Consumer Financial Protection: Viral Video

One of the Abaunza Group’s web sites, Main Street Brigade, was a political activism site supporting financial reform. The site mobilized users in support of Elizabeth Warren, the Harvard Economist who conceived of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau.

The cowboy rap video was the brainstorm of Bonnie Abaunza and the Abaunza Group.

In the true spirit of viral video, the “rapper” was a young guy who works at Best Buy, The film crew was hobbled together with friends. It was shot at a ranch in Malibu, in one day. It was in editing that evening. The video was on CNN, Bloomberg Financial, NPR, in the Wall Street Journal, the New York Times, USA Today.The video had enormous impact and was mentioned by Warren in her book for the influence on her campaign to get the Bureau established.

The video hit home where it counted. Two weeks later, President Obama appointed Warren as his Special Advisor on the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, to help in the formation of the Bureau.