In a Room Full of Brands, Who’s the Most Popular?

April 30, 2012 by Leave a Comment

Branding is a Challenge, but You Gotta Do It!

Politics is at a crossroads. Soon, we’re going to see the structure that’s been in place for hundreds of years drastically change. Why? Because of the Internet. It’s already changing, and it may be healthy.

So, how is it changing you ask? Well, we talk about this theme a lot, but we can’t stop driving it home. Personality is what people want to see, friends. Branding is becoming reflective of this, and that trend is only going to grow until politics has to adapt.

Last week, Mashable put up an article called “10 Sassy Brands on Social Media”. It explores the brutal, dark, humorous, and outlandish nature of these brands that are dominating the social media landscape. In doing so, sales and creativity are up. People want these brands. At least, I really want a Loco-Dorito taco after reading this piece. See, their social media efforts are inspiring name recognition and demand for the product.

That’s going to infuse with the landscape of politics soon enough. A younger, informal generation is getting into the scene, and some “snark factor” will be in demand for a candidate. Boring issues-based campaigns aren’t going to win. Candidates will reel in success from stumping about their personal lives, families, and telling a funny joke, just as successful stumping worked by attacking the other guy ten years ago. As the demographics shift over the next decade or two, politics is going to be completely different. The cut and dry campaign isn’t going to cut it, and it will be left out to dry.

What can you do if you’re thinking “I’m running that cut and dry campaign?”

Shake things up. A comfortable breakdown of content that might be successful as a start could be as follows:

25% of your media content should be on the issues. This should be formal, composed releases that follow the traditional method of speaking out on an issue.

25% should be on your campaign. Talk about where you’ve been, who you’ve spoken to, what interesting thing you learned from interacting with someone – that sort of stuff.

25% should be about you. Who are you as a person? What insights do you have? Reflections? This is where you should show who you are when you’re off the stump.

The final 25% should be random and magnify or compliment who you are. Talk about what new series you’ve been watching, what funny thing you saw on the street, how much you love this fast food restaurant. Whatever. Show your personal side and try to spice things up. Be that “sassy brand”.

Of course, we don’t want you to exploit humor from two old ladies like Kraft does, tweet utter nonsense like Skittles, or promise “nothing” like Newcastle, but the themes are still valid: people want to be entertained, even the most unreasonable and serious political activists out there want to hear a joke or insight.

By shifting your methods and changing your voice, you’ll insert needed energy into your campaign. Momentum and support will follow. And hopefully, victory will as well. Don’t be reckless and irresponsible, or offensive. But, craft a better message and get it heard. Social media is your open forum.

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It’s Not “The Twitter”, So Get Familiar With It.

April 23, 2012 by Leave a Comment

Understanding how to use Twitter is important. It’s a 24/7 press conference, and if you’re not using it you need to know how. Well, let us give you the basics:.

First, understand that there is importance to “correctness” on Twitter. But look at it from a contextual point of view, rather than that of the content. To clarify this point: misspellings are frequent. They are part of the game. But don’t waste your time apologizing about your “cant”. There are folks who sit on Twitter and can’t wait to go “@______ It’s ‘You’re’, not ‘your’.” It happens. Don’t feed their feeding frenzy.

But, make sure the context of your material is spot on. If you’re linking something, make sure the links are correct and navigable. Make sure they are from a legitimate source. If you’re making a claim via Twitter, people will question it. If you take the wrong context from what you’re saying, you’ll look like a fool. It’s more important to know what you’re talking about, than making sure every detail is grammatically and phonetically sound. Thus, when tweeting, saying “The Prinse and Kate Middleton got marred” looks better than “Kate Middleton married Prince? I thought he was a singer.” Knowing which error should be a higher priority to avoid will save you heartbreak and frustration in the future. You can play down a missed keystroke, but not a missed decade of pop-culture.

Another consideration is to show who you are. If you’re funny, show that sense of humor. People want to see Tweets as a story, and as a reflection of your daily travels. If you’re a weird person, bring your audience into the weirdness of your travels. If you’re a go getter, they wanna see you on the move. If you’re a boring, average Joe….they wanna see the boring average Joe. Except in that case, no one will follow you.

