Election '06: Political Advertisers Oughtta Be Committed

“When committing to rich media, commit fully,” instructed a collective of like-minded promoters of online political ads, trade association E-Voter Institute, rich media ad firm PointRoll, Inc., and political consulting firms Connell Donatelli Inc. and MSHC Partners Inc. The quartet unveiled a list of “rich media best practices for political candidates” yesterday.

The digested list recommends using the Web, including rich media, for all campaign objectives, including fundraising, get out the vote and canvassing. (It’s interesting to note the release left out persuasion. That’s a big one, and I’ve heard some folks question the Web’s ability to persuade voters. Of course, streaming TV ads within a banner should persuade just as well as running a TV ad on TV, shouldn’t it?)

Another suggestion: “Engage voters through compelling creative that connects and influences.” And in doing so, tailor messages to intended targets. The list also says to target geographically, then add other ads and live appearances (duh?).

Just make sure your opponent doesn’t drown out your live rhetoric with convict-propelled lawn mowers.

Not surprising, the list recommends using lots of interactive features, naming a bunch that PointRoll offers in its Voter Impact suite of ad formats. The company seems pretty devoted to wooing political advertisers this year; its site homepage prominently promotes the Voter Impact units and even displays a “Fatboy for class president” pin.

The list also suggests creating online-only footage (something companies like PointRoll and Klipmart have been pushing for a long time now), noting “Commitment to using the online channel will leverage television ads and provide feedback about message effectiveness.”