The Scarlet Letter
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FEC grants carriers broad discretion on text-to-donate
by Shane D'Aprile / Aug 15 2012
Political contributions via text message have taken another major step forward thanks to a new ruling by the Federal Election Commission, but it’s still not clear whether campaigns will be able to collect this election cycle.
On Tuesday, the FEC paved the way for wireless carriers to start offering the service ahead of this fall by granting providers wide latitude when it comes to determining which political committees would be eligible for
Newspapers, radio see opening in packed ad market
by Dave Nyczepir / Aug 15 2012
The newspaper industry has shifted its political marketing strategy into high gear earlier than ever in an attempt to take advantage of tightening television ad inventory and the glut of campaign advertising dollars flooding the market this cycle.
After pulling in some $300 million in political ad revenue during the 2010 cycle, newspaper industry experts predict 2012 will result in as much as $450 million in political ad revenue for newspapers across
Are for-profit conduits good for political fundraising?
by Erik Nilsson / Aug 15 2012
SkimmerHat, a company that bills itself as a “nonpartisan crowdsourcing platform” recently won approval from the Federal Election Commission to act as a for-profit conduit between political donors and campaigns. But one big question worth asking here is whether for-profit conduits are good for political fundraising.
Conduits can be defined as a person or organization that gathers earmarked political contributions and forwards them on to the donors’ designated candidate. The two types
Study: Obama's digital activity tops Romney
by Shane D'Aprile / Aug 15 2012
President Obama’s reelection campaign has a sizable edge over the campaign of Republican rival Mitt Romney when it comes to their digital efforts. That’s according to a new study from the Pew Research Center’s Project for Excellence in Journalism.
The study, which focused on the level of content both campaigns have posted to their respective websites and social media channels, found that Obama’s campaign posted four times as much digital content
New strategy firm launches with offices in Silicon Valley and D.C.
by Dave Nyczepir / Aug 14 2012
SocialxDesign, a new strategy firm focused on businesses, government agencies and NGOs, launched Tuesday.
Pronounced Social “by” Design, the firm is the brainchild of Toby Chaudhuri, a D.C.-based public affairs consultant, and Giovanni Rodriguez, a former partner at Eastwick Communications. The two met working on a 2011 White House initiative encouraging citizens to collaborate with federal and local elected officials through open space meetings.
Along with Barbara Bates, cofounder and CEO of
What the Ryan pick says about Romney's fall strategy
by Chis Palko / Aug 13 2012
Whether Mitt Romney's selection of Wisconsin Rep. Paul Ryan as his running mate turns out to be brilliant or disastrous, it does offer some insight into how the Romney camp is approaching the fall. Here are five takeaways:
The Midwest is the key to victory: Choosing a congressman from Wisconsin is a sign that the Romney campaign views winning the Midwest as the key to victory. Roughly half of the states that figure
Top-two primary faces long odds
by Danielle Kane / Aug 13 2012
Despite some positive reviews from political consultants in California, the so-called top-two primary system doesn’t appear poised to spread to other states anytime soon.
Along with California, versions of the system are in place in Louisiana and Washington State. It allows the top-two vote getters in a primary election to move onto the general, regardless of party affiliation.
In Arizona, the prospect of a question on November’s ballot that would seek
Democratic ad makers thrilled by Romney VP pick
by Shane D'Aprile & Dave Nyczepir / Aug 11 2012
Conservative budget hawks aren’t the only ones enamored with Mitt Romney’s vice presidential pick. Democratic media strategists are welcoming Wisconsin Rep. Paul Ryan to the Republican ticket with open arms and plans for pointed ads attacking the Ryan budget.
The hope among Democrats is that Romney’s selection of Ryan, the chairman of the House Budget Committee, will pump more life into ads hitting the fiscal plan Ryan proposed last year, which Democrats
Running an effective online campaign in a scarce market
by Brandon Howell / Aug 10 2012
Be it an online money bomb or simply reinforcing the TV spots your campaign is already running, online advertising has become a critical component of most major political campaigns. But the closer Election Day draws, the less space you will find available online to use as an advertising medium.
That makes examining alternatives and planning your strategy in advance crucial, and there are several common-sense ways to do it.
First, the
NGP VAN's new VP comes from NationBuilder
by Dave Nyczepir / Aug 08 2012
NGP VAN’s new vice president of marketing and nonprofit sales is John Brougher, the company announced Wednesday. Brougher comes to the Democratic technology provider after a short stint at NationBuilder, the company headed by Jim Gilliam.
There has been no love lost between the two companies of late. Last month, Gilliam penned an email accusing NGP VAN of “bullying” NationBuilder clients and attempting to prevent them from importing data into NationBuilder.
Wireless carriers ask for wide latitude from FEC
by Dave Nyczepir / Aug 08 2012
Wireless carriers want the Federal Election Commission to give them broad discretion when it comes to determining which political committees would be eligible to receive donations via text message.
In a response submitted to the FEC on Tuesday, CTIA offered a broad outline of the criteria wireless carriers would use when vetting political committees for text-to-donate digital short codes and services.
At an open meeting of the FEC last week, Read more…
Geofencing for campaigns?
by Erika Spicer / Aug 08 2012
Major retailers like L’Oreal and Starbucks already employ geofencing—a location-based technology that allows companies to send mobile users geo-targeted text messages or push notifications.
Now, companies that offer the service are turning their attention to the campaign world. Several say they’re already seeing interest from candidates on the local level and expect campaigns to start utilizing the technology in earnest by next cycle.
“I think it’s going to become a much
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