Michelle Obama 360 is an exclusive VR interview with the First Lady by Verge, a first-ever of the kind with FLOTUS that took place in the White House. Shooting in 360 means being able to check out the production in progress as it was filming. It was part of Verge’s longform article about the Obamas and their mastery of their brand and use of social media, which is really worth reading if you have a bit of time. Key takeaways:
For decades, social initiatives have been a mainstay of the First Lady’s office: for Lady Bird Johnson, it was the environment; for former librarian Laura Bush, literacy. Over the last seven years, Mrs. Obama has focused on four major initiatives: Reach Higher, for teens pursuing higher learning; Let’s Move!, to fight childhood obesity; Let Girls Learn, for educating women and girls around the world; and Joining Forces, for aiding veterans and their families.
But Mrs. Obama’s tenure also coincided with the rise of social media: during the Obama presidency, Twitter went from upstart to global newswire; Facebook now counts over 1.5 billion users; and Instagram and Snapchat — platforms that didn’t exist a decade ago — dominate pop culture. With a click of an iPhone, Mrs. Obama can now reach audiences Mrs. Johnson and Mrs. Bush could only have dreamed of.
Making of video: