Week 9: Pickens Plan

I am a member of the Pickens Plan, a plan to end the United States' dependence on foreign oil. The plan's namesake, T. Boone Pickens, made his money in the oil business, but now, he has invested significantly in this plan, and stands to make a lot of money off of the plan if it succeeds. I don't blame him, because at least he has a plan. The plan includes changing many of the truck fleet to run on domestic natural gas and investing in solar and wind power. However, this blog post is not about the plans details, but how the plan is marketed. The most recent e-mail I got concerning the plan includes a link saying "Join the virtual march." In a flat world, people are busy, and many people don't have the time to march and participate in demonstrations, especially in today's economy. However, by making the participation in this plan virtual, and thus much easier, T. Boone can increase the number in his "Army." Also, on the website of the Picken's Plan, there are links to widgets, Facebook, MySpace, Twitter, videos, articles, lectures, etc. This mass amount of information as well as the ease of access to other media outlets also helps out the Plan. Third, T. Boone appeals to citizens on the patriotic front. The slogan "End Our Addiction to Foreign Oil" links negative connotations to foreign oil and many quotes on the website emphasize that we are sending our money abroad when we should keep it in our country. By appealing to pathos, ethos, and logos, T. Boone Pickens provides the greatest oppurunity to connect with potential recruits to promote his great plan.