Excellent post today in National Journal's "Technology Daily" today on how political campaigns "are now relying on blogs to 'test market' new messages with small, niche audiences before transforming them into full-release commercials and press releases." Reporting from the Online News Association meeting in Madison, Wisconsin, Gene J. Koprowski wrote...
The trend started on the state level but is going national with the 2008 presidential campaigns, experts said here at the Online News Association's regional conference.
Wisconsin Republican strategist Brian Fraley indicated that statewide blogs are an excellent tool to "test ideas -- and see if they are press release worthy." He said campaigns overall are now devoting more staffing and money to monitoring and cultivating bloggers and online sites.
Fraley cited this week's example of Fred Thompson, a possible candidate for the Republican presidential nomination, releasing an online video in response to a recent trip to Cuba by liberal filmmaker, author and activist Michael Moore.
Thompson previously had criticized the trip, and Moore challenged him to a debate. Thompson answered the challenged in a video released through the Internet rather than the mainstream media. In the video, Thompson noted that another documentary filmmaker had been put in a mental hospital in Cuba. "He made quite a point of emphasizing the words 'mental institution'" when speaking to Moore through the video, Fraley said.
Democratic consultant Ted Osthelder agreed that the Internet video had a dramatic impact on Thompson's visibility as a potential player in 2008. "I don't think campaigns are going to spend $100 million on YouTube.com" like they might on traditional campaign ads, Osthelder said, but more people may well remember Thompson's inexpensive video.
That's because the mainstream media gave the ad national coverage, Osthelder said.
Interesting.
The blogosphere is a rather large focus-group.
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