Yesterday, the LA Times reported on Pastor Rick Warren's Christmas message at Saddleback Church. I'm sure they covered it in light of the recent controversy over his selection for the official prayer at the Obama Inauguration. I think his most powerful statement was: "Who ever came up with the idea that you have to agree with everybody on everything in order to love them?" That's a message that's worth getting out in a huge way. I would encourage you to blog about it, Twitter it, and share it with as many as possible. It's especially important as I read about ... read more

Anyone in leadership - or who is trying to find their voice in the culture - needs to become a student of the way Barack Obama used technology to get his message heard by millions of people. His digitally savvy campaign was adept at connecting to and activating key audiences, and that strategy could also be applied to religious organizations, churches, non-profits, and business. Obama's speed at responding through technologies like ... read more

In the wake of this historic election, I have some hard questions for the Republican Party. The momentum created by a young, inspiring, African American, Democratic candidate was certainly tough to beat, but the truth is, from my perspective, over and over the Republicans kept shooting themselves in the foot. Here's some questions I'd like to ask GOP leaders about their strategy: ... read more

There's no question that the political shift that's happening in the country will have a powerful impact on the religious and non-profit community. While a significant number of Christians voted for Obama, the majority of the major churches and ministries in the country lean toward the conservative Right when it comes to politics. If you happen to be a Democrat, then you're probably thrilled with the new possibilities. Certainly social services, the poor, and government programs will see some new approaches and ideas. Although a number of my friends on the Left are pro-life, they voted for Obama based on the idea that his ... read more

This weekend, I hosted a segment for the God TV Network live from Chicago on the American elections. God TV is a global faith-based network seen in more than 70 countries, and in the United States on DirecTV. They were interested in both sides of the election equation, particularly the Democratic side, since so many personalities in Christian media are Republicans. So I recruited Craig Detweiler, filmmaker and author of "A Purple State of Mind" - a documentary and book that explores ... read more

In a mature democracy, people vote on principle, not personality. But in a media-driven world, celebrity worship takes precedent over actual content. So today, the challenge for presidential candidates is to reach the public through pithy sound bites, hip commercials, and media buzz. Gone are the days when presidential debates went on most of the day, and people actually had an attention span that could take in a 2-4 hour speech. Ultimately, it's not about ... read more

I think Gerard Baker of the Times Online has a unique understand of the media's near worship of Barack Obama. ... read more

I got a call today from Campbell Brown's producers to be a guest on tonight's CNN Election Center hosted by Campbell. They wanted to discuss Dr. James Dobson's comments today about Obama's interpretation of the Bible and what Dobson called Obama's "fruitcake interpretation" of the Constitution. I had to turn them down because I'm in the Midwest speaking to a media conference and tonight's show schedule conflicted. You never know where these things will go. They were going to set me up against Roland Martin - a CNN advisor and Democratic Strategist. These calls are tough because in this case I have feelings both ways: ... read more

An important technique all churches, ministries, and non-profits can learn from Barack Obama's presidential campaign is how they focused their fundraising. While Hillary Clinton was focusing on a handful of major donors, Obama concentrated on many more smaller donors - primarily using the web. While no one would turn away a million dollar gift, understanding the difference is important. Here's why: ... read more

The USA Today editorial pages - as well as every other newspaper in America - are reporting how Barack Obama has broken the relationship with this supposed pastor of 20 years, Jeremiah Wright, after he viewed the tapes of Wright's bizarre appearance at the National Press Club on Monday. But this blog isn't about politics - it's about media, and telling your story in a media-driven culture. That's why what interests me is ... read more

When a product, person, or organization has to enter a particularly hostile or challenging market, they essentially have three choices: 1) Stay true to who or what you are, 2) Change who you are, or 3) Change how you're perceived. It doesn't matter if it's product sales, non-profit work, or politics, perception matters, and in a media driven culture, how you're perceived is just as important as who you are. ... read more

I'm in Houston this week visiting with some friends and clients like Joel Osteen and others, and doing a book signing at a bookstore convention. While I get ready for the signing, I'm sitting in a hotel room watching the news networks circle the latest Jeremiah Wright statements like sharks to blood. Just when surveys revealed that Barack Obama had survived the original controversy because of an excellent speech last week, this new wave has hit, and who knows what might come next. He might have weathered the original blast, but there's a legitimate question about his ability to survive the continued burst of flack. Whatever you think of the controversy, there's some interesting media issues at work here: ... read more

In the last couple of weeks we've heard a lot about the "friends" of our presidential candidates. But the candidates have been quick to distance themselves from certain friends and endorsers, and in a hot political season, who you're taking advice from becomes a very public issue. It started when John McCain received the endorsement from Pastor John Hagee from San Antonio, who's vitriolic comments about the Catholic church have created a wave of upset Catholics. Members of the Catholic church are ... read more

I wrote earlier about what I believe to be a deliberate strategy by Barack Obama to use words to inspire and motivate his audiences rather than actually offer specific steps for actual change. That's not a "for or against Obama" comment. It's a comment on strategy. I say this, because it's not that different from a lot of pastors out there today. They don't really know the Bible that well, and have become motivational speakers more that actual teachers and pastors. In my book, "Branding Faith" I talk about the fact that ... read more

Up to now, Barack Obama's political and media strategy has been to be the "voice of change." No content, but loads of "change." It's actually very planned. If you listen to Obama, you won't hear much related to actual policy, experience, or strategy. His concept up to this point has been that hopefully, he can look good, spout the change manta, and gather momentum. That way, he doesn't really have to ... read more

In reading the responses to my earlier Mike Huckabee posts regarding media strategy and resilience, it's obvious that his followers are committed and passionate. He was a self-admitted long shot from the beginning, and I think it would be instructive to see what's kept him in the race so long - particularly since he came out of nowhere. Certainly - as his fans have repeated on this blog and elsewhere - the keys are his honesty, authenticity, commitment to his word, leadership, and his spiritual perspective. All that would be true, but it's not the whole story. His candidacy is a excellent lesson for any underdog, and from the perspective of a media consultant, there are some other significant reasons he's kept in the running for so long: ... read more