Cut-to-Black: Sopranos’ Ending or Clinton Communications Strategy?

"Everybody" (yes, I mean everybody in quotes) is talking about the Sopranos cut-to-black ending. In case you (like most Americans, and that’s my point) didn’t see it, here’ are the CliffsNotes: The family (Tony, Carmela and kids)  gather in a diner… they trickle in… Meadow is outside trying/failing to parallel park so is running late … they order …   shifty looking guy is eying them… shifty guy goes to bathroom… walks past family.. cut-to-black! Was Tony shot? Or did the cable cut out? This question generated tremendous buzz for HBO. It also generated many parodies (see YouTube.)

One prominent place you’ll find a parody is in the top, upper left corner of the Hillary Clinton campaign website.

The parody stars the candidate, President Clinton and a cutaway to Chelsea Clinton trying to parallel park. And yes, it cuts to black at the end.

I’m sure this was fun to make, but where are the communications strategists at the Clinton campaign? Where are the people whose job it is to think about the target audience? And what messages will resonate with them?

The Sopranos was brilliant… But here’s a stat to remember. A mere 28 million US households actually receive the network that aired it. It’s a network that takes pride in it’s exclusivity (its east coast liberal elitism, actually). After all, it’s not TV, It’s HBO.

And that’s why I love it (even if I’m a west coast liberal elitist).

But when you’re running for president and you are fighting against the most elite communications pros on the planet—-people who carefully say "car or truck" in their communications because they know that some of the best selling "cars" in the US are trucks—then don’t fuck around making parodies of a show that a teeny sliver of the country actually can see. Especially when you’re enemies are out to paint you as an elitist.

It’s not a game. It’s an election.

Please Tweet Delicious Digg Facebook Reddit Stumble