Campaigns Need New Media in Multichannel Mix

Although the 2012 election's partisan messages may be familiar, they are delivered in unusually diverse ways this time around. Indeed, an integrated, multi-channel communications mix is the hallmark of the tight Presidential race and has key lessons for candidates, causes and corporations moving forward, asserts a recent blog post by marketing pro Ernan Roman. Traditionally, TV, print and radio have been the mainstays of presidential campaigns, but they're no longer enough to engage today’s multi-channel public, the blog notes. Social media sharing, mobile fundraising, and online ads are essential parts of the media mix for campaigns now. To underscore the point, the blog post points to recent Borrell Associates research that found that while candidates still primarily use traditional media, campaign ads dropped from 61.9% to 57.3% for TV since the 2008 election, while online media received six times more funding than it did in 2008. Conclusion: Power up all elements of the media mix if you want to engage today’s multi-channel consumers! For more, see the post at http://ernanroman.blogspot.com/2012/10/the-election-multichannel-marketing.html

Democrats Top GOP in Scanty Texting Sign-ups

When it comes to mobile political messaging, voters are more interested in sending than receiving. Campaigns across the political spectrum are asking for mobile numbers this election season as voters "sign" online petitions or donate. But according to "The State of the 2012 Election - Mobile Politics" from Pew Research Center, as reported by ClickZ News, just 5% of registered voters with cell phones have actually provided their mobile numbers. Democrats appear more open to receiving political texts than Republicans, however, and Independents are the most resistant to mobile messaging. Just 3% of Independent voters said they have signed up to get texts from a political group or candidate, compared with 6% of Republican voters and 8% of Democrats. But voters are less averse to sending their own messages: Of the 88% of registered voters who use cellphones, 18% have used their phones to post their own political comments on a social site. http://www.clickz.com/clickz/news/2215867/more-democrats-sign-up-for-political-texts-than-republicans

Survey: Online Political Ads Work to Woo Voters

Online political ads are both more ubiquitous and more targeted this campaign cycle. Do they work to win donations and support? The answer is "yes" per a new survey of American voters by Toluna, a global online survey provider. Adam Lehman's report in Advertising Age on Toluna findings confirmed that an increasing number of voters are encountering political ads online, with 55% of respondents saying they'd seen political ads online this year, second only to TV as a source for such ads (at 88%). In general, consumers were negative on all political ads, but the Internet-based ads were compared with radio and newspaper-based appeals as less offensive than other venues. (Most hated were robocalls.) More important, nearly 60% said the improved data-driven targeting of online ads is a "good thing," and more than half of respondents said the online ads had prompted them to take action: donating to a campaign (11%); going to a campaign website (14%); seeking more information about a candidate (25%)' paying more attention to a candidate's campaign (24%); or voting (33%). For details, see http://adage.com/article/digitalnext/online-political-ads-turn-voters-expect/237570/

Political Campaigns Still Spend Big on 'Snail Mail'

Direct mail is still a potent force in political campaigns. Modern politicking certainly has increased the use of online ads and social media to reach voters, but the campaigns of both President Obama and challenger Mitt Romney have spent more on old fashioned "snail mail," per a recent Washington Post newspaper story. The two presidential campaigns have spent twice as much on fliers, get-out-the-vote cards and other forms of direct mail as they have on Internet advertising, according to disclosure data and campaign aides. The goal is to appeal to millions of baby boomers and retirees, who may prefer the familiarity of mail to pop-up ads, YouTube videos and Twitter tweets. For more, see http://www.news.ruralinfo.net/2012/10/direct-mail-still-a-force-in-campaigns.html

Hispanic Voters Get Short Shrift in Political Ads

Wooing Hispanic voters doesn't seem to be a priority for 2012's crop of political ads. The United States Hispanic Chamber of Commerce looked at 10 states (California, New Mexico, Nevada, Colorado, Illinois, Florida, Arizona, Texas, New York and Virginia) from April through September and found that just 4.57% of the political ad spend went to Spanish-language advertising. These figures represent ads for local, state and federal elections. At the presidential campaign level, the Obama campaign has spent less than 10% of its budget to woo Latinos, and that the Romney camp has spent just over 4%. So despite the political pundits, 2012 is not going to be the "year of the Hispanic voter." For more, see http://www.smartbrief.com/news/aaf/storyDetails.jsp?issueid=2053008D-0CCA-430F-A554-2DE5809C39C1&copyid=9BE87D57-E2A2-4B4F-9C82-C6E15D3E566B

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'Obama Effect' Has Lessons for Online Fundraisers

The Obama for America campaign in 2008 brought the power of online fundraising to the forefront, and there are some key lessons for multichannel fundraisers who seek to emulate that online success. A recent afpnet.org article "The Obama Effect: 20 Takeaways for Multichannel Fundraisers" lays out ideas critical to online fundraising, drawing from a high-level study “Cross-Channel Fundraising Tips and Trends” by Direct Marketing IQ. The first three findings make the case for amping up online giving efforts: Online does not cannibalize direct mail, older donors are online now, and online donors are extremely valuable. The article goes on to supply cogent tips on how to implement a digital program for maximum results. Check it out at http://www.afpnet.org/ResourceCenter/ArticleDetail.cfm?ItemNumber=13363

Microtargeting Drives Surge in Digital Political Ads

Political advertisers want “microtargeting,” and streaming digital sites like Hulu are cashing in, according to a recent "Adweek" article by Sam Thielman. “When it comes to microtargeting, that’s where you do it — social and digital advertising,” is the quote from one ad buyer at a major agency placing political ads. Hulu Senior Vice President of Advertising JP Colaco was happy to back that: “You can actually target down to the ZIP code. You can really target down in those battleground states if you're trying to target someone specifically.”  Another digital advantage, per Colaco: “The Obama campaign, which is a big advertiser for us, is actually using an ad-selector format,” allowing the user to choose the campaign and ad message most relevant to them. That self-selection makes viewers feel less bombarded and more in control, he noted. For more, see the article at http://www.adweek.com/news/technology/election-2012-dollars-stream-144078