Especially for political figures, don’t send out tweets like “Join my in my fight against….”, because frankly, people aren’t interested in that stuff 24/7. They know that these conversations aren’t part of every second of your life, and they want to see what it’s like to be you. Twitter is a great way to get those sorts of things out there, but mix it up with some informal insight. They want to be behind the scenes. Let them be.

They want to be engaged into a process other than the mundane political ramblings from time to time.

Another good tip is to watch who you follow. It used to be common practice to auto-follow those who followed you- however, with Twitter bots, some critics have raised issues saying that officials are promoting “Adult_Site-Bot” and “Marijuana_Bot” for example. This is inevitable, and frankly from our end the jury’s still out on how big on an issue this is. We try to make sure that our clients don’t follow questionable people, but it’s inevitable that you will. However, the news frenzy surrounding these types of stories about who politicians follow generally didn’t culminate to any huge effect, so the horse may have already been beaten and dead. Elected officials having a few inappropriate follows that obviously weren’t intentional hasn’t gotten anyone removed from office yet, so it’s not a huge priority- but being aware could save headache.

Finally, market your hashtag. If you want to rally against an issue, or brand yourself as a champion of a cause, make your own hashtag for it. It will improve your brand, and give you some name recognition in your fight. Inject it into your issue based discussion. Don’t overuse it, but once or twice a day is keen use. Make it who you are. It will attract a following.

Overall, Twitter is a tool for crafting your image. It’s important to stay ahead of the curve, and if you don’t you’ll certainly be left in the dust. Twitter is free publicity, use it.

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You’re a Real Person- Act Like It.

March 27, 2012 by Leave a Comment

Cup? Watching Basketball? Oh no!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Campaigns and politics are changing.

It’s the effect of a massive shift in cultural values here in America, and for what it’s worth it seems to be a pretty positive thing. In the days of old there was a uniform, professional culture that dominated politics. Dark suits, short hair, plain ties, and no humor were the norm. Corporate culture in America reflected the political environment and in some aspects the political structure magnified it.

And now due to technology speeding life up, politics is becoming a reflection of real life.

You can see it everywhere. The formal political meeting has been replaced with the wet lunch- something that was popularized in the corporate environment years ago. Formal letters are now emails. Suits and ties of all shades and patterns can be seen in the chambers, and Robert’s Rules have been injected with jokes, laughter, and an informal-yet serious nonetheless method of policymaking that wouldn’t have been dreamed of years ago.

The image of the old, crusty politician is quickly dying. The public wants a modern citizen to represent them in office.

We were doing some browsing this afternoon and came across a legislator who embodies this with his social media. We advise tons of elected officials on how to use social media to their advantage, and  Representative Nathan Ballentine has taken the advice to heart. He runs a very solid social media effort.

Many who are getting into social media use it to do the same old boring stuff: “Join me in my fight against….”, instead of using it to show something important- that they are real people too. The public demands this, and the demand is only growing.

In the past decade, scandal unlike nothing before has coupled with the informality of modern American culture. Its left the public exhausted. People now tolerate, if not expect their officials to be something like them. In some cases, small personal issues from the past have even helped candidates, whereas years ago it would have hurt them. More arguable is that people want their civic-minded leader to also have a personal life and to be somewhat open about it. People expect humanity.

Broadcasting photos of the last time you got blitzed might not be the best idea, but showing that you aren’t a robot is the direction politics is moving toward.

Institutionalized culture is gasping for air.

Take a look at Representative Ballentine’s tweets and blog. It shows he likes basketball,  likes volunteering for his kids’ little league team, and shows that he’s got a sense of humor- and, he’s even going to Carolina Cup, and maybe even having a drink or two.

Years ago, making a joke or going to an event thats popular for it’s festivities might have been frowned upon- contrary to the fully professional image. Not anymore.

Technology has brought politics into the modern era, and traditional politicians are at a disadvantage. You need not youth, but you do need flavor if you intend to compete. Statistics re-enforce this: By 2020, the largest American voting bloc will be 18-35 year olds, and 90% of them will be connected to the Internet. It’s crazy to think about- but just about every one of those individuals will have an embarrassing picture, a controversial tweet, or something from their younger days that will still be around for the world to see- and with that opposition campaigns will be less focused on one’s background, because it’s all out there. What comes around, goes around.

So, as a candidate, politico- or just a person- don’t bore the world with your media. Open up, and show that you have a life. This doesn’t mean to use it to offend everybody with your vulgarities, but definitely show a lighter side of life.

