Washington DC Trip: Inauguration, Women's March and Winter Fun

Washington DC is like my second home. Full of charm, beautiful architecture and the most interesting people, I was in the District last week for the inauguration, Women's March and to catch up with friends and colleagues.

I had booked my ticket before the results of the presidential election were revealed. I knew this trip wouldn't be like the ones that had gone before.

I arrived two days before inauguration day, and even then the mood was tense. I'd describe it as a mix between anticipation and trepidation. When inauguration day dawned, I headed into the city on the Metro with my friend. The Metro was empty, with only a few other passengers on the train. It was quieter than a work day! Security was extremely tight in the centre of DC, with lots of police, National Guard, army and snipers on the roofs. Protestors had already begun to demonstrate and their chants were in competition with cheers of 'USA' from Trump supporters. The mood was not one of celebration or jubilation, and as a spectator, I was really shocked by the scenes that I saw. I've written more about the day here.

The next day was the Women's March, and spirits were lifted. In contrast to the day before, the Metro was packed with women. Each holding handmade and really witty signs, as well as pink Kitty hats, the mood was positive and upbeat, and it was clear that many women had travelled far and wide to be in DC for this historic moment. When we exited the Metro everybody cheered and this continued outside. People literally streamed towards the National Mall, and within a short space of time, it was clear that attendance would top the predicted turnout. I met so many people from across America and was pretty psyched when someone gave me an original Hillary Clinton campaign sign. It really was a positive day.

The rest of my trip was spent attending meetings and exploring some of my favourite parts of the city. I went to the Air and Space Museum - my first trip since aged 11! Whilst not much had changed it was pretty cool to see the Hubble Telescope, the Space Shuttle exhibition and items from the Moon Landing. I also revisited the American History Museum to see the First Lady dresses- I always do this when I am in DC! I also had a good time visiting the British Embassy and strolling the streets of Georgetown and admiring the gorgeous houses.

Air and Space Museum

Julia Child's kitchen

Michelle Obama's beautiful inaugural gown

Georgetown architecture

America felt like a different place when I left. The change of administration is always an interesting episode to watch, and as a Brit, it was fascinating to see the pomp and pageantry of a new President taking office. So much has happened in the last week, much of which is completely hard to comprehend. Whilst I will always love visiting the USA, I feel future trips will be very different. 

Theresa May meets Donald Trump in Washington DC

Prime Minister Theresa May met President Donald Trump in Washington DC today. She's the first world leader to meet the newly inaugurated President since he was sworn in a week ago.

Crown Copyright/Jay Allen

The PM arrived in Philadelphia on Thursday evening to address Republican congressional leaders at their annual retreat, delivering a commitment to the strengthening of the special relationship and that the USA and the UK will 'lead together again.'



May wore a navy blue suit and the gold Twister block heels from Russell & Bromley in her first US appearance as PM. She debuted a custom made military inspired black coat by British designer Daniel Blake and accessorised with her black Amanda Wakeley shoulder bag with chain detail.

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Today, Theresa May laid a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in Arlington National Cemetery.

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Crown Copyright/Jay Allen

She also laid a wreath at the grave of Field Marshall Dill.

Crown Copyright/Jay Allen

The Prime Minister then headed to the White House to meet President Trump, visiting the Oval Office and holding a joint press conference in the East Room. May wore a favourite red Amanda Wakeley dress and jacket, accessorising with a pair of LK Bennett patent red kitten heels and a patterned silk scarf.

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Number 10

Political campaign content in numbers

This year’s US presidential campaign has produced more than its fair share of memorable, surprising, and head-shaking soundbites from the candidates, giving each of them plenty of fodder for their campaign ads. However, stock media has also always played a large role in campaign ads — as far back  as the infamous Daisy attack ad from 1964 and Reagan’s often-cited 1984 “Morning in America” ad. In that tradition, Pond5, home to the world’s largest collection of royalty-free HD and 4k video clips, has announced new data that sheds light on the huge spike in searches for political content on its platform.

Pond5's hub of politics-related video currently includes more than 34,000 clips, enabling filmmakers and producers to find the best campaign-related content more easily and more affordably than ever. In addition, the use of Pond5’s new AI search tools will enable makers to find the political-focused footage even more rapidly.

According to the LA Times, Wells Fargo securities analyst Marci Ryvicker has estimated that candidates will spend $6 billion on political ads in 2016, a 16 percent increase from the last US presidential campaign in 2012. Pond5 has found that media buyers and filmmakers are also more interested in political content than ever before.

