• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
  • Shop
  • Jobs Board
Campaigns & Elections logo

Campaigns & Elections

  • Subscribe
  • My Account
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • LinkedIn
  • Articles
    • Industry News
    • CampaignTech
    • Creative
  • Videos
  • Buyer’s Guide
  • Reports
  • Expert Database
  • Events
  • Awards
    • Reed Awards
    • CampaignTech Awards
    • Rising Stars
  • Consultant Directory
  • Become a Member
  • Shop
  • Job Board
  • Subscribe
  • My Account
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • LinkedIn

An Online Model for the GOP?

For Republican campaigns hoping to harness the Internet this November to propel everything from online fundraising to GOTV efforts, the campaign operation to emulate may very well be that of Scott Brown. The Massachusetts Sen.-elect bested the campaign of Democratic opponent Martha Coakley in just about every online metric you can measure, and in the process did something rare for Republican campaigns of late—offer an online model that actually moved the ball forward on a range of tactics. Brown’s campaign went up with a Google network blast a full five days before Tuesday’s election, blanketing Internet users with online ads, many of which were aimed at key Massachusetts towns the Brown camp had in its sights. For the most part, network blasts have been used as a last-minute GOTV tool, usually running in the 48 hours before Election Day. But the Brown camp expanded that window significantly and also used the early ads as a call for volunteers. The campaign’s online “money bomb,” which had a goal of some $500,000 in one day for the race, shattered those expectations and hauled in $1.3 million. In the following days, the online cash kept coming. In all, the Brown campaign raised an incredible $12 million online. The campaign used Google docs and spreadsheets to run field ops, and it took full advantage of Google’s new ad options for YouTube videos. The campaign also developed a canvassing app for iPhone and Blackberry, which allowed volunteers to download walk lists for their neighborhoods right to their phones. But perhaps most importantly, the man who headed up Brown’s new media efforts, Rob Willington, says he always had a seat at the strategy table and a say in every aspect of the campaign—from fundraising to field ops. “It was great because I wasn’t just the Internet guy,” says Willington, the former executive director of the Massachusetts GOP. Willington played a role in developing the traditional media strategy, too. He was even in the studio when the campaign was cutting TV ads. “When you’re that involved, you ensure that you’re online messaging is in sync with everything else,” he says. In the process, the Brown camp was also able shed some of the top-down management style that tends to define Republican campaigns. It readily accepted the sort of bottom-up grassroots initiative that GOP campaigns rarely, if ever, embrace. “They opened it up to volunteers and said, ‘You want to make a video? Go ahead,’” says Mindy Finn, a partner at the new media firm Engage. “The control wasn’t all in campaign headquarters. It was spread across the grassroots.” And, for what it’s worth, the raw numbers on social networking sites favored Brown big time. The Republican tripled Coakley’s followers on Twitter and had five times the number of fans on Facebook. Brown’s YouTube videos also garnered more than nine times the number of plays that Coakley’s did. As for what it could mean this November, one thing seems clear: The past year has done away with this idea that online tactics and tools are somehow less able to motivate and mobilize conservatives. “And the willingness to innovate is there now,” says Mindy Finn, who worked on the Brown campaign’s online fundraising efforts. “There are still some Democrats who think that because Obama so effectively used new media we have some natural advantage, but we don’t,” says Will Robinson, a Democrat and partner at The New Media Firm. “I think it shows that anyone in a marginal race this year ignores new media at their peril.”Shane D’Aprile is senior editor at Politics magazine. He can be reached at sdaprile@politicsmagazine.com

Share:
FacebookTweetLinkedIn

Primary Sidebar

By
Shane D'Aprile
01/20/2010 12:00 AM EST
FacebookTweetLinkedIn

C&E Creative Summit 2023 Countdown:

Get Tickets

Most Read

  • Digital Organizing

    How Digital Can Help Thread the Needle in Virginia

  • Sponsored

    Combine Digital Advertising With Direct Mail, The SMART Way

  • Sponsored

    Political Comms Is The Premium Peer-To-Peer Texting Platform

Subscribe for Industry News Plus the Latest in Campaign Strategy & Tactics

Hidden
This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

Become a member and get access to exclusive content.

Join Today

Footer

Upcoming Events

  • June 28

    The Future of Politics: Three Cutting-Edge Tools to Win in 2024

  • September 21

    Campaigns & Elections Creative Summit

Subscribe To Our Newsletter

For the latest in campaign strategy & tactics plus industry news and analysis, subscribe for free today.

"*" indicates required fields

This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

Follow us

Follow Campaign and Elections for more daily content.

  • Facebook
  • LinkedIn
  • Twitter
  • About
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms & Conditions
  • Contact

Copyright © 2023 Political World Communications, LLC

Advertisement

Subscribe for Industry News Plus the Latest in Campaign Strategy & Tactics

Hidden
This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.