Archive for August, 2006
The Washington Post (or, properly, Washingtonpost.Newsweek Interactive) is one news outlet that gets social media: they seem to truly understand the the benefits that come from being a part of the broader internet conversation as well as the ability of user-generated content to build audience loyalty. Political operations interested in turning casual site visitors into passionate supporters can look to them as a model.
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August 30th, 2006
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Following up on last week’s manifesto about using databases for political microtargeting, Phil Lepanto from Connections Media has an exhaustive piece (his second on e.politics) about the mechanics of collecting and using data to identify potential supporters. As a friend said the other day, this stuff is definitely a bit Big Brother-creepy, but it’s something that campaigns can’t ignore.
Expanding Your Base Through Databases
Recently, there has been a lot of discussion about leveraging the power of databases to increase the capability of organizations or campaigns to “microtarget” audiences. Yet, political journalists and others that cover this industry often seem to gloss over exactly what microtargeting means. So, what does it mean, how is it done, and of course, how much does it cost?
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August 29th, 2006
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Excellent article, and it hits on my current favorite theme, microtargeting. Subscription only, alas. Some critical quotes:
“Though most political ad dollars traditionally are spent after Labor Day, tight primaries and early spending on House, Senate and gubernatorial races have pushed local TV-ad spending above $311 million as of mid-August, up 45% from the same point in 2004 and more than three times as much as in 2002…”
“With cable and radio, you can more precisely target a segment than broadcast television. The audience is more fragmented in cable and radio. You can pick out the fragments you want,” says Will Feltus, senior vice president for research and planning at National Media, a Washington firm that bought ads for President Bush’s 2004 campaign…”
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August 28th, 2006
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Has John McCain assembled an internet juggernaut? Hotline On Call has terrific details of the group he’s put together, which includes “top talent from nearly every major division of the Bush-Cheney campaign” as well as Dean’s ‘net guru and social marketing expert Nicco Mele. The upshot:
The range of experiences brought by these consultants suggests that McCain’s web strategy will be integrated with the campaign’s message, donation and political operations — just like Dean’s was in the primary — and certainly hewing to [the] example set by the Bush campaign in 2004.
Are the other Republican (and Democratic) campaigns paying attention?
– cpd
August 28th, 2006
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Continuing this week’s SMS frenzy, the Post has a series of examples from around the world of how protest organizers are using text messages not only to turn out crowds but to manage them in the streets. But beware, your government might just cut off cell phone service to put a cramp in your style.
– cpd
August 25th, 2006
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Looking at coverage of the online political world, I sometimes wonder if we’re missing the point: blogs, YouTube and social media are fun and interesting, but are they winning elections?
Thinking about the Lieberman/Lamont primary, it seems clear that these new technologies can be useful for drawing attention and motivating supporters, but good old-fashioned local political organizing is what gets voters to the polls. Where electronic politics seems to be making a real difference is behind the scenes, in the decisions campaigns are making about which voters to contact and how to reach them.
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August 24th, 2006
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Schwarzenegger’s texting updates from the California GOP convention, and a new campaign is planning to register young Latino voters from their cell phones. Here’s more about the technology Voto Latino’s using, which is open to other groups:
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August 24th, 2006
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Good overview article — includes a bunch of examples of recent online political video fun, ranging from a fake Gore bore to a senatorial sleepyhead captured on film to Michelle Malkin’s minions, with a pass through deep macaca on the way.
In particular, check out these ads gathered on a communications firm’s blog — you MUST watch the one from a San Diego Congressional candidate (Rock Me Amadeus, indeed, and thanks for the random gunfire…). Thanks to occasional guest columnist Burt Edwards for the suggestion.
– cpd
August 22nd, 2006
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At one of Alan Rosenblatt’s Internet Advocacy Roundtable discussions last week, Heather Holdridge from Care2 brought up some brilliant uses of text messaging that political campaigns can use as a starting point.
For instance, if you’re a Project Runway devotee and you vote via cell phone to have a cast member ousted from the show, you can be signed up to receive promotional text messages before the program airs and during commercial breaks. An hour before air-time, you might receive a reminder that the show’s about to start plus a teaser of what’s to come. During commercial breaks, you might get “diary” entries from competitors (“I can’t BELIEVE what she called me…”) and other content that elaborates on what’s happening on-screen.
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August 22nd, 2006
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Fenton Communications has an email newsletter that focuses on media relations but has also covered online advocacy topics such as viral campaigns and working with bloggers. Their latest issue (emailed last week but not yet online) looks at effective online press rooms and has some good ideas. Worth subscribing to, and you can’t beat the price. Check out past editions. Update: Fenton has kindly provided the current issue as a PDF.
– cpd
August 21st, 2006
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The Post continues to do my job for me! Jeffrey Birnbaum has a K Street Condidential piece today on the mechanics of using online ads to build a grassroots activist list. He ventures into the cubes at Democracy Data & Communications to watch as staff members monitor the effectiveness of particular ads on particular sites — it turns out that simple and texty often beats clever and pretty, and general-interest sites can get better results than issue-specific sites.
– cpd
August 21st, 2006
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According to Frank Ahrens at the Post, far from killing the traditional tv networks as some had predicted, TiVo and other digital video recorders may be helping to save them, in part by allowing people to view two shows at once — watching one immediately while saving the other for later.
For political media folks, the biggest takeaway is that DVRs don’t seem to be putting any particular hurt on traditional 15- and 30-second ad spots either, though they may encourage some changes in the way the ads are made. Even when viewers fast-forward, at least one study shows that they’re just as aware of which brands are being advertised as those who watch the ads in their entirety.
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August 20th, 2006
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