Since January of this year, Pond5 has seen:

• 800 percent more search volume for Trump-related content than that of Hillary Clinton 
• The top tagged keywords for each candidate’s campaign ads, revealing the overall messaging and focus of their campaigns. Findings include:
• Donald Trump’s primary campaign video is most associated with patriotic imagery that has tags like “America,” “army,” and “proud,” but also has a share of somber content with tags “distraught” and “depression.” 
• One of Hillary Clinton’s campaign videos directly focuses on scientific research for climate  change, with tags like “outdoors,” “technology,” and “science,” while also promoting growth in America with tags like, “milestones.” 
• Bernie Sanders' primary campaign video draws an association with universal healthcare and education, with tags like “strength,” “career,” and “healthy,” while also uniting America, with tags like, “lifestyles” and “together.”
• One of Marco Rubio’s campaign videos features an upbeat message, including a drumline audio clip that plays in the background. Tags include, “dramatic,” “energetic,” “patriotic,” “playful,” “intense,” and “confident.” 
• One of Chris Christie’s campaign videos  draws on fear in the Middle East and takes a stand against terrorism, with tags like “Middle East,” “angry,” burning,” “crowd,” and “danger.”
• Based on the analysis of the 2016 election campaign videos, Republican candidates tend to use more negative or grim imagery that demonstrates distress and their perceived condition of the United States, while Democrats tend to use inspirational footage that alludes to the country’s future. If it comes down to Hillary Clinton versus Donald Trump, the public can expect to see videos from Trump that use more negative, fear-inducing imagery and shows America in a crisis. In contrast, campaign videos from Hillary are more likely to contain optimistic footage that shows America moving forward. 

“$6 billion is being spent on political ads this year alone,” said Ryan Scott, co-CEO of Pond5. “The nature of this industry is rapid production, and candidates are constantly running new campaigns based on current events and their standing in the polls. We've seen the usage of stock footage explode month after  month, while being utilized across screens from TV to desktop to mobile. It’s not just campaigns, but also Super PACs, news outlets, and special-interest groups that are embracing the use of stock footage.”

As evidenced by a recent segment on HBO’s Last Week Tonight with John Oliver, Pond5 has become the go-to hub for all stock media content, used by top political campaigns ranging from Hillary Clinton to Marco Rubio. The company has even paid homage to the traditional use of stock footage in campaign videos and the upcoming election by creating a series of spoof campaign videos for Star Wars characters made entirely from Pond5 assets.

For more information, or to start searching for the best political-themed media, visit: www.pond5.com/politics.

Presidential Election 2016: Do Candidates “Better Halves” Matter?

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The 2016 race for the presidency is shaping up to be unlike anything we've seen before. With the South Carolina primaries curbing Jeb Bush's race for the White House and invigorating Donald Trump's plans even more, the path to the presidency will be one that we won't forget.

AirPR has been tracking media coverage of the US presidential candidates’ spouses as a way to see which candidate is getting legitimate media traction. It’s an interesting way of looking at the race and one which I haven't seen before.

The question at hand was: “Is there ANY correlation whatsoever in terms of spouses who rule the spotlight and the ultimate success of the candidates with whom they share a, ah-hem, bed?
With such a wide field of candidates, particularly on the Republican side, AirPR wanted to see what trends emerged when it came to press that was focused less on the candidates and more on the candidates’ spouses. Here's what they found.

1. It’s the Bill, Bill, and Bill media show

Since September 2015, top tier media outlets have written nearly 6,000 articles that focus on any or several of the candidates’ spouses. Here’s a breakdown of influential coverage for the top 5 spouses:

● Bill Clinton: 3,890 articles
● Melania Trump: 461 articles
● Heidi Cruz: 148 articles
● Jane O’Meara Sanders: 97 articles
● Jeanette Rubio: 56 articles

2. The media’s interest in Melania Trump and Bill Clinton are for entirely different reasons

In the case of the candidates’ spouses, Bill Clinton and Melania Trump lead the pack without question. The reasons for this are clear: Bill Clinton already has high visibility, and as a former president, there is a steady level of media coverage that other people simply don’t have. In the case of Melania Trump, there appears to be a huge curiosity factor. When you start to see articles saying how much (or how little) Melania Trump says, you know you’re in for an interesting ride.

Point blank: Both these spouses have star power. While former President Clinton is viewed as a campaign weapon, it remains to be seen what Melania’s role in Trump’s campaign will be. That mystique in and of itself may be one of the key reasons driving her media coverage.

