Social Media Campaigns are NOT Traditional Campaigns

I am a former campaigner. From Senator Tom Harkin in 1984, through Barack Obama in 2008, and meeting lots of candidates along the way (pictured here with Hillary Clinton in July, 2001), I have witnessed A LOT of campaigns.
In the advertising agencies I've worked at, I've also been a part of a ton of great campaigns. Some of my favorites include Tobacco Free Iowa's campaign to outlaw smoking in public places and Kum and Go's summer gas tanker giveaway.
Campaigns all have one thing in common. Campaigns all have a defined beginning and a defined end. Conversation in social media are more fluid. They have a beginning, though it may be a quiet one. But any good conversation just keeps going. Some social media types get downright adamant about it. Don't call your social media effort a "campaign." Some alternative suggestions include "conversation," "program" or "initiative."
I think the distinctions are important. A "social media campaign" implies that you are running a promotion and aren't planning to stay in for the long haul and do the hard work it takes to make a social media presence successful. Let me suggest that a new social media presence should be called an "initiative," whereas an ongoing one should be referred to as a "program." Both words suggest an ongoing commitment to a conversation and an ongoing set of expectations.
Let's face it, some campaigns just don't quite make it. So does that mean Hillary Clinton's campaign was unsuccessful? Not exactly. But it certainly wasn't permanent.
Words matter!