Talbot Digital

Tough Ad Hits Walker

admin — Tue, 01 May 2012 05:03:37 +0000

Check out this recent spot for Greater Wisconsin, holding Scott Walker accountable for Wisconsin’s dead last rating on jobs:

This is the first major ad to go up in the fight to remove Governor Walker from office this summer.

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Gearing Up for the Pollies

admin — Fri, 16 Mar 2012 03:59:25 +0000

The 2012 Pollie Awards are less than two weeks away in Austin. The team here is helping the AAPC bring some new blood to the annual event for political consulting pros. We’re excited that this year’s Pollies will offer a full track of breakout sessions that focus on the impact of new media and technologies in politics. A few of the topics we’ll tackle with experts in the field:

Persuasion - Most campaign resources go into persuasive messaging. How should online advertising be part of the media mix? Learn how pre-roll ads, in-banner video, rich media, and precision targeting are helping to support persuasion efforts – and providing new options for consultants who want to win.

Fundraising - Barack Obama and John McCain raised ¾ of a billion dollars from online donors, but campaigns at every level can successfully leverage online fundraising. Learn the latest trends and techniques from those pioneering online fundraising best practices for local, regional, and statewide campaigns.

GOTV - In the final hours of an election, digital media is the most frequent contact point with voters. Digital tools help you deliver the GOTV message directly and can aid in-the-field organizers and supporters. Don’t miss an opportunity to learn how you can push your vote total higher with online and mobile GOTV programs in the final 72 hours.

And here’s a preview of just a few of the top digital strategists who are on the agenda:

Eli Pariser, MoveOn

Peter Greenberger, Twitter

Andrew Roos, Google

Kate Kaye, ClickZ

Rich Masterson, CampaignGrid

Mike Alm, Strategic Fundraising

Amy Barth, YouTube

Roger Stone, Advocacy Data

John Hlinko, Left Action

Want to see us in Austin? Hurry up and register now.

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Digital Politics in Brazil

admin — Mon, 05 Mar 2012 01:27:10 +0000

This month founder Chris Talbot had the chance to visit Brazil and meet with various government and political organizations. Below he shares some notes from the trip:

Tip O’Neill said all politics is local. Anyone who abides by that maxim should consider political work in Brazil and make the necessary voyage to the field: what an amazing country. There is great enthusiasm springing from the concrete jungle of São Paulo and optimism on the beach in Rio (host of the 2016 Olympic Games). The wonderful lifestyle and culture combined with an ambitious economic project makes Brazil an interesting global destination on many levels, and the political opportunities are growing. Processes, funding, opacity, and a web of arcane (often vague) media laws make the political and government relations world a veritable Wild West in comparison to the US. Some highlights:

Digital is becoming a basic part of campaigning in Brazil, though there is a wide range of quality and investment.
Mobile is huge: there are more mobile numbers in Brazil than there are people. This is a bit misleading though, in that most numbers are prepaid, and many individuals have multiple phones. Our maid in São Paulo had two phones!
Facebook has won: it recently passed Orkut in usership and will be the dominant social network in Brazil going forward. The catch phrase in Ipanema? “Face-y-book me!”
In general Brazilian politics and campaigns are laden with corruption and behind-the-scenes dealings.
Campaigns cost money. Brazilian political campaigns and parties spend aggressively to win, hiring many staff and consultants. There are no “volunteers” in these campaigns, everyone gets paid.
Brazilian laws on media make it literally impossible for campaigns to invest in online advertising (the same is true for certain Brazilian public sector promotional campaigns that the government runs). Advertising in traditional media outlets is extensive and required.

There are some very smart digital consultants on the ground in São Paulo and Brasília… they are making strides to bring Brazil into the 21st century of political marketing, but there’s a long way to go.

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Obama Gets Facebook Timeline

admin — Wed, 29 Feb 2012 03:25:45 +0000

This week President Obama updated his Facebook: he enabled the new Timeline design Facebook has been rolling out since last year. There’s a winking mug with a picture of the President’s birth certificate, a nice dig at the Birthers. But the best part of the page is the latest iteration of a striking graph on job growth the Obama team has been trotting out at every opportunity: it’s the cover photo. Alex Fitzpatrick at Mashable:

Visitors to Obama’s Timeline are greeted with a smiling photo of the president alongside his cover photo, a graph often shared by Obama supporters that highlights the president’s job creation record. Putting that chart in such a prominent position makes sense, given Obama’s apparent strategy of running for re-election on an “America is back” platform of optimism about the country’s economic recovery…. Clearly, Obama’s digital team got the most out of Facebook Timeline’s graphics-friendly format.

Here’s the link to the full article.

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Lessons in Website Domains

admin — Wed, 21 Dec 2011 17:47:32 +0000

For the latest example of a website owned by someone other than who you think, check out… NewtGingrich.com. You may recall Jon Huntsman had a similar issue earlier this year…

Update: American Bridge is now forwarding this URL to another not-so-conservative post on Gingrich…

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Back from Istanbul

admin — Mon, 28 Nov 2011 12:49:46 +0000

We had the wonderful opportunity to spend a few days in Istanbul this month with other members of the International Association of Political Consultants. As always the IAPC annual conference proved to be a great event full of stories, insights, and unique observations from political operatives around the globe.

Of note: the growing interest from the whole group about social media and how it can impact elections. This was a change. Previously interest has mostly been confined to operatives in North America, Europe, and select parts of South America. No doubt the Arab Spring did much to arouse interest from further global quarters.

AP Story Tracks Digital Rise

admin — Sun, 27 Nov 2011 22:04:22 +0000

A nice story from Beth Fouhy at AP on the rising influence of digital media in political campaigns, with a focus on advertising – posted at RealClearPolitics. Chris Talbot quoted.

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Screens are for Video

admin — Tue, 01 Nov 2011 16:49:32 +0000

Television is a mechanism for delivering video. We should be thinking about PC, mobile and television and your own website as ways to deliver video.

- Tony Pace, CMO Subway. Courtesy of AdAge

Happy Halloween

admin — Mon, 31 Oct 2011 16:45:00 +0000

Happy Halloween, from of our old friends at Google.

Hacking Group Anonymous Takes Over Syrian Govt Website

admin — Mon, 08 Aug 2011 01:20:28 +0000

Late Sunday night hackers at Anonymous gained control of the Syrian Ministry of Defense’s website, showcasing support for opposition to the Syrian government while again highlighting the ineffective cyber-security capabilities of governments and major private global entities. The hacking group offers a direct message for Syrians, and we will re-post it without editing:

To the Syrian people: The world stands with you against the brutal regime of Bashar Al-Assad. Know that time and history are on your side – tyrants use violence because they have nothing else, and the more violent they are, the more fragile they become. We salute your determination to be non-violent in the face of the regime’s brutality, and admire your willingness to pursue justice, not mere revenge. All tyrants will fall, and thanks to your bravery Bashar Al-Assad is next.

To the Syrian military: You are responsible for protecting the Syrian people, and anyone who orders you to kill women, children, and the elderly deserves to be tried for treason. No outside enemy could do as much damage to Syria as Bashar Al-Assad has done. Defend your country – rise up against the regime!

This is an impressive hack and worth checking out if you can view it before it is removed. If and when it is shutdown you can view screenshots and links via The Atlantic.