Wednesday, March 18, 2009

Online campaigning

I have noticed that on most political blogs in BC it is the NDP that is getting their targeted ads in front of people - feel free to click on the one on the right side here and see the NDP online presence. I have not seen any from any other party at this point.

The only other political ones I have seen are for Support the Vote and for Vote Smart BC. I also see the Support the vote ads on facebook

On facebook I am seeing ads for Liberal candidate Donny van Dyk in Skeena come up all the time. It seems to be working for him because has 738 supporters on his page.

I would have expected more candidates to make use of the online world, especially the ones with few or no resources, but that does not seem to the case at the moment.

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

I doubt that on-line Google ads have any impact upon the 20% of the swing electorate.

Facebook allows for party activists and friends to join each other.

Again no real impact upon the 20% of the middle, swing electorate.

TV commercials still provide the "best bang for the buck", esp. during the high rating 6 pm news period IF THEY ARE REALISTIC.

That said, I have not seen any "effective" TV commercials during a BC provincial election campaign potentially dislodging that 20% to consider the other party.

The most effective political advertising that I have ever seen?

1. 1979 BC provincial election:

BC NDP ran "You Compare" TV ads (several different versions) with bar graphs comparing the financial, employment, education and other similar topics showing the '72 - '75 NDP surpassing the '75 to '79 Socreds.

Very effective. Even had me, as a centrist voter, thinking about same. And the '79 Socreds never countered those ads during the '79 "BRIC Share" and "Sunshine Budget" election.

The NDP almost pulled it off with its highest vote tally ever - 46%.

2. 1983 BC provincial election:

The NDP were favoured to win at the outset.

The Socreds ran several different versions (perhaps 10) of the "Average Voter" commercial, a 30-second TV clip with a different voter (name and occupation) that the TV viewer could identify with.

Very "down-to-earth" ads. They certainly caught my centrist affinities and must have dislodged many centrist voters considering the NDP.

Of course, Dave Barrett's much later in the campaign faux pas on
a Cranbrook radio station talk show stating that he would get rid of the 6% and 5% Socred government wage restraint program sealed the deal for the Socreds.

The federal Liberals here in BC did make an attempt at the "people" commercial in '06 or '08 (?) but they had 4 or 5 people in a 30 second TV commercial and it came across as "fluff".

That's the key - TV advertisements, focusing upon the 20% of centrist voters, that come across as "down to earth" and are "realistic".

The internet? NADA. At least for now.

My two cents.

Anonymous said...

If TV is so valuable for advertising then why are most corporation reducing TV budgets and moving to online advertising?

And, why are TV and new media going broke?

Anonymous said...

You might be interested in this Bernard. That's not the only thing he's ahead on -

http://battlegroundbc.com/2009/03/09/the-future-of-constituency-offices/

There's some great ideas coming out of this guys campaign. I expect to see this one be a huge surprise on election day. I personally have been up there (as I am good friends with him) and worked around the campaign office and been around the community and I get good vibes from everything I've seen.