Thank U, Next
Doomscroll 1.21.2024
Hello and welcome to another edition of Doomscroll, your favorite newsletter covering all things digital on the right. What a week, amirite? We’re going to get to all of it, but in the meantime - please, I beg of you, steer clear of the sewage garlic.
One Question
Thanks to everyone who answered last week’s One Question about recommending a good video-editing app for the phone. The clear favorite? CapCut. Think of it this way: CapCut is to video-editing apps what Donald Trump is to the 2024 Iowa Caucus. ‘Nuff said.
This week’s One Question is all about the presidential campaigns (shocker): Have you been impressed with any campaign’s digital operation? If so, what have you taken away as something you want to implement with your own clients or on your own teams? Doesn’t matter if the campaign is still in the race or not; Did you notice something cool Mike Pence did? Great - let’s hear it! This newsletter is all about observing and learning from the good, the bad and the ugly.
Who’s Doing What
—Thank U, Next
Look: I already had this newsletter done and scheduled. Subject line figured out. I’m deep into my second trimester and had just woken up from a nap on a Sunday freaking afternoon when I saw the news. As such, I’m going to let one of the great philosophers of our time, Ariana Grande, do most of my talking for me:
Thought we’d end up with Ron
But he wasn't a match
Wrote newsletters about Tim and Christie and Ramaswamy
Now I listen and laugh
…
And for the rest, I'm so thankful…
One taught me patience
And one taught me pain
Now, I'm so amazing
Say I've loved and I've lost
But that's not what I see
So, look what I got
Look at what you taught me
And for that, I say
Thank you, next (next)
Look, as far as campaign suspensions go, this wasn’t a bad one. I appreciate the video, though it was totally unnecessary. But the delivery was surprisingly good (IMO). I’m a tad surprised he included a Trump endorsement in his announcement, but we all know it would have come eventually, so I can understand the argument for killing two birds with one stone. Look, there’s a lot we can - and will say - about Ron DeSantis’ presidential campaign. But for now…he taught us a lot. Like, a lot, a lot. About what not to do, maybe who not to hire, how to not try and use Twitter Spaces in an announcement…But all in all his digital operation was pretty top-notch. And for that I say…thank you.
But before we leave DeSantis…TAKE MY BONUS POLL ABOUT RON DESANTIS
—Giving credit where credit is due
Look, I haven’t written much about the Trump campaign these last several months. Why? Eh. Mainly because it’s never really seemed like there was much of a campaign to write about? But today I must give credit where credit is due. The Trump campaign knocked it out of the park in Iowa this week. Fair and square. And from the coverage I’ve seen/read/heard of how they achieved their win, it’s pretty impressive. So: color me a bit chastised and committed to exploring more of what Team Trump has to offer on the digital front. In Iowa, there was Marlon. There was a special caucus website and various other landing pages. There were digital ads and special merch. As Trump advisor Chris LaCaiita outlined on the Ruthless podcast earlier this week, the campaign put together an Iowa operation powered by volunteers, that focused on conversions - not just door knocks. You’re speaking my language, Chris! What good are door knocks or link clicks if no one’s converting - or showing up to caucus?! The goal from day one was to secure the attendance of Trump supporters at caucus sites, and I admire to the all-out commitment to getting people to show up. Getting butts in seats, if you will. It’s clear this wasn’t just your run-of-the-mill GOTV campaign.
LaCivita says they have a “very aggressive,” volunteer-driven operation in New Hampshire as well. Trump has been running ads on Facebook targeting Republican voters in the Granite State to advertise various campaign events and appearances with JD Vance. He’s also advertising a contest for one lucky winner to meet him at Mar-a-Lago, and running an ad claiming Nikki Hlaey will cut Social Security and Medicare, and linking it to www.HaleyFacts.com. You know how I love a good microsite!
Speaking of New Hampshire, I kind of lol’ed at this ad that Tell It Like It Is PAC ran after Chris Christie suspended his campaign. Uhhh, the people of New Hampshire kind of hated Chris Christie? Woof.
--Aliscia In Virginia
(Yes, I’m trying to make that rhyme in my head). Aliscia Andrews announced her run for Congress this week, and I’m already a fan. The announcement video is here, and I’m giving it a solid B+. It’s a little lacking in urgency and excitement, but I appreciate how the script is personal to her experience, what got her involved in local politics (school closings during COVID), and isn’t as cookie-cutter as some other videos we’ve seen. The website is super basic, but it gets the job done as well. In a weird way, it’s almost like her video and website are already reflecting what I sense her campaign will be: simple, yet effective. I dig it. The 10th District seat is open since Rep. Jennifer Wexton is retiring for health reasons, but it’s going to be heavily targeted by both parties.
—Matchy, Matchy
Guess who’s back to doing match promises in fundraising copy?? Actually, I’ve been seeing these more and more lately from a lot of different folks, so I don’t mean to just pick on Kari Lake here. But it seems like one thing is for sure: match promises are back. Blah.
—P.S.
Can we all agree to stop ripping off the “God Made a Farmer” ad?? I’m seriously begging for a truce here. Thank you. Carry on.
