The ballots have been counted, they've cleaned up GrantPark, and the 2008 presidential election is finally history —literally.

Whether you're ecstatic or disgruntled about the outcome, youhave to agree that what happened is unique, in more ways thanthe obvious (our first black president). The fact that more than130 million Americans turned out to vote (the biggest number in 44years!) flies in the face of conventional wisdom about voterapathy, political burnout, voting along racial/regional lines, andjust about everything else we've come to expect.

So what was different this time around? Obviously, the economicdisaster and two wars dragging on were major factors inturning the tide against the incumbent administration. But therewas much more at work here than simple backlash. I think the realstory lies at least in part with the number of young voters and howthey communicate and relate with each other and the world.

According to CNN's numbers, 18 percent of the voters werebetween the ages of 18 and 29, and 66 percent of them voted forObama. The Gen Y voter trend began in 2004, when 20 million of themcast a ballot, the largest young-voter turnout since 1972 (remember“get clean for Gene”?), according to the Young Democrats of America(www.yda.org).

And as AA&B tech writer Tom Baker so often reminds us, theMillennial Generation is characterized by its technologicalsophistication and constant connection to each other and theworld via social networks, blogs, Twitter, IM and text.

The Obama campaign knew this demographic well, and tapped intothe youthful zeitgeist by making it as easy as possible for itssupporters to get out the vote. Volunteers could canvass door todoor or call registered voters from online lists at the ObamaWeb site, then click an online checklist to record theirresponses. The campaign was in constant communication with itssupporters; if the sheer volume of e-mail is any indication,I'm now on a first-name basis not only with Barack and Michelle,but with Dave (Plouffe, Obama's campaign manager) andoccasionally Joe (Biden).

What does any of this have to do with insurance agents? Plenty.The Obama campaign used every form of technology and communicationat its disposal to reach a new generation of voters, just as ourindustry must come to terms with this emerging market demographic,both as employees and as customers.

But I'm not paraphrasing good old Marshall McLuhen here; I don'tbelieve the medium alone is the message. Young people have beenmarketed to virtually from infancy onward. They'resavvy about being sold a bill of goods. It's notenough to reach them by Twitter, e-mail or YouTube. Your messagehas to be authentic and succinct to grab them.

I'll be ruminating more on this topic over the next month as wegear up for our January issue on talent management. Meanwhile, I'dlove to get your thoughts on reaching Gen Y. Can we reach them?Yes, we should!