3. It’s not about the economy...or the debates...stupid

Prior to tracking spousal media coverage, we made the assumption that when a candidate did well at a particular event or commanded a certain topic during a debate, a stronger spotlight would shine on the candidates’ “better half”. In fact, this didn’t happen at all.

Take Jeannette Rubio, for example. Her husband Marco Rubio, by most pundits’ reports, has performed consistently in the top 4 or 5 with regard to debate performance. This strength hasn’t had any noticeable impact on the number of stories featuring Jeannette Rubio.

4. No topics are off limits anymore

It’s getting ugly out there, particularly when it comes to Bill Clinton’s past infidelities, Melania’s aforementioned silence, or Heidi Cruz’s children. Long gone are the days where the masses were shocked when Bill Clinton was famously asked on the campaign trail if he wore “boxers or briefs”. Today, questions facing the spouses run the gamut.

A recent New York Times feature on Jeannette Rubio focused on how her religious and conservative beliefs often shaped her husband’s beliefs. An article of this nature in 2008 or even 2012 would have had a huge ripple effect on a campaign. In reality, because of faster media cycles and the changing face of media consumption and dissemination, this piece was widely socialized via Twitter and LinkedIn, but didn’t move the dial in public perception or buzz.

5. The spouses are mostly waiting in the bullpen...for now

Early coverage on the candidates’ spouses, for now, is limited. The campaigns seem to grasp of the fact that while spousal exposure can be equated with a sign of a campaign’s legitimacy, there is fear of peaking too soon.

As with the the aforementioned New York Times piece on Jeannette Rubio, the story is more about the past than the present. Campaign strategists recognize that increased presence of the “woman behind the man” or the “man behind the woman” humanizes the candidate. We expect you’ll see more of that, particularly in the Republican race, once the first round of primaries reduces the number of candidates.

The beginning of primary season will drastically shift the role husbands and wives play on the campaign trail. If early 2016 is any indication, expect to be seeing and reading as much about the spouses as you will the candidates.

But what is it about presidential spouses that fascinates us so much? Sharam Fouladgar-Mercer, AirPR CEO has shared his thoughts.

Why do you think the media and voters are fascinated with political spouses?

I think it’s the starting point of the fascination that reveals the most about Americans' fascination with the candidates’ spouses. Early on in the campaigning process, to many, there are a group of politicians vying for our attention. Once voters learn about their preferred candidate, they start to ask , “What will this person look like as a president?”. It’s then they view the bigger picture - their family, whether or not they bring an air of leadership or humanity to the role, and of course the role his or her spouse might play . The coverage we’ve seen so far indicates that the media and general voting public are mostly interested in the frontrunners’ spouses from either party, but true to form with this year’s election, there’s no such thing as business as usual. In terms of media coverage and interest, it really has been the Bill Clinton and Melania Trump show. With President Clinton, he brings a steady stream of coverage that is unprecedented for a candidate’s spouse. With Melania Trump, there’s an air of mystique, partly because she’s been mostly quiet during the campaign and also because, well, the Trump campaign is playing with a new set of rules. It’s fascinating to watch. Additionally, I also think the media is fascinated by political spouses because people are wondering how much a political spouse's influence will ultimate influence American politics directly via the candidate.

How do you think the spouses will be used by the campaigns moving forward? What is their untapped power?

As we go deeper into the primary season and closer to the national conventions, the spouses of the front runners are going to play a complementary role. With Hillary, we have a pretty good idea of how her campaign is going to use Bill. We saw in 2008 that he can be an effective (at times) attack dog to defend against the slings of the opposition. While it hurt her campaign to some extent in ’08, so far he’s taking on a similar role with this campaign, albeit more of an “attack dog meets elder statesman” persona. With Trump, I think you’re going to see Melania Trump step into the limelight more as Trump pivots toward to the center. His campaign will rely on her to soften his edges. Ted Cruz’ wife, Heidi, will play a similar role, as Ted will have to battle the perception that he’s unlikable. I think the one wild card in here is Jane Sanders - we haven’t quite seen what she’s capable of yet. She might have to represent a younger voice, as Bernie would be the the oldest person to ever take office if he wins. We’re already seeing a few interviews where one of her key messages is “75 is the new 55”. For all of the candidates, I think you’re going to see more leaning on the spouses in this election than ever.

Thanks to AirPR for sharing this fascinating data with us!