Where Younger Voters Get Their Information

June 17, 2008

Last week, as the primary phase of the presidential campaigns ended and the run up to the November elections began in earnest, Ad Age and Digital Hollywood held their co-produced extravaganza Advertising 2.0 in New York City.

Among the panelists was Kristi Vandenbosch head of Tequila, the global marketing services network, who put together a video reel to emphasize the dramatic change in politics. Her message and the message of the video is that social media and user-generated content have fundamentally changed the political landscape. Where once the ‘brand" (read ‘candidate’) was controlled by campaigns, control has now shifted to the "consumer" (read ‘voter’).

Ms. Vandenbosch told Ad Age, "The pieces I collected in the video were examples from an informal poll I conducted asking people under 35 where they got their election information. Rather than traditional news outlets, they provided these as samples. They were more likely to trust commentary –even satirical commentary –from their peers than either news or — especially — the candidates’ advertising." I’m not sure the reason for the shift is that clear or simple, but judge for yourself.

You can watch the Ad Age video by clicking here.

Roger

Posted by rcraver | Filed Under General Post, advocacy, branding, communications, creativity, demographic trends, new media, online video | Leave a Comment 

Seniors online

June 3, 2008

Last week was devoted to the up and coming world of social networking and the younger demographic active in that area.

But here’s some equal time for seniors, who are typically online 44 minutes a day.

From a report prepared by Focalyst and Dynamic Logic, here’s a profile of what seniors age 62+ are doing online these days:

  • Search engines: 59 percent
  • Contact family and friends: 59 percent
  • Gather information: 47 percent
  • News/current events/weather: 43 percent
  • Travel planning/reservations: 41 percent
  • Health and health-related information: 38 percent
  • Exchange photos with family/friends: 33 percent
  • Finance/online banking: 24 percent
  • Paying bills: 23 percent
  • Single/multiple-player games: 21 percent
  • Investment/transactions: 17 percent
  • Education/training: 13 percent

Note that financial stuff hangs around one-in-four senior netizens. If they’re not doing online banking or paying bills online, they’re not likely to be making online donations either.

But still, nearly half gather information online, and more than four-in-ten follow news and current events online … important from a cause fundraising standpoint … trust me, if they have a online subscription to the NY Times, they’re donors!

Tom

 

 

Posted by tbelford | Filed Under General Post, communications, issue fundraising, media usage, online advocacy, online fundraising | Leave a Comment 

Building E-lists

April 30, 2008

Remember the good ‘ol days of direct mail fundraising, when if you needed names you just went out and rented or exchanged for them by the bucketloads? And if you knew what you were doing, you could get pretty decent ones.

Of course in the online fundraising culture, new rules apply. [How we direct marketers ever let that happen, I don’t know!]

So, we have to build our own e-lists. Permission marketing. What a pain!

Ironically, despite the fact that permission marketing is the rule of the road for online marketing, whereas the direct mail list market is alive and well, donors still report being far more comfortable receiving an un-solicited direct mail pitch than an email solicitation.

According to The Agitator’s latest DonorTrends survey, 15% of donors are very uncomfortable receiving a fundraising request by mail, versus 53% by email. True, the email discomfort drops to 19% if the email comes from "someone you know." But that raises the interesting philosophical question: Do you really know Paul Newman more than ________ (fill in your exec director’s name) in their emailing personas?!

A virtual invasion of privacy is regarded as far more dastardly than a hard copy one, even though both are "deleted" equally easily. With spam filters these days, do you still get more unwanted email than snail mail?

Of course, some of us try to take short cuts and even try trick our prospects into parting with their email addresses. Here’s a humorous take on the matter.

Tom

Posted by tbelford | Filed Under General Post, email marketing, online fundraising | Leave a Comment 

Are You Targeting Boomers?

April 14, 2008

Here, from Inside Direct Mail, is an elementary but decent article on direct marketing to Boomers.

Roger & Tom

Posted by tbelford | Filed Under General Post | Leave a Comment 

Stunning Stat

April 10, 2008

Reuters reports that the internet will usurp television as the biggest advertsing medium in Britain by the end of 2009 … according to a report by the Internet Advertising Bureau (IAB) and PricewaterhouseCoopers.

For three generations, TV has ruled the roost. Talk about a paradigm shift!

In the US, 2007 online advertising is estimated at $21 billion by the IAB and TV is at $47 billion according the Television Bureau of Advertising … so internet advertising still lags considerably behind. But there’s no reason to believe the same shift won’t happen here, sooner rather than later.

Getting ready for an environment where TV viewing doesn’t totally dominate what consumers think and buy? Or what donors know and think is important?

What do you know about your donors’ online habits and preferences? Watch this space tomorrow!

Tom

 

Posted by tbelford | Filed Under General Post | Leave a Comment 

50 Ways To Increase Direct Mail Response

April 4, 2008

The Target Marketing Group is offering a webinar on April 24 titled 50 New Ways to Increase Response. Cost is $79.

