If you have been on Facebook, Twitter, or any other social media platform recently you may have seen a post or two (or three thousand depending on your friends and followers) related to the 2012 Presidential Election. The Obama and Romney campaigns have fully embraced social media in this election. As a voter, you are just two clicks away from getting your hands dirty in the debates and issues. In this election, The Democratic Party has streamed prime-time speeches live on the Internet and the Republican Party has a full-time digital communications manager on staff.
While your news feeds and timelines become inundated with election-related
information, your mailbox (your REAL mailbox that is connected to a street –
not the one connected to G-Mail) is also filling up. Both campaigns are spending a pretty penny on
traditional direct mail pieces to capture voters’ attention. The
Republican National Committee has spent about $102 million on mail costs. The Obama Campaign has spent about $73
million. Polling has showed that
supporters of Romney skew older; making direct mail especially crucial. The older generations of voters that Romney
is aiming to reach are generally more comfortable with traditional direct mail
rather than online communication.
Two very different direct mail pieces have been sent out to
targeted micro groups from each campaign.
A targeted Romney mail piece to seniors in Florida features an older
couple, highlighting his desire to preserve Medicare. On the other side of the spectrum, targeted
mail from the Obama Campaign is being sent to women voters, highlighting his
healthcare plan.
These are just two examples of targeted direct mail pieces that
the election has seen this year. Both
candidates are also using email marketing, television and radio ads, and phone
banks to break through to voters. Messaging
nowadays is fast and confusing. To succeed,
candidates have to maintain presence on all available mediums and stay
consistent in their outreach.
There are only 23 days left until the 2012 Election. Not that we are counting or anything.
