Harry Reid and the Online Ad Attack
The 2008 Presidential election changed the political landscape forever. Not only did we see a historical election unfold, with a Cinderella candidate if there ever was one…but, the Obama campaign harnessed something more powerful and effective than anyone had ever seen: the online ad
Yes, Howard Dean was one of the first to pioneer the online grassroots approach, however, the Obama Campaign shattered all records raising over a half a billion dollars in the 21 month contest. Of course running ads and receiving online donations are entirely different things. Still, the rise of online campaign activity will be the largest medium for candidates to express their message.
Just ask Senate Majority Leader, (D-NV) Harry Reid.
After making what some seem to think as racially insensitive statements about Barack Obama, you would think things couldn’t get worse for this guy.
Think Again.
If you’ve spent any considerable time on news and opinion sites the past few weeks, I’m sure you’ve seen The Great Reid’s picture plastered everywhere.
Slogans like, “Kick Harry Reid Out of Office” have heated up since his” off the record” comments surfaced. Even though the Democratic Primary is not till June, by his opponents have increase hoping to gain some momentum…especially after the recent events.
Other ads spotted around cyberspace include, “Defeat Harry Reid Once & For All,” and “Tark” wants to “Retire Harry Reid.” (Referring to his primary opponent Danny Tarkanian.)
Should Ted Kennedy’s former seat fall back to the Republicans in today’s election, that will be another problem for Reid to deal with…it will result in a lost of his super majority in the senate. That’s another conversation.
Also, when you Google, “Nevada Senate Race,” text ads by opponents are also being displayed.
From a online marketer perspective, any online advertising a candidate can do will beat out TV advertising 10 fold. If you could reach someone looking for information on the Nevada Senate Race, not only is this a cheap method…but this visitor is far more likely to sign up for updates or make a monetary contribution.
The Obama campaign used similar methods to refute claims tying him with terrorist Bill Ayers, and groups saying he couldn’t produce a valid birth certificate.
I haven’t seen any ads from the Reid campaign disputing the claims made about the Senator. As the race heats up, and it becomes clear re-election will be no walk in the park…you should expect to see all news and political sites plastered with them. Not only going on the offensive, but countering existing claims.