The session is specifically focused on commercial direct mail, package components, etc., but many of these tactical best practices will probably apply to DM and online fundraising offers and presentation as well.

I can’t vouch for the presenter, Alan Rosenspan, president of a firm bearing his name, but the promotion says an earlier work of his — 101 Ways to Increase Response — first published in Inside Direct Mail has been requested online by almost 15,000 direct marketing professionals. Clients range from American Express to Boston Celtics.

For the price of $79, you’ll be getting the distilled best 50 tips! For your cheapsters, the 101 Ways item is available free on his site.

Tom

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Is That A Note On Your Chair?

March 17, 2008

When was the last time someone left a handwritten note on your chair?

When was the last time you left such a note for a colleague?

Try it today. See if you think it produces any different experience or outcome.

Maybe email or — horrors — instant messaging (while we’re at it, when was the last time you saw "IM" spelled out?!) is just fine.

Tom

P.S. Maybe just an invite for some green beer today!

P.P.S. I haven’t received a note on my chair from a colleague in over three years. But that’s another story!

Posted by tbelford | Filed Under General Post, fun | Leave a Comment 

Test Your News IQ - 2008

March 14, 2008

Just for Friday fun, take the latest Pew News IQ quiz.

To score high, you’ll need to know about war casualities and stock market performance. But the biggest stumper is a political question.

Average American scored 50%.

Good luck!

Roger & Tom

Posted by tbelford | Filed Under General Post, fun | Leave a Comment 

A Liberal Remembers William F. Buckley, Jr.

February 28, 2008

William F. Buckley, Jr., the intellectual father of modern American conservatism, died at age 82 at his desk yesterday.  His 50 books and seven tons of other writings now residing in the archives at his beloved Yale University don’t even begin to do him justice when it comes to understanding what this polysyllabic, prolific agitator did to and for America.

As a raging liberal I always felt it was my duty to villify or at least vehemently disagree with him.  This morning, no matter what I thought of his ideology and his cant while he was alive and in opposition to most things I stand for,  I need to say he was an admirable, passionate American and a patriot.

From the viewpoint of a fundraiser (and afterall that’s what The Agitator is all about) he contributed many ‘firsts.’  Through his Young Americans for Freedom which he founded in 1960, Bill Buckley was among the first to use direct mail to build financial support for a cause-oriented, advocacy organization.

My long-time ideological opponent and equally long-time friend Richard Viguerie, one of the fathers/founders of the New Right (may he never be forgiven!) got his start at Young Americans for Freedom and went on to use direct mail advertising and fundraising to advance the financial and political fortunes of the right wing movement.  To read Richard’s tribute to Buckley and what he meant to the New Right and Viguerie personally click here.

When he ran on the Conservative Party’s ticket for Mayor of New York City in 1965, Buckley was asked by a reporter, “What is the first thing you would do on becoming President?”, the conservative sage responded instantly, “I’d demand a recount.” [He got 13% of the vote.]

Quick witted, and always ready to use a five syllable word where a one or two syllable word would do, William F. Buckley, Jr.  inspired millions of activists and donors and dramatically affected the course of modern American history through his magazine National Review, which he defended in his book Cancel Your Own Goddamn Subscription.

 His most famous and first book, God and Man at Yale, established his early reputation as a feisty against-the-grain intellectual. His long-running television program “Firing Line” established his reputation as the “scourge of liberalism” as Arthur Schlesinger, Jr. described him. 

My friend Ira Glasser, former head of the ACLU and a long-time debater on Buckley’s “Firing Line” tv program shared Buckley’s fervent belief in the legalization of marijuana and other drugs, and fondly remembered taking him to a baseball game and seeing the patrician Buckley experience his first encounter with a ballpark hotdog. Others were surprised by the range and quixotic nature of his books including Elvis in the Morning.

Whether you liked or despised what William F. Buckley, Jr. stood for, he was a great addition to the yeast of American democracy. 

Roger

Posted by rcraver | Filed Under General Post | Leave a Comment 

Blogs And Your Earned Media Strategy

January 29, 2008

From Online Marketing Blog, here is an important discussion of two studies on journalists and their use of blogs for news ideas and sources.

Some factoids:

  • Nearly 70% of all reporters check a blog list on a regular basis;
  • Almost half of reporters say they are “lurkers”;
  • Over three-quarters see blogs as helpful in giving them story ideas, spins, and insight into the tone of an issue.

Do you think having a “Media Section” on your nonprofit's website will get the job done these days? Not a chance … too passive.

Of course, reporters have heard of googling. But more and more, they expect the new stuff to come to them via RSS and email feeds.

Tom

Posted by admin | Filed Under General Post, blogging, communications, new media | Leave a Comment 

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