Mystery Date: The new media, the message, and the Man. (Or Woman.) – by Julie Finch

June 22 , 2007

Julie FinchSo I’m logging onto YouTube the other day, and I can’t help but notice the large banner ad at the top of their Site. Click here, it tells me, to listen to the Presidential Candidate of the Day expound upon the current state of the country, and what he or she plans to do about it. But me, I was in the mood to watch a true classic of American advertising: A 1960’s TV commercial for Mystery Date, the beloved Milton Bradley board game.

I click on the old gem and hear its timeless soundtrack: “Mister—eee date, are you ready for your mister-eee date…”

The visuals are choice, too. The spot shows us a gleeful group of young preteen girls (sorry boys, no GLAAD back then). My, but they look excited, hopeful, and what with the lip biting going on, tense. The young players take turns opening a 3-D door with a big “?” on it, behind which lie individual photos of teenage guys, each representing a certain Type. Player #1 opens the door (cut to close up of young girl’s wide smile) whoopee! She’s landed Handsome Prom Boy. Our next girl opens the door and…jackpot! It’s the Studdly Skier! The next little missy goes for the doorknob, opens and (cut to her best I Am Terribly Disappointed look) Awwww! Not the Slob with the Ill Fitting Clothes!

Well, life’s a gamble. Politics, not so much. The 2008 Presidential candidates are well aware of this. They know full well that to make you want them, secure your vote, they have to get in front of you. Suddenly, the candidates are not unlike a Visa Gold Card: They’re everywhere you want to be.

On the Web, that is.

David Finch, Vice President of New Marketing for Crayon, a new media company, tells us: “What seems to be the difference from the last presidential election, where blogging was the big thing, is that we are starting to see candidates engage the potential voter in a new way. For example, today in Twitterville (those that utilize the social networking tool Twitter) Presidential hopeful John Edwards "twittered" that their campaign would be carbon neutral. Robert Scoble then via Twitter asked Mr. Edwards how they planned to do so and within moments there was a response.”

Real time is suh-weet. As is chumminess. In the recent June 11th issue of Time magazine, a tongue-in-cheek Joel Stein tells us, “For 2008, I’ll vote for whichever candidate is nicest to me on MySpace.” Criteria, it means a lot.

Twittering, YouTube channels, MySpace, podcasts, blogs. The new media and emerging technologies are everybody’s friend, perhaps the American voter’s most of all. You want to know a candidate’s views on a particular issue? Shoot his or her campaign a message and get a response within hours? Click here.

So, these candidates. They’re a respectable looking bunch. Republicans and Democrats alike. Each represents, or is attempting to represent, a certain Type. Each fervently hopes he or she is the candidate we’re all wishing, fingers crossed, will be our Guy (or Gal). But let’s keep in mind: New or old, the medium is not the message. Neither is the handsome (or not as handsome) face. Or the clothes, however ill fitting.

Suddenly, I hear the voiceover for the Mystery Date commercial in my head saying, “Will your Mystery Date be a dream…or a dud?”

When the votes are all tallied on November 8, and the door to the highest office in America is opened, you know what I’m hoping? That we get the Honest One. Then we all win.