What's to Come

Political Ads - Chapter 2

In my previous post "Let's Talk Politics", I stated two primary principles:

* First, one of my main principles is "targeted ads when done well have a high content value for the consumer" or in politics - they directly translate to votes.

* Second, we should never have to see a political ad for someone or some issue for which we can't vote. This is a waste of money and a waste of my time. If I have to see ads, show me something that is relevant. This relevancy is most clear in the political campaign arena.

Addressing the second one first, because of the broadcast nature of current political advertising over television, reach and price make it difficult for all but the bigger campaigns with deep pockets. These include major metro races, county races, state races and national races. Otherwise, all of the other candidates don't use this medium because of the cost and inherent waste attributed to broadcast. But, what if we could only send the ads to those who had the ability to vote for in a particular race? What if the candidates or issue supporters could talk directly to particular demographic and psycographic groups of people? What if in a primary, the Republican candidate could talk only to Republican voters? What if voters in older areas of town were addressed with different topics and issues than those in the newer areas? There is the potential for a granularity that has only been possible through direct mail and canvassing in the past.

I refer to a quote attributed to the late Speaker of the House, Tip O'Neill who said All politics is local. This really is true and we see it in campaigns at every level including Presidential races where candidates go to the local fish frys, coffee shops, pancake breakfasts, Rotary Clubs and so forth. The face time in these venues with the appropriate message and image is critical for connecting with the voters. With targeting over electronic media, even more voters can be approached in the appropriate manner.

Who are the winners and the losers in an electronic targeting world of political campaigns? I think the voters win because the "noise" is reduced and only the ads that are relevant are shown. They also get a more relevant and appropriate message which could be great content value for them as they go to the polls. Campaigns win because they are using their money more wisely and hopefully are talking directly to their voters. Cable companies might win in that more campaigns can afford to advertise because of the targeting and segmenting of the viewer base.

posted by Andy Huckaba @ 12:20 PM