Winning Mark Blog
Social media's growing influence on politics
There’s no doubt social media has changed the way we live and work, and new studies are showing that sites like Facebook and Twitter are also having a major impact in the halls of Congress.
One poll found that senior Congressional and European Parliamentarian staffers regularly use Web sites and social media to research, influence and set policy. According to a story on edelman.com, “Nearly every staffer (96%) uses online resources for public policy research, more than half (54%) reported learning of policy issues for the first time online and one in five (19%) actually changed policy positions based on information and opinions they found online.” The poll also found staffers use blogs and social media to track constituent opinions on issues.
The debate is raging at the National Journal’s Under the Influence blog about how influential social media really is to politicians. Reporter Bara Vaida asks the question: to what extent are lobbyists using social media and how does that impact elected officials? The response from many experts in the field was overwhelming: anyone trying to influence government must embrace social media.
One study examines how members of Congress themselves are embracing social media and Twitter in particular. The report: "Twongress - The Power of Twitter in Congress" found that many Senators and Representatives are using Twitter. Adoption of Twitter varies by party and by House vs. Senate. House Republicans are the most active users of Twitter – that group sent out 29,162 Tweets during the study’s time frame, compared to just 5,503 tweets from Democrats.
Social media is changing the way politicians influence and are influenced. Sites like Facebook and Twitter are having a growing impact on how politicians and their staffers gather information and form policy positions. Lobbyists and constituents are also having success getting through to politicians using the same means.
Posted by Annie Hundley on August 25, 2010 in Social Media
Online advertising shouldn't have to be DIY
AOL has launched a cookie-cutter, do-it-yourself online advertising purchasing platform in time for this fall’s midterm elections. The internet giant says AOL Advertising Politics is geared toward new and less experienced campaigns that will likely be making online ad buys for the first time this fall.
According to a story in Brand Week, AOL has thrown some staff at the project, but mostly hopes that advertisers will do it themselves with an Ad Desk Platform. The program asks the advertiser some questions and then suggests tactics based on the type of campaign.
Winning Mark has been doing online ad placement for more than 10 years. Advertising Politics could not be more different than Winning Mark’s approach to online ad buys. Winning Mark works closely with clients to understand the goals and objectives of the campaign and then works strategically to place online ads that will get the most bang for the buck.
Posted by Annie Hundley on August 3, 2010 in Display Advertising
BP oil spill threatens reproductive health
Winning Mark is proud to work with campaigns for reproductive rights and health along with campaigns for stronger laws protecting all of us from toxic chemicals. This blog post by Kimberly Inez McGuire with the Reproductive Health Technology Project talks about the links between the oil spill, toxic chemicals, and environmental and reproductive health and justice in the Gulf region. Inez McGuire argues that the BP oil spill will most impact Gulf Coast communities that are already overburdened with environmental contamination and the health problems that result. Check out the blog post here.
Posted by Annie Hundley on July 12, 2010 in Issue Advocacy
Chemical reform video goes viral
Winning Mark client Safer Chemicals, Healthy Families found a way to have fun with the serious issue of toxic chemical regulation in this new video. The organization created this video to raise awareness about the need for Congress to pass chemical reform. The characters you will meet in the video are cartoons, but the plot is ripped straight from the headlines.
Posted by Annie Hundley on July 7, 2010 in Issue Advocacy, Web
Maps shed new light on crime data
Here is an interesting use of mapping with a data set. In San Francisco, Data Visualization Engineer Doug McCune took the city’s 2009 crime statistics and mapped the crimes as if they were elevation. The more crime in an area, the higher the peak.
McCune took the exercise a step further by breaking out crime-specific maps to show where crimes like narcotics, assault, burglaries and prostitution are most common. Visually the maps are fascinating because they show how certain crimes are concentrated in very specific centers. This image is the prostitution map and shows the epicenter of prostitution is just a two-block stretch on one street. The maps also show where crime isn’t happening – some sections of the city are flat in many of the maps.
Understanding how to pair data with maps is critical to a successful targeted mail campaign.
Winning Mark uses geo targeting to target mail and even to produce print-on-demand versions of mail pieces based on data points. We have developed individual mail pieces for hundreds of thousands of voters containing specific information related to their exact address. This type of variable data printing combined with precise geo targeting makes for an incredibly effective use of limited communications resources.
Posted by Annie Hundley on June 15, 2010 in Data Services, Direct Mail, Featured
