Wednesday, September 27, 2006
New Politics Think Tank: Put Your Money Into Cable and The Web
byThe New Politics Institute (NPI), a left-leaning political think tank, has put together a new media agenda for Democrats to regain the White House and majority status in the House and Senate. In summary: buy new media and forget old, established media. In fact, their recommendations are so strong it could be characterized as a new media manifesto.
A recent eMemo from NPI lays out an impassioned reason to buy cable instead of traditional broadcast television. The quote from the memo’s conclusion sums up the co-authors’ sentiments: “[Cable] is now where most people go to watch TV, is cheaper than broadcast, and offers greater geographic and demographic targeting. Taking advantage of the cable opportunity makes more work for an advocacy or political campaign. But the incredible return is worth the extra work.”
An earlier NPI eMemo lays out a 15-point strategic checklist for understanding new media trends as it relates to political campaigns and advocacy. It doesn’t matter if your politics are right, left or in-between, the subject matter of NPI’s recommendations are remarkably congruent with media and marketing trends the Sundog blog has been espousing for the last two years.
A number of other reports and videos are available on the NPI site that may be of interest to politicians and their advisors including:
• An Emerging Trends Media Fact Sheet
• The Greatest Generation Yet: Preparing for the Millennial Generation’s Impact on Politics
• Riding the New Media Wave (video)
The recommendations outlined in the NPI material are some of the strongest I’ve seen for new media, but they are by no means the only call to Web action. A New York Times story earlier this year cited the profound effects of the Internet on the political process. The E-Voter Institute also has a free 33-page PDF on Web-based political communication trends.
