The White House Checks In To Foursquare

Out of all the social media platforms I use, Foursquare is probably the most fun, and the one of the best ways to secure valuable promotions and discounts from consumer-focused businesses.

Not familiar with Foursquare? It's a location-based social networking site, designed to be accessed via smartphones, that enables users to "check in" to a physical location, such as a business, park, or historical landmark, and then announce to their friends that you are there. The individual who checks in to a given location the most times is known as the mayor, although that status can be fleeting if you don't visit a location often enough. When checking in, a user can also offer a tip to other visitors, such as "Try the ahi tuna; it's delicious!" or "Make sure to have Ted brew your latte since he's the best barista EVER!" Users rack up points for every check-in, and also earn special badges for engaging in specific behaviors and for visiting certain locations at certain times. For example, I earned the JetSetter badge for checking in to a total five different airports, and the Crunked Badge for making four stops in one night.

While it's fun, Foursquare is a great tool for small businesses, which can design promotions and discounts exclusively for Foursquare users, and in particular, mayors. When checking in to a location, a user will see an icon on his phone that says "Special Here" or "Specials Nearby," and it's usually a pretty good deal. If you like Chili's, check in on your next visit, and you will get FREE chips and salsa. No joke!

With Foursquare's rapidly-growing following, and his administration's savvy use of social media, President Obama has authorized an official White House account on Foursquare, which went live a week ago. According to the official post on The White House Blog, users can follow the White House on Foursquare (I did) to see tips on the places the President and administration officials visit around the country and the world, follow news and events by location, and learn about the White House and its history. Of course, if you're visiting the White House itself in Washington D.C., or attending a town hall meeting with the President, you can physically check in.

The White House communications staff launched the Foursquare initiative in conjunction with President Obama's economic bus tour of the Midwest, which also began on Monday, August 15. At the very least, it adds yet another effective communication platform for Obama during a difficult period, and it underscores the administration's knowledge and sophistication in the use of social media to deliver key messages to the American public.

Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis Lives...On Twitter, Of Course

Now that Twitter has taken off worldwide as a legitimate communication channel and means of personal and corporate expression, it was only a matter of time before well-known personalities who haven't been with us for years were given voices (and oftentimes, multiple voices; some by authorized parties, some not) in the Twitterverse. Want to follow The King? Go for it. Janis Joplin? Absolutely. And Bob Marley? Wicked, mon. The list is practically endless...

...But I hadn't seen much from late political figures, until I read this interesting piece over the weekend by Bob Salsberg of the Associated Press. According to the story, exactly 50 years ago, a pregnant Jacqueline Kennedy penned a weekly newspaper column, called "Campaign Wife," which discussed political policies and issues, and offered her personal stories and advice on subjects such as child-rearing and shopping. In an intriguing experiment, communications staff members at the John F. Kennedy President Library and Museum in Boston, Mass., are using Twitter to recreate Jackie's glimpses into the life of a presidential candidate's spouse. The first tweets, expressing her dismay at not being able to campaign in person, were posted this part Friday — exactly 50 years to the day that her first syndicated column was published.

From Oct. 5, 1960, this AP file photo shows Jacqueline Kennedy posing at her typewriter where she writes her weekly "Candidate's Wife" column in her Georgetown home in Washington D.C. Courtesy: © Associated Press. All rights reserved.

The Twitter feed, @JBK1960, is a companion to the library's primary Twitter stream, @Kennedy1960, which reconstructs day-to-day develoments in the 1960 campaign and has more than 4,250 followers as of this afternoon.

Both educational and entertaining, the Jackie acccount provides very interesting insight into one of the most popular and fascinating First Ladies in American history, and a unique perspective on her husband, who remains one of the most beloved and admired presidents of all time. It's worth checking out if you have a few moments.

Worst Federal Goverment Ad Campaign Ever

Like many marketing and communications consultants, I travel a lot to meet with clients and attend trade shows, and that always means tangling and dealing with the Transportation Safety Administration (TSA) on airport security issues.

Now, if TSA employees actually did their jobs, and acted as if our security and safety were the utmost priorities, then I wouldn't have any beefs with the agency. But no. Every time I fly out of LAX or Burbank, it looks like TSA recently had a giant casting call for the next John Singleton film about life in the hood, with tons of employees standing around doing nothing, chatting on their cell phones with their homies, and basically ignoring most security protocols instituted by the Department of Homeland Security. It's quite astonishing, really, over how some of these people get hired and remain on the job, and the lack of oversight by TSA managers at security checkpoints is appalling. Hey, Feds: I want a job that pays me $25+ an hour, plus government benefits, to do nada; where do I sign up??? Obviously, I exaggerate here...but not much.

And that brings me to today's miff. As detailed in this piece by The Consumerist, TSA recently launched a recruiting-focused advertising campaign in Washington, D.C. to identify and hire new security officers at Washington-Dulles International and Reagan National Airports. Employment-related marketing campaigns are everywhere, but did the TSA employ traditional media channels such as print, online, and outdoor advertising, and radio and TV spots?

Absolutely not. Instead of relying on mass media to get the message out, the rocket scientists at TSA decide to put ads on pizza boxes instead, as evidenced by the following:

Unbelievable. Now ask yourself: is this the kind of marketing that will recruit top-notch talent? Of course not. It's yet another hare-brained decision by the federal government exclusively designed to waste YOUR tax dollars. As the title of this piece indicates, this has to go down as the worst federal government advertising campaign ever.