People know that politicians aren’t sitting around every night talking to their families about Obamacare, so don’t try to craft that image through your social networks.

Campaigns might hesitate at the thought, but politics is always slow to adapt. Personality and candor used to kill campaigns. Now, that dynamic is shifting.

Get ahead, and use it to your advantage.

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Be On The Cutting Edge

March 27, 2012 by Leave a Comment

Whether You Like It Or Not, You've Got To Evolve

SXSW, or South By Southwest drew unimaginable crowds to Austin, TX this month. Every year, SXSW draws the latest trends in culture, music, and tech for a month long festival of the year’s up and comers. It was a good year for technology, and some of the biggest in the tech biz came and presented the new trends, ideas, and solutions for the future. Consider it a meeting of the minds, as it brings together all regions of the U.S. and the world- and it will absolutely blow your mind. Things you couldn’t even think of are out there. Think of it as a sneak peek at the future.

One of the evident themes throughout the month-long event in Austin is to be on the cutting edge. You may think you are, but until you go out there and see it for yourself you don’t really understand the concept. Especially today, one of the most important traits of any company is to be on the cutting edge. Being one step ahead is no longer a key to success- you gotta be leading the pack by a mile if you want to last. Companies are going under because they can’t adapt to the changing economy, not because of the economy itself. Tech is booming, and every industry could benefit from being tech savvy.

Trends come and go, but usually they find their areas of influence and even fads that die have characteristics that remain. Politics is no different, and last week in Austin the festival showed us what we can take and implement into the political arena that will change the way things are done.

So, what trends emerged this year that could innovate the political scene?

  • The Foursquare Concept

This is quickly becoming valuable to the political world. Both Foursquare and Facebook are now key platforms for check-ins. In our wired world, we still want time for real human interaction (surprising, right?) and there’s no better way to meet up with old friends, and find new companions by seeing if they are out and about. Sure, there are some complications to this as it could enable the annoying friend to tout the line of stalking, but it’s valuable in so many ways- especially to politics.

For a campaign, people want to see hard work. What better way to show your stump speech schedule than to check in at the events? And, using Twitter and Facebook to spread your schedule is just one added benefit- check in, and share that with your friends. It can mobilize the grassroots supporters to show up, and it can create an online buzz. If you’re at 10 barbeques on Tuesday, tell the world. For the hard working candidate, there’s no better way to demonstrate dedication to the campaign.

  • Social Discovery

Last week, we got our phone book delivered to the office. What did we do with it? Well, we spilled something and used it to clean up the mess. We were out of paper towels.

Why is that relevant? Well, because people are turning to the net to find phone numbers, people, and interests. This year, that trend will get even bigger. Mobile devices can now give recommendations for restaurants, bars, and other services in an instant. Paper is a thing of the past, and campaigns need to get with this trend.

Instead of recommending a bar, could your phone recommend a candidate? We think so. Some services like Glancee and Highlight are gaining popularity, despite the inherent concerns with security that they may raise- but other services like Yelp have raised the usage of online reviews without the personal data. Given that these trends are increasing, it wouldn’t be surprising if this trend comes to political tech. Imagine if you could answer a few simple questions and be matched with potential candidates? What if you could type in your location and see all the political events, groups, parties, and personalities in your area? This will be something for campaigns to capitalize upon in the near future, and in that regard, this trend shows unlimited promise for politicos.

  • Micropayments

We can’t tell you the number of times we’ve been waiting in line, at a restaurant, or out somewhere and our wait was extended because the “credit card machine was down”. It seems to happen to every business at some point. Well, things are changing.

Welcome to the world of micropayments. Now, your backup plan can be right at home on your mobile device. Thanks to tech such as Square-up, credit cards can now be swiped onto your mobile device, and the money put into your account overnight. This will certainly shake things up.

Everyone in politics has heard “We’d love to donate, but we didn’t bring cash (or a check).”

Well, what if you could respond “Oh, well that’s no problem, we can get your credit card right here”? As you pull out your IPhone or Droid,  a small quarter sized attachment scans the payment and the money shows up in the bank immediately- this revelation will have a huge impact on campaigns. Behold, Fundraising at a second’s notice. It’s one of those small advances that will take campaign tech into a new era.

