[ Successful Online Campaigning for National Office: A Focus on the 2008 Presidential Campaign]
{ABSTRACT}
The internet has been an effective tool which has changed every area of the public world, and politics is no exception. In the past 3 decades, there has been a dramatic shift in the way political candidates, particularly presidential candidates, use the internet as a platform for increasing name recognition, gaining political support, fundraising and other purposes. The author proposes that the success of the political website depends on three distinguishing factors- planning, execution and maintenance. The paper begins by tracing the use of political websites in presidential campaigns, starting in 1996, and continuing into the 2008 presidential election. Specifically, the paper will cover the degree to which each website utilized the model of planning, execution and maintenance, and its positive and negative factors which went into the process. It will also go into detail about how branding and graphic design have been incorporated with the recent trend towards social networking, and how that played to Obama’s advantage in the 2008 election.
Introduction and Overview
The greatest goal of democracy is to empower the citizenry to work with its government for the greatest overall good. Until recently, this goal had to be met through the necessary compromise of representative majority, where in many cases; a few would represent many, usually in a manner which was necessarily fitted towards a trustee role rather than a pure delegate format. At bare minimum, there were relatively few instances where the representatives could reliably communicate with their constituents; as with any proportional representation, input would only be as fast as the communication that was available during that time. But now, as with every other area of communication, the face of political communication is changing like never before.
The age of digital instant communication has changed much of our world already, and the time has come where it can begin to modify the processes and structures of democracy as well. We already have a society where 42 percent of voters now look to the Internet for information about candidates- traditional news sources dominate at 88 percent of voters looking at Internet for information, while the actual campaign websites for the candidates garnered only a paltry 30 percent. By creating and utilizing effective websites, policymakers can gain access into a great untapped reserve of previously unreachable constituencies in a way that is truly unprecedented.
This separates itself from generalized public polling because this method allows politicians to get access to these voters in their native environment- engaging interest at the source. Since the first political websites for presidential candidacy were developed for the 1996 election between Clinton and Dole, there have been many marked improvements.
To understand the evolution of presidential online campaigning, it is important to ask- what are the elements of a successful Internet campaign? All of the websites can be described within the framework of a single model, which will serve to describe the function of all political campaign websites. These follow the model of Planning, Execution and Maintenance. Ultimately, the websites which best execute all three stages of the model will have the most success. Success of these websites can be defined in terms of measurable outputs such as funds raised, email lists acquired, meeting groups executed, volunteers enlisted and other nebulous self-reported data. And, as campaigns are necessarily as unique as the candidates they represent, there will be numerous differences between the campaign websites which will make the goal of creating fair comparisons and contrasts significantly harder.
The specific application of this model will be different for each campaign and depend on the technology of the day. However, the model of Planning, Execution and Maintenance allows these websites to be compared fairly in terms of shared components. All of these features can be independently measured separate from the partisan nature of the actual campaigns, a significant feature in that this model as described should be able to identify universally effective techniques for online campaigning as well as partisan techniques which can create an edge for a particular side.
Online campaigning has only recently had the extensive impact we’ve seen in the 2008 election. But by looking at the 2008 election in conjunction with the previous presidential elections which used internet campaigning, one can see a clear method of determining effective strategy. Through looking at the Planning, Execution and Maintenance of the websites, specific strategies emerge. Planning ultimately involves understanding the needs of the campaign, and as 2008 proves, it also involves identifying current trends in the electorate as well. Execution involves not only the adaptability of the website in terms of its ability to put out an effective message, but it also involves the appropriate application of interface design and graphical development which engages users and gets them to interact with the website. Maintenance involves control of the overall message of the campaign, and ensures that there are no distractions from the overall efficacy of the message.
• The Impact of Planning
Planning determines message and theme. However, in the case of the 2008 election in the context of the Barack Obama and John McCain websites, there is a clear case to be made that it involves realizing the current trends in the internet and adapting to them as they develop. Part of a successful strategy must include identifying the needs of the campaign, and we have seen that clearly in the case of websites like John Kerrey’s and George Bush’s. However something that clearly changes the dynamic of the 2008 election versus every other election before that point was the impact of the shift in internet technology. McCain had a late start on Obama’s kind of social networking incorporation for the website. This early disadvantage cost McCain untold volumes of support, as reflected by the fact that so many more young voters voted for Obama over McCain, by a margin of 68 percent to 30 percent. This difference must be attributed to the difference in the design of the website, as the former strategies of John McCain had yielded him considerably more positive responses in 2000, when students and college-age volunteers had made up a large part of his supporters. The major loss can be attributed to the fact that Obama’s campaign was so much more successful at creating a brand for the campaign which was so successful and able to be incorporated into existing social networks and utilized for mobilizing other supporters.
