Fundraising Drives Web Election Campaigns in U.S., But Not in U.K.

Here in the U.S., political campaigns treat the Web like an ATM, asking for donations in display ads, or promoting “money bomb” fundraising events on Facebook and Twitter to dredge up lots of cash in a short period of time. It’s not surprising that U.S. election campaigns have their hands out online, where clicking to donate is quick, easy, and traceable. And because they spend the bulk of their ad budgets on television – an expensive outlet from production and media buying standpoints – most of the money collected online and elsewhere ends up on TV.

But it’s not like that everywhere. In the U.K., for instance, fundraising is not a major component of election campaigns, and that is reflected in how they operate online. I was able to chat with people involved in the digital campaigns for the U.K.’s top political parties last week at the Search Engine Strategies Conference in London during our “Digital Media Meets Party Politics” panel. Panelist Mark Pack, representing the Liberal Democrats, has an extensive knowledge of election history and the Internet’s effect on elections today.

I spoke with him after our panel about this key fundraising distinction between U.S. and U.K. elections. Have a look in the video below, courtesy of SEO-PR.

Mark Pack is head of digital at Mandate Communications, and co-editor of Liberal Democrat Voice. He previously served as head of innovations for the Liberal Democrats.

Follow Kate Kaye on Twitter at @LowbrowKate.

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