So, how will these trends impact political campaigns? It all depends. Will the winners most likely pick up on these trends and implement them into their campaigns? We think so. While there are concerns with some of these trends, it’s clear that there is some benefit to them already in their infancy. Tech wins. As the world changes, the most qualified candidates have to understand that these technologies are out there as a means to increase efficiency and messaging- not to complicate them. Candidates must be aware of this, and get with the program.

If not, chances are someone will and they will go back home unhappy.

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TV, Internet Strongest Source of News- But The Numbers Are Changing

February 22, 2012 by Leave a Comment

The way we get our news is changing more than ever.

Campaign season is in full effect this Spring. An entire industry related to strategic consulting is booming- and so are less recognized analysts that use the present to predict the future.

For every strategic action or decision made by a campaign, someone wants to know the effect and how it relates to the future. One of the greatest concerns for political analysts this year is the future of messaging, and what new trends in media consumption are indicating.

Pollsters and analysts aren’t just studying the effects of a political ad on influencing votes, but they are studying the new trends in how to deliver that message. They are busy seeing exactly who’s getting the message, and how they’re seeing it. Are they watching it during Jeopardy? On a Billboard? Or are they finding their favorite social media page or website?

This Spring, 69% of Americans will get a majority of their campaign news from Television. This is huge, but considering that in 2000, 86% of Americans said the same thing shows that Television is not as powerful as it once was. It also shows the power of the Internet, and how that trend is growing among younger generations. Many young folks, including myself, don’t have cable- the internet provides all the information we need, and often times more reliable and targeted information.

The Internet has grown as a news source for 2% of the population in 1996, to 7% in 2000, to 34% in 2012. It’s the most rapidly growing category, and it shows no sign of reducing its influence. Each cycle, its dominance has nearly doubled.  New platforms such as Twitter and Facebook have made news readily available, and campaigns are implementing other platforms such as Foursquare or Rally to boost presence, fundraising, and most importantly- connect to their constituents.

Sources say that by 2016, the Internet could be the largest source of campaign news. That doesn’t even take into account the possibility that by the end of this cycle, it could rival TV or perhaps overtake it as the leading source of news. One indication that it will do so is simply a generational trend.

Americans 18-29 have net usage cornered. While 64% of them use TV for their primary source, 54% of them rely on Internet. This divide of course grows greater as groups increase in age. The gap between age groups increases with age- from an 11% difference between the 18-29 and 30-49 group, to a 15% difference between the 30-49 and 50-64 groups. The same data also shows that newspaper is a dying trend. 14% of 18-29 year olds use it for news, whereas 41% of the 65 and up crowd do.

The younger you are, the more “tech” has influenced your upbringing. As 2020 approaches, and the “Millienial” generation becomes the largest voting bloc, what will this mean for news, tech, and voting?

Well, the “door-to-door” campaign will certainly have a strong rival, that’s for sure. Politicians, and issue campaigns now have a new way to create a more effective presence and with that, they are more capable of reaching and influencing this voting segment.

-RAS

 

 

 

 

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A New Age: Net Activism

January 27, 2012 by Leave a Comment

We’ve mentioned before how this digital age has influenced and crafted the ways in which messaging, dialogue, and strategy is delivered to the voting base. We’ve talked about the methods, strategies, techniques- all that jazz- that tends to affect how voters perceive a candidate, and how social media can influence an election.

This week proved to be one of the greatest achievements for our industry, proof that our craft has shown its’ full potential, and is now a vital tool to the democratic process.

Whether you were for, or against SOPA and PIPA, new media was the shepherd of its’ demise. Last week, over 1,000 protestors showed up to the Capitol. That didn’t kill it. Congress received 200,000 phone calls. That didn’t kill it. However, between the 200,000 phone calls that were made through Tumblr and Craigslist- and the 7 million online signatures on the Google petition AND the 2.4 million tweets….That might have killed it.

In this election where Super PAC’s have unlimited tools to relay their message, Tweeters do as well.  Even media companies themselves are stepping up their representation in Washington.  Federated Media Publishing  chairman John Battelle wrote on his blog, the Valley has realized that it “can’t afford to not engage with Washington anymore … Silicon Valley is waking up to the fact that we have to be part of the process in Washington — for too long we’ve treated ‘Government’ as damage, and we’ve routed around it.”

