Thursday, August 24, 2006
Political Advertising: Brawn vs. Brains
byA story yesterday reported that political strategists plan to up their Web spending to 20 percent of budgets in the 2008 elections. While this figure is a considerable increase over the 2004 elections, it is still surprisingly small considering the buzz and results generated by some recent campaigns.
The numbers are based on a PointRoll survey of 155 political consultants. While PointRoll research identifies substantial advantages to utilizing more online tools and tactics, it is apparent that major political consultants are still heavily dependent on TV to move the needle in favor of their political clients. In fact, 80 percent of these consultants rate television broadcast/cable as the best way to win elections.
Many of these consultants work for incumbents who have built up huge war chests to fund their reelection campaigns. TV makes a lot of sense if you have the money and you want to defend a lead in the polls. However, challengers are often starting from scratch with their funds, and they have a distinct disadvantage trying to go toe-to-toe with an entrenched politician using television advertising.
Out of necessity and resourcefulness, you will see more challengers (and their consultants) turn to Web-based strategies to win votes. Political consultants propose what works to their clients. In the past, that has meant recommending a heavy, television-based mass media campaign (brawn). As success stories begin to surface about more enterprising approaches to gaining political support through smart, Web-based and other new media strategies (brains), you might witness a rapid shift away from a dependence on television. Political advertising is highly accountable and unambiguous. Either your strategies worked and your candidate wins on Election Day or your candidate loses—end of story.
The growth of Web-based political marketing tactics will doubtfully be linear. It will take a few successful case histories demonstrating smart Internet strategies can outflank the brute force advantage of massive television buys to move political advertising to a more integrative approach. Some of those stories might be brewing during this year’s election.
