By Jayson Jarmon, CEO, Lux Worldwide
Well, I suppose it's always the political season somewhere, and it seems we just came out of a political season here in the States with the recent congressional elections. But with everybody and his brother (or, this season, sister) throwing their hat in the ring for the presidency, it seems like a good time to re-assess the role of the Internet in political campaigns.
During the last presidential campaign, my partners and I wrote a piece on the subject for the Puget Sound Business Journal. Our assessment at the time was that Internet sites had for the first time become a front line in the various campaigns, with some paying more attention to Internet as a fund-raising and organizing tool (Howard Dean comes immediately to mind), and others just beginning to understand the power of the Internet for influencing and organizing voters. We concluded that the web had become as important in political campaigns as traditional media, but had not yet eclipsed it in terms of its outreach. That may well change during the next two years, and here's why:
This year, the Democratic Party has two clear front runners, one, Barack Obama, about whom the American people still know very little; and the other, Hillary Clinton, whom the American people know all too well.
Sen. Barack Obama
The game for Clinton, about whom most American have already made up their minds, is how to drive down perceived negatives among the strongly-opinionated. Once again, the Internet provides the subtlety and nuance needed to shade a campaign and to be an outreach to those who would sit by the wayside unless otherwise motivated. You can count on the newspaper and television people to re-affirm the same message and image they have always put forth about Clinton, it will only be via the Internet that significant inroads will be made in changing anyone's mind.
Sen. Hillary Clinton
The fact that there are two strong frontrunners, and many other candidates who can't hope to get a meaningful piece of the traditional media's attention during the next two years, is also an indication that Internet will be more important than television or traditional media. The Internet is the only level playing field the also-ran candidates will have. It is also cheaper and not exclusive.
So, politically speaking, the Internet will finally come of age in the 2008 campaigns. It will be fascinating to watch as it unfolds.