• The Impact of Execution
Execution in the campaigns is largely dependent on the degree to which the website can function as a single place for accessing all necessary information about a candidate from the perspective of the campaign. Towards this end, methods maximizing traffic and increasing page stay time are imperative. Clearly, the best example of effective usage of the internet to maximize these goals has been the campaign work of Barack Obama’s web team. However, this team has built on the successes of other presidential candidate’s websites, which have demonstrated the importance of an effective web format.
Also proven to be crucial has been the impact of an effective web interface and graphic design. Far from 1996 with the “web brochures”, the 2000 election showed the importance of adapting your website to your potential users. With the Gore/Lieberman website, while some of the material was excellent and groundbreaking, the fact that many people couldn’t access it using the most commonly available technology meant that people could be potentially turned off to the entire website.
In the case of the 2008 election, it became abundantly clear that branding and interface design had reached an entirely new level, and that the framework for drawing people in would be substantially changed. Utilizing a framework based on an understanding of social networking and successful graphic approaches, the Barack Obama team created a social networking site, my.barackobama.com which drew people in and made them a part of the movement.
The execution of the Barack Obama theme and message and brand was entirely unprecedented- the ad campaign that put the Obama logo and advertisement all over key social networking sites was entirely crucial to the fact that Obama’s theme was so universally recognized and utilized as a means for attaining support and gaining community. As the message was carried out and put into high-profile areas as well as specifically-targeted communities, supporters could immediately identify themselves with the overall movement and reach out to other people, ultimately yielding a strategy which spread to the communities around them. This would ultimately result in increased recognition as well as more impetuous for a real-world application of support.
• The Impact of Maintenance
One of the most significant findings of the 2008 research was the level of coordination between the campaigns and the social networks and blogs do have an impact on how message is ultimately disseminated. This was clearly demonstrated in the sheer lack of coordination between McCain’s social networking site, My McCain Space, and the McCain Victory 2008 blogroll. Alternative sites must be a help rather than a hindrance to the campaign. Ensuring that proper message control is maintained can make sure that there are no distractions from the key messages of the campaign. Part of this relates back to the planning element, and ensuring that the message of the campaign can be appropriately related through alternative social networking sites can ensure that there are no such issues involved with communicating the needs of the campaign.
• Implications of the Analysis
Future presidential campaigns will certainly benefit from a strong understanding of how the fallout of the 2008 election has changed the dynamics for all future campaigns. In the words of Cyrus Krohn, there will never be another election where there will not be a social networking aspect involved in the campaign somehow. The paradigm shift in this election was clearly captured by the web team employed by Barack Obama, while John McCain’s team was still building mainly off of the previous advancements in technology and capacity from the 2000 and 2004 elections.
Crucial to planning is the branding element, and the creation of a symbol which can be used as a rallying cry for the whole campaign, as well as become a representation of the important things the campaign is fighting for. When used successfully, this can become a significant factor in developing support and cultivating a community of supporters who are not only proud to support their candidate but who also look towards networking with each other to make sure that the goals of the campaign are carried out.
Planning, Execution and Maintenance are the key areas in which a candidate can utilize an overall strategy which works for every future campaign. However, from 2008 and onwards, there must be a recognition of the impact of the social networking elements, where people increasingly identify themselves in groups and associations, and its importance in all future elections. To capture the full use of the internet, it is crucial to capitalize on the recent trends in internet technology and understand the potential impact of message development and branding in reaching out to various different groups of potential constituents and supporters.
A strong original symbol which effectively communicates the message of the campaign is critical in the planning stage, as future supporters will want a symbol to unite them and create a platform from which they can reach out to people around them and have them unify themselves. This creates a basis for supporters to ally together and work on recruitment and other activities. Then, a strong execution maximizing the symbolism and making it more applicable to social networking as well as creating places for supporters to meet and join each other creates a means for collaboration and mutual support makes for a high level of enthusiasm for the candidate and considerably higher participation rates. Then maintenance of the message is considerably enhanced by simultaneously being able to manage the original message through having a scalable and applicable message already in place, and making sure that secondary networks have a strong understanding of the actual message of the campaign.
