The Republican Party has launched a new media campaign. (Not that “new media.” That “new media” has been around long enough, that if you still think it new, you’re very, very late to this dance.)
Meet Scott Greenberg. The Republican idea of the Millennial hip dude. You see, we’re supposed to be attracting more of his kind into our big red tent. And someone’s thinking is that we attract more like him — by creating a vapid caricature of a millennial. The more I see this video, the more I’m convinced that the final approval of it contained the word “groovy.”
Admittedly, I’m the grandma of the Pocket Full of Liberty crew, but with age, comes wisdom. That wisdom, coupled with a career in branding (and rebranding) that would span the lifetime of most millennials, makes me confident in saying that this will only appeal to the handful of Republicans who designed and approved it. And they are very likely high-fiving each other with the same vacuous glee that you only see on MSNBC, as they celebrate their record of reaching a tiny group of the like-minded.
Sadly, as the party so often does, they’ve missed the mark.
The intent of their message is not bad. Appealing to millennials, that a comprehensive energy policy is both smart and beneficial. It’s a good starting point. Appealing to how a narrow energy policy affects them financially was a great idea.
But to attempt to communicate that message, with a forced caricature “pitch man” – one that gives people a level of discomfort rivaling the Pajama Boy factor – is just more proof that Republicans are content to not have nice things.
Like nice victories.
And being perceived as a party that truly understands a generation they’re trying to reach, rather than one that’s insulting them with hyperbolic representations.
Instead of creating forced “composite” caricatures, the Republican Party should take some suggestions, from private sector advertising veterans, and recruit real, young conservatives, who can communicate a message to their peers, with sincerity and authenticity. Millennials deserve a better delivery system for our message.
Our message deserves a better delivery system.