Twitter and other online industries never saw themselves as a political force. Now, they are truly stepping up as the vox populi.

Where will this take our company? Who knows We recognized that new media was a political tool long before we put out this blog post. We sort of…started business as the bridge between politics and technology. That’s our niche.

It’s great to see that our country is willing to rise up. For years, the sentiment has been that youth is too lazy to rise up and challenge, or fight for what they think is right. With avenues like this, it’s easy for lazy folks to send out a tweet, and organize through a loose network of opposition that on the whole, sends a very loud message.

Welcome to the age of Internet opposition. Does your campaign have what it takes to weather the storm of opposition? Or are you prepared to mobilize your online forces to support your interests? While there’s a world of net insurgents out there ready to shut you down, every coin has another head, and you can use it to your advantage.

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The Impacts of Technology on The 2012 Race

December 7, 2011 by Leave a Comment

 

Social media is changing the face of the modern campaign.

If one thing is clear, it’s that the role of technology and social media platforms is growing with increased prominence in political elections like never before. Connectivity is the keyword, and even candidates in the most rural areas have opportunities to get their messages across to voters in a manner that could not have been conceived 15, 10, or even 5 years ago.

Cutting edge communications strategies have been developed using the advantages of mobile formatting to not only keep potential voters constantly connected, but also to receive feedback and establish dialogue in a manner unimaginable until today. The era of writing letters to your Congressmen in support of a tax measure, or to your City Council member to complain about potholes is quickly going the way of the Dodo.  Now, interested constituents can post on their Congressman’s Facebook page or tag them in a response on Twitter- and chances are, someone is going to see it.  This is the evolution of communication right in front of our eyes.

Communications strategies have also affected other areas of political campaigning; fundraising has been revolutionized and mailers are no longer the standard. Political fundraising has been taken to the next level through outlets such as Rally and Fundraiser7.  Rally is a tool used for integrating other forms of social media, and serves as a hub for supporters to connect.  Like Rally, Fundraiser7 works in sync with other social media platforms, but allows for the promotion, payment, and attendance of events to be monitored through a user-friendly solution that benefits not only the operator, but the consumer as well. Event promotion has never been easier.  Now, political campaigns can simply log on and check their balance, rather than having to tear through envelopes and keep detailed paper records of their receipts. This minimizes paperwork, frees up resources, and most importantly, minimizes the effort needed to have a successful event.

Social media has also influenced the opposition campaign.  Nowadays, it seems that a candidate comes under scrutiny for not what he says in a speech, but for what is mentioned in a Twitter post. This year, Twitter proved to be a powerful tool for not only connecting with Representatives, but also for stirring controversy and eventually giving some elected officials the boot.  Twitter is a conversation rather than a form of art. It allows for a campaign to express ideas or a vision, and get feedback from both the supporters and opposition. Most of the time, campaigns have found twitter to be an effective measure of constituent concerns. Other times, negligence and misuse of social media has been a powerful tool for the opposition.  With the scandals of 2011 ranging from “Weinergate”, to the ousting of political regimes in the Middle East, Twitter’s effect on the political environment has been recognized as both positive for many and negative for some. The only question that remains is: Has it been fully recognized and implemented on the campaign trail? Twitter proves to be an effective tool, but one that officials must monitor with utmost attention. Online outlets other than Twitter have also proved to be an excellent tool for feedback and data analysis as well.

Online data analysis lets candidates know who is tuning in to their message and what ideals their constituent’s value. This is important as it allows messages to be tweaked, and crafted based on constituent feedback.  Platforms such as WordPress have allowed the user to not only see the amount of web traffic, but also to see exactly who the consumers are. Facebook has allowed consumer data to be used in ways that prior technology couldn’t begin to allow- the simple function of the “like” button can give page owners the age, gender, and location of their subscribers, along with other valuable insights to better craft their product. In Politics, the message is the product, and demographic analysis offered by these platforms give campaigns a better idea of what their base demands. By taking these details into consideration, a campaign will have more effective constituent outreach, and further builds support by tailoring their message to the local political environment. The benefits of online trend analysis give campaigns immeasurable advantages, and campaigns still using traditional avenues will suffer in 2012.

Ladies and Gentlemen, politics has reached the digital age, and trends show that the influence of web-based media will only grow from here. So, are you ahead of the curve?

 

-RAS

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