Trumblog

Sara Taylor is the former political director of the Bush White House and she has one idea [about what will be next in harnessing grass-roots political support via technology]. “We’re at a place in the country where almost everybody has a cell phone, but not many people have a smartphone, meaning a video-enabled phone. But that will change over the next three to four or five years” and by then Taylor says if you are a mom with two kids who cares about education “a smart, forward-leaning campaign will know that. They will have had you sign up into their system and they’ll be able to serve you advertising, via a text message that links right to video, with your candidate speaking, in a beautiful video, about the importance of education reform. That, I think, is most likely to be the next iteraction of new technology .”

Obama Looks To Harness Grass-Roots Support
by Mara Liasson Morning Edition on NPR 11/12/2008

It feels like since the election news has been either deciphering the Obama campaign or prognosticating about the Obama administration and last week on Morning Edition there was a piece on technology and social media discussing what Obama would do with his enormous database of volunteers collected and motivated to action online.  In the report, Sara Taylor from the Bush White House envisioned a country of soccer/ hockey moms, smart phone in hard having exactly the right message targeted to them.  That’s not far fetched and I’m sure that in 2012 it will happen.  But if that is what Taylor learned from the Obama campaign then the Republicans should prepare themselves for a longer absence from the oval office than they think.  What they should learn is exactly what I told the radio “It’s not about advertising it’s about conversation.”

Targeting audiences is nothing new.  Direct mail has been doing it for years.  And targeting an individual voter/ consumer through their smart phone, a highly personalized medium that can deliver faster a more dynamic video message, would clearly have a significant impact.  But it’s still a one-way communication.  Taylor’s not seeing the opportunity in the revolutionary way that Obama used the internet this election.

Obama succeeded because he engaged in a conversation with his audience, a two-way communication.  He didn’t just send messages, he encouraged a response.  And the response that he got was amazing.  New websites, blogs, songs on YouTube and artwork about Obama appeared every day.  My wife and I wondered if any candidate had ever inspired such art before.  Probably not, but even if they had the internet allowed the artists to promote their art and social media helped to spread the word and make it viral.

Supporters shared the latest inspired reaction to Obama via email, Facebook, MySpace, blogs, etc. and those recipients forwarded them along again. The echo chamber got louder and louder.  A message from a politician is one thing.  A message from a friend about that politician is quite another.  Why?  Because your friend is trustworthy, or an expert on some issue, or you just want to be like her.  Whatever the reason, hearing about the campaign from a friend is a powerful and persuasive message.  And messages from many friends about the same politician becomes a movement.

Understanding what audiences want and how to reach that particular segment is tough. Smart phones can make that easier. But the real revolution will be the mom with a smart phone who records a rally and sends to her friend’s phone the part of her candidate’s speech that resonates with her.  That’s an even more targeted message from a trusted source.  That’s the message that changes minds and inspires action. That’s what leads to a historic election result.

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