Conclusion
The progression of internet technology has forever changed the face of politics. Technological advances have led to the point where some argue that there will never be another campaign which does not take the social networking aspect of online campaigning seriously. The consensus is that after 2008, things will never be the same:
Mr. Trippi, who worked for one of Mr. Obama’s rivals in the Democratic primary, former Senator John Edwards, said: “It has all come together for one guy, Barack Obama. But now that it’s happened, it’s a permanent change.”
To be sure, the current advances online would not be possible without the background of previous campaigns. From the very beginning with the very first political sites from Clinton and Dole even without the capacity for growth or expansion, there were definite campaign elements being brought out.
When the Internet was just beginning to become a powerful resource in 2000, the early primary campaigning of John McCain would set major precedents for future races. Bush’s website came to symbolize maintenance with its reformulations and regular updates, and Gore’s website demonstrated the use of interactive and engaging elements. In 2004 there was yet another major evolutionary jump for the internet, along with a corresponding political shift. Howard Dean’s campaign would start many precedents which would be used in many later internet campaigns. With the Bush and Kerrey websites, planned needs of the campaign would turn into the executed purposes of the website. Ultimately the difference in emphasis on the websites would demonstrate the different needs of the campaigns.
In Clinton vs. Dole, the very first political sites competed only on a visual level, and there was not much room for growth or expansion. In the Gore vs. Bush race, the Internet was just beginning to become a powerful resource, and the early primary campaigning of John McCain set major precedents for future races. Bush’s website would eventually become the model for maintenance, with many growing evolutions over time, while Gore’s website executed more interactive and engaging elements. 2004 saw a major evolutionary jump for the internet, and the political world responded- Howard Dean capitalized on this growth significantly. In Bush vs. Kerrey, there was a definite correlation between the planned needs of the campaign and the executed purposes of the website- the difference in emphasis was designed to suit the different needs of the campaigns.
These precedents, combined with the rise in internet use and social networking development over the 2008 election cycle, led to a significant impact in the McCain vs. Obama race, as well as significant impacts in the primary race. Early internet grassroots campaigning helped Obama considerably in his ground game against Hillary Clinton, and would ultimately benefit him in his general election campaigning against John McCain. John McCain’s late start, combined with lack of message cohesion, ultimately created perceptions that haunted the campaign late into the general election campaign. Ultimately, the groundswell of support Obama enjoyed came from a strongly developed planning strategy which incorporated thematic branding and strong message development, an execution strategy which made the symbolism of the rise of Barack Obama that much more powerful and a maintenance operation which maintained the original message and ensured that it was communicated effectively throughout the social networking applications it managed.
For there to be a similar strategy like this in the future, it would need to take full advantage of the lessons of this election and make the planning strategy start with recognition of the importance of social networking. But if 2008 has taught a single lesson, it is that more than any other area, the internet is one where considerable change can happen. If there are significant changes in the way the internet operates in the next 4 years until the next election, an appropriate planning strategy will clearly involve not just the social networks of 2008, but whatever new advancements come next.
Works Cited
CNN “Exit Polls.” Available online: http://www.cnn.com/ELECTION/2008/results/polls/#val=USP00p1
Dunham , Richard S. “Campaign 2000: How the Candidates Stack Up -- on the Web.” Business Week, December 31, 1999. Available online: http://www.businessweek.com/ebiz/9912/el1231.htm
Feltz, Renee. Columbia Journalism Review. “Blogged Down in the Past- McCain’s top-down Internet tactics can’t keep up with Obama’s social networking strategy”. Accessible online: http://www.cjr.org/campaign_desk/blogged_down_in_the_past.php
iCrossing. 2007. “How America Searches: Election '08.” iCrossing Digital Marketing Company Accessed 30 April 2008. Available online: http://www.icrossing.com/articles/how_america_searches_election_2008.pdf
Krohn, Cyrus. Director, RNC eCampaign. Personal Interview. 10/15/2008.
Nagourney, Adam. New York Times. “The ’08 Campaign: Sea Change for Politics as We Know It.” Available online: http://www.nytimes.com/2008/11/04/us/politics/04memo.html?_r=2&hp&oref=slogin&oref=slogin
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