Merch Shout-Out
Alright, ya’ll. This one deserves a shout-out in light of this week’s events. Yes, I’m talking about the Trump Caucus Captain hats. If this week’s newsletter is all about giving credit where credit is due, I can’t NOT highlight this hat. There’s only 2,000 in existence (supposedly), and if anyone sees it pop up on Ebay I expect a heads-up immediately.
Also h/t to Hunter Schwarz’ newsletter Yello.
2024 Roundup
This is where I make note of a few other things that caught my eye this week. And this week, I’ll begin including things beyond the presidential campaigns. Woo!
In North Carolina, Bill Graham has come out swinging against Mark Robinson, released an ad attacking the sitting Lt. Governor for antisemitic comments. Watch it here.
Speaking of Bill Graham, I started seeing Twitter ads from him this week, which I thought was kinda weird. A) I don’t live in North Carolina. B) They were “follow my account ads,” and I already follow him. Double-check your targeting, Bill!
The NRCC IE released an ad this week against Tom Suozzi in the special election in New York’s 3rd Congressional District. As far as GOP attack ads go, it’s pretty standard. Watch it here.
In New Mexico, Nella Domenici announced her bid for Senate. It’s a blue state with lots of potential, as far as I’m concerned. So I hope the GOP invests in this one. So far, the NRSC has endorsed her campaign which is a good sign. It’s also interesting to see campaigns get up and running from a digital perspective. She only has a few posts on Twitter so far, the website is pretty bare bones and every asset seems to use the same headshot. None of this is bad, keep in mind. I’m looking forward to seeing how her campaign evolves over the next few months.
Nikki Haley released a video showing all the times Donald Trump praised her. Watch it here.
Tim Scott endorsed Donald Trump on Friday. Watch his sermon - I mean endorsement - here.
It’s all smiles until they start duking it out for the VP slot. 🤡🤡🤡
Who’s Spending Where
From January 11 - 17, AFP Action was the top conservative advertiser on Facebook, with a whopping $674,000 in ad spend. They’re not all for NIkki Haley, though. The group is also spending money to support Tim Sheehy in Montana, Sam Brown in Nevada, and Riley Moore in West Virginia. Liberty Defender Group is in a distant second place with $119,000 in ad spend. Facts for Peace spent roughly $116,000, while AIPAC spent $112,000. Rounding out the top five is Donald J. Trump for President Inc, which spent about $89,000.
On Google, the top conservative advertiser was also AFP Action at $682,000. SFA Inc. spent $234,000, while Fight Right Inc spent $78,000 on ads attacking Nikki Haley. Meanwhile, Nikki Haley for President INC came in fourth place with $52,000 and Trump Save America Joint Fundraising Committee spent almost $38,000 on some fundraising search ads .
P2P
Industry Watch
Open AI, the company behind the popular tool ChatGPT, says it won't allow politicians and lobbyists to use its products during campaign season over fears of potential abuse and cybersecurity risks. …
So OpenAI is making this pledge to prevent official campaign workers from using ChatGPT. So, you know, presumably, if you try to sign up with a company email address, a campaign email address, that won't be possible. In reality, proving someone's actually using a chatbot can be difficult. So it might be difficult to enforce, particularly on a local level. The Federal Election Commission is trying to do their own thing. They're looking at ways to regulate AI-generated images - what's called deepfakes - in political ads. They say that hopefully by the summer before the 2024 election, they'll have done that. On the state level, some states have passed laws requiring campaigns to disclose any use of AI in advertisements.
The Grapevine
Kate Holliday of Powers Interactive was on NPR’s Marketplace talking about a world without cookies.
Urban Legend is hiring an Influencer Success Manager.
Team Trump is warning anyone and everyone not to hire Axiom’s Jeff Roe, according to Politico.
Speaking of Roe, this opinion piece by OnMessage’s Curt Anderson and Purple Strategies Alex Castellanos going after Roe is b-r-u-t-a-l. What can I say, though. I don’t seek out the mudslinging, it seeks out me!
Got a tip for The Grapevine? Job announcement? Job opening? Fav Christmas carol? Email ‘em to me at itsthedoomscroll@gmail.com
Last But Not Least
From the other side of the aisle:
Alright, you know how I love a good (or bad) logo. The DNC unveiled its logo for their 2024 convention in Chicago. Honestly, it ain’t bad. I don’t hate it. The Dems have a small tendency try SO HARD to be creative and unique that they go overboard and churn out stuff that’s bizarre and confusing. But this strikes a good tone, and once again I gotta give credit where credit is due, even if it kills me. Also, the wavy red lines are so similar to the Biden’s campaign logo that it makes me wonder if the DNC is not-so-subtly telling us all to back off with the “They’ll drop Biden as the nominee” talk. LMAO.
From the other side of the tracks:
***Spoiler Alert***
We have a preview of some of this year’s Super Bowl ads. Check them out here. What can I say - I’m a basic sucker for Super Bowl commercials.
That’s all for this week. Thanks for reading! Did you like it? Consider forwarding to your friends!