Don Berwick is not the most well known candidate for Governor of Massachusetts nor does he boast the deepest pockets. But Berwick understands that as an underdog gubernatorial hopeful, he has to put less stock in name recognition and political finances to win his bid for Beacon Hill.
That’s exactly his game plan. Berwick is putting more focus on connecting with voters at the grassroots level and growing a consensus behind his message than he is by simply throwing his name out there in the form of traditional advertising. In that respect he’s begun dabbling in YouTube, releasing his first online video in four months.
YouTube is an invaluable tool in the governor’s race and one the candidate pool is only really starting to grasp. Juliette Kayyem was the first to truly wield the power of short, easily-digestible, on-the-move clips knowing full well that those are the types of videos the millennial generation takes to. After all, it’s a mobile world and we’re all just living in it.
But for Berwick, a campaigner more focused on spreading a message that resounds with everybody than promoting his self-image, his recently released video is a great place to start.
Keep in mind, too, that his purse isn’t as heavy as that of Martha Coakley’s or Steve Grossman’s. In fact, only Republican candidate Charlie Baker’s comes close, and he’s multiple years worth of a head start.
The production value in Berwick’s video is just as good as the rest of the candidates’. I recently spoke with Berwick’s press secretary who told me that due to the fact that his fundraising pales in comparison to big-namers like Coakley and Grossman, their video would be produced by an intern.
According to OCPF data, Juliette Kayyem spent a total of $40,250 in December on digital advertising and media production with Adelstein Liston, a media and strategic communications consulting firm that has done videos for the likes of President Barack Obama, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid.
Without the same luxury, Berwick is beginning to get along just fine.
