns out there. At the top of the leader-board is obviously RockTheVote , a “non-profit organization founded in Los Angeles in 1990 by Jeff Ayeroff for the purposes of political advocacy. Rock the Vote works to engage youth in the political process by incorporating the entertainment community and youth culture into its activities” (Wikipedia). Year after year of support from political officials and celebs alike! It’s #1 go-to spot for voting encouragement.

A more “awareness” based approach was put foruth by Someecards digital greeting card company with their viral campaign. They are increasing voting awareness..in a very entertaining way. Vulgur, to-the-point, & hilarious cards that you can post on your blog and share with friends

Another voting attempt came with the recent release of Swing Vote, starring Kevin Costner in a film where, “in a remarkable turn-of-events, the result of the presidential election comes down to one man’s vote.” It was a great attempt to capture the attention of soon-to-be voters and promoted the NEED to vote. Glad to see it got a wopping 38% on RottenTomatoes. Can you smell the sarcasm?

As for some failed/awaiting attempts, I’m not sure what happened to Puffy’s Vote Or Die campaigns this year. I haven’t seen much. Another one was hidden in cyberspace, but I managed to pull it out. NYC was planning to launch a viral e-mail marketing campaign, but nothing came out of it. Check it out here.

Can’t wait to see what comes out next…