Do TV ads work?

Summer Campaign Strategies

Digital Politics podcasts from August 3 2010

Interview with Colin Delany, New Media Strategies on local campaigns get online skills
Interview Part 1 with Colin Delany
Interview Part 2 with Colin Delany

Chris Nolan, president, Spot-On.com on down ballot races, virtual slate cards, and measures of success.
Interview Part 1 with Chris Nolan
Interview Part 2 with Chris Nolan

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Recent Digital Politics Shows

Need to catch up here with a posting of the last 2 Digital Politics shows:

June 22 Campaign Budgets Big and Small Guests were Kyle Roberts, President, Smart Media Group talking about campaign budgets and Shaun Dakin talking about Twitter, social media, and robo-calls.

Segment 1 with Kyle Roberts

Segment 2 with Kyle Roberts

Segment 3 with Shaun Dakin

Segment 4 with Shaun Dakin

June 29 Different Faces of Public Service Guests were Andrea Sparrey, Sparrey Consulting talking about networking, career development and public service, and Phil Noble, President, Politics Online and Founder of HOPE+, talking about South Carolina politics, and his project HOPE+.

Segment 1 with Andrea Sparrey

Segment 2 with Andrea Sparrey

Segment 3 with Phil Noble

Segment 4 with Phil Noble

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Media Strategies in an Evolving Media World

Digital Politics show last week with Chris Nolan, Founder Spot-On and Amy Gershkoff, Founder Changing Targets Media was filled with interesting insights from recent campaigns including a local race in CA and the Bill Halter Senate race in Arkansas.

E-Voter Institute’s 5th Annual Survey of Voter Expectations has been completed and we are working on the analysis with HCD Research.  Watch for notice about the August webinar when we will be releasing the results.

Political Ads, Disclosure and Creative Ways to Find Supporters
Segment 1 with Chris Nolan

Segment 2 with Chris Nolan

Media Mix and Media Habits
Segment 3 with Amy Gershkoff

Segment 4 with Amy Gershkoff

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Super Primary Day

Digital Politics Internet radio show on June 8 focused on the primary in California as well as those around the country.  We talk about women candidates, recent polls and the impact of social media buzz on campaigns as well as on perceptions of the Gulf oil crisis.

My guests were Stan Greenberg, Chairman and CEO, Greenberg Quinlan Rosner Research, Glenn Kessler, CEO, HCD Research, and Alan Silberberg, Silberberg Innovations.

Segment 1 Polling and Predictions

With Stan Greenberg, top Democratic pollster

Segment 2 Social Media Buzz

With Glenn Kessler, HCD Research

Segment 3 Social Media and Local Campaigns

With Alan Silberberg, Silberberg Innovations

Segment 4 Civic Engagement

With Alan Silberberg, Silberberg Innovations

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Are Political Campaigns Going Green?

GOOGLE Earth Day

On the Digital Politics podcast on this 40th Anniversary of Earth Day I ask the question–Are campaigns interested in being environmentally responsible by using more digital solutions to reach voters?  My guest Chris Talbot, Account Executive, Google Elections and Issue Advocacy, says that campaigns don’t seem to be much motivated by being green but rather by what works to win.

Google and other industry leaders have brought to market tools that campaign strategists have only dreamed about.  Sites like YouTube are changing the way media buyers can reach voters with :15 and :30 second in-stream video ads and long format video. The tools are out there to persuade voters using online tactics and to reinforce messages in traditional media.  If it is green –all the better.

Listen to this interview on what Google and the web has to offer 2010 campaigns.

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The Traditionals vs The Digitals

Guest on Digital Politics podcast today is political consultant Steve Kramer (gotvcalls@gmail.com), from Get Out the Vote.  Steve and I both attended the AAPC event last week in Phoenix where he interviewed many of the speakers and exhibitors for a video project. We share some thoughts about the changing focus of this yearly event for political consultants and how the “Traditionals” are coping with the growth of digital competition.

Steve shares some of his insights about creating web videos and experience with creating messages that get the attention of undecided and Independent voters.

Most interesting trend Steve saw at the event was a mobile app that streamlines the field operation.  Is this the year mobile apps will significantly change the way campaigns are managed?

Listen to this interview with someone who knows what it takes to get the vote.

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Dynamic Video Advertising

Guest on the Digital Politics podcast this week is Anupam Gupta, CEO, Mixpo, a Seattle based tech firm specializing in dynamic online video advertising.  Mixpo is all about engagement and making it easier for agencies and campaigns to re-purpose and enhance campaign video and television ads.  Anupam makes it clear that online political ads are moving away from standard banner ads to video ads and that we should all expect higher quality online video ads in the near future. 

Mixpo is providing tools to extend interactivity with political ads.  Will these kinds of solutions help move more dollars online?  Will online budgets be 1% or 10% of the average 2010 campaign? Anupam suggests that performance pressure will cause more political strategists to reconsider traditional media budgets.

Listen to this interview with an industry leader who sees the holistic view.

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Dependence on Television Ads

Living in California is giving me a front row seat for a flood of political and advocacy television ads.  The Primary isn’t until June 8!

Check out this commentary in the March 4, 2010 Washington Times by Anupam Gupta Candidates kicking the TV ad addiction. Cyrus Krohn, former RNC eCampaign Director is quoted as saying “The use of TV campaigns is kind of like our dependency on foreign oil.  We know we have to get off it.  We need to find alternative energy sources.  But we keep on going back to the pump.”

Anupam Gupta, CEO, Mixpo, a Seattle based tech firm specializing in dynamic online video advertising, will be my guest on the Digital Politics podcast this week.

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Impact of Super Bowl Ads

Guest this week was Glenn Kessler, CEO, HCD Research talking about his 4th annual survey of Super Bowl ads using their MediaCurves technology.  Lessons for political consultants are clear to Glenn– ads that tell a story work best, viewers are becoming immune to shock ads because they see them everywhere, and advertisers need new jokes because the old ones are just not that funny anymore.

The Focus on the Family ad did get plenty of attention in the general media before the Super Bowl but in Glenn’s sample of thousands of people, the ad ranked only 91st on their list.  Glenn points out that the ad was confusing unless you already knew the back story and perhaps watched it again online.  An example of targeting within the largest television audience in history?  Illustration of how social media can help supplement a traditional media buy?  Expect to see more advocacy ads in all media.

Listen to this interview with Glenn and check out MediaCurves.com to see the survey reactions to all the Super Bowl ads.

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Homer Simpson & Friends

Digital Politics podcast this week features Dan Weiner, VIce President Sales, FOX Audience Network.  Dan represents a vast array of FOX related sites attracting a wide range of audiences.  But the really good part of what FOX online has done is provide tools for targeting based on geo, behavior, social media, and psychographic characteristics.  Dan points to web 2.0 strategies that now must include self expressed data.

Are the political strategists ready to start using the web to reach specific voters at a state and local level?  Will the campaign finance rule changes result in more money going online as television ad inventory gets tight?  Will traditional political media strategists figure out how to include web solutions or will the online agencies start to take more control because they know how to work with people like Dan Weiner?

Listen to this interview with an enthusiastic media pro

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