• by Gary Kreissman , June 12, 2008

So Obama and McCain are about to be anointed as Presidential nominees. And let's say their campaign staffs meet this week and talk marketing budgets. They'll go down the usual list: prime-time TV, heavy schedules in swing states, short inspirational films for convention use, lots of direct mail, a bunch of full-page ads in prestigious papers and so on. Of course, the campaigns will pay lip service to the online world with wry but reverent social media and blog entries.

But what about budgeting for performance marketing? What's the political equivalent of making the register ring? I'd argue it simply translates to cost per lead -- with the payoff in the voting booth. Let's look at the questions the candidates' staffs might ask about how successful CPL programs are put together:

Q: Is there an action we can influence?

A: Ultimately, it's called voting for your candidate.

 

Q: Can the audience be segmented?

A: Politics is a fantasy land for segmentation, with voting based on a huge range of demographic and psychographic splits: practical or emotional or religious issues, group identification, fear, love, and far more. Sounds like the basis for a large matrix of benefits that can be matched with attitudes and needs. Performance programs are designed specifically to lead consumers to respond from a selection of benefits that appeal to them.

 

Q: Do we need offers to motivate people to opt-in?

A: Often, because performance advertising gets best results through a simple proposition of exchanging information with the consumer. The advertiser says "I'll give you information on something you're interested in if you tell me what I want to know.". Usually, that means the consumer needs to volunteer contact information, agrees to allow further contact and expresses some interest in the "product." In political campaigns, that information can be specific to each consumer's hot button issues. And the further contact means providing more fodder to support positions as well as soliciting contributions.

 

Q: How does this work?

A: Your media partners will enable you to pay only for results, e.g. downloading a position paper or attending an online town meeting. No wasted impressions. And perhaps most important -- you will capture the respondent's name and the information you want to know about them. That makes continuity marketing much more cost-effective.

 

Q: Can we measure conversion?

A: Political marketers could view CPL advertising as the most efficient laboratory for testing which issues are the most appealing or most onerous for their candidates in particular, or voters in general. Unlike product marketers, political strategists aren't asking for an immediate sale. But using pre and post-polling would be an excellent proxy. And the results of what works on a performance basis can then be rolled out to other media.

 

Q: Is this really more efficient?

A: If presidential elections are really about influencing the 10% to 15% of swing voters in the handful of states that are in play, performance advertising should deliver a far better ROI than traditional media. Only pay for people who are open to being influenced, learn about what they want and tailor ongoing response accordingly.

See you in D.C. in January...