Have You Hurd?
Doomscroll 6.25.23
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One Question
Thanks to everyone who answered last week’s one question about using conservative-only platforms! This question has probably the most lop-sided response I’ve ever gotten since launching Doomscroll. A whopping 83% of you said you are NOT more likely to use a platform or tool just because it’s built for Republicans. Interesting! Here are a few of your comments:
Call me idealistic, but I don't think we should cede existing Big Tech platforms to the Left.
Not really sure it’s a good idea to further polarize an already isolated society. Everyone’s in their own echo chambers in who they follow on social media platforms, so if they actually moved to politically-aligned platforms it’d get even worse. Plus, let’s be real - the attempts so far at GOP-branded tech have failed pretty miserably.
For general software, in terms of priorities, I tend to look at things like functionality, cost, ease of use, integrations, etc (depending what I'm looking for). Who made it comes a lot further down. We all use Mailchimp still although Intuit's been making it a far worse product post-acquisition, so that may change sooner rather than later.
I find it a red flag when companies (outside of the campaign space) try to be the "Conservative X" (or "Free Speech X"). It's like saying "my product sucks and has less features than X, but please use it" and stigmatizes the product/company. The reality is that there's a number of incumbent products on the market that don't actually do what you need them to do (or have other weaknesses) and could be improved upon - make that and make it so I have a reason to want to use your product in the first place instead of a worse version of X (think Truth Social vs Twitter).
I have to say, I’m also in the 83%. I get so tired of people on our side promising “the conservative Facebook” or whatever. If you want to flush hundreds of thousands of dollars down the drain, I know a newsletter author you could give it to instead.
This week’s One Question is about…wait for it…Facebook. (side note: Raise your hand if, too, have a hard time referring to Facebook as Meta). Anyway, I’ve been doing a lot of thinking lately about how organic social media has evolved over the last few cycles - specifically when it comes to Facebook. I get most - or a lot - of you may not be very involved these days in the day-to-day churn and burn that is a campaign’s organic social media program, but nevertheless… Things like online fundraising and paid media aren’t THAT far removed from organic so here goes: How should a campaign approach its Facebook strategy in the year of our Lord two thousand and twenty-three?
Who’s Doing What
--Joining the Hurd
Former Republican Congressman Will Hurd is joining the presidential primary field. Good for him. I’m not quite sure what he’s selling just yet, but I’m sure he’s got a plan. The announcement video isn’t the best I’ve seen, but it’s not the worst either. Same goes for the logo. Same goes for the website. His group, Future Leaders Fund, had been running a bunch of lead-gen ads on Facebook lately with all the usual messaging: “fix the crisis at the southern border!” etc etc. His branding is interesting…and by interesting I mean confusing(ish), and here’s where I’ll get super nitpicky. There’s something a little off that makes me feel like Team Hurd is still testing a bunch of different themes to see what sticks, and it starts with something as simple as color schemes. The logo is a pretty traditional red and blue, but the website is a mix of orange and gray. Call me old fashioned, but I’m a huge fan of brand cohesion and when I don’t see it, I take a notch off for level of seriousness. That goes for any campaign. Another website note: It’s *almost* like his team took Hurd’s pre-existing, pre-campaign website and opted to throw up a large homepage pop-up rather than retool and redesign for a presidential campaign. Ok. I mean, I get it, but I don’t know how I feel about it. If you don’t think campaign websites matter all that much, you’re probably rolling your eyes right now and reaching for that bourbon on ice, but tell me if you’ve ever seen a Democrat running for president make this choice. I’ll wait… Here’s the thing: If you’re going to run for president, in my opinion, you should go ALL IN. No half measures, know what I mean? Also interesting: He’s on Anedot and not WinRed. And lastly, if I sign up using the form on the pop-up, does that get me something different from The Brief - his newsletter that promises “common sense insights on current events, politics and tech”? Is he a “modern Republican voice” or someone who believes in “timeless principles”? I’m just asking questions here, and I am hopeful they will all be answered in due time.
--Texting, 1,2,3
DeSantis-supporting Never Back Down PAC texted a video to a bunch of voters in South Carolina this week (and perhaps elsewhere- not sure!) with a major glitch in it. The audio got scrambled and the whole thing sounded like it was being narrated by a chipmunk. Hey, it happens. If I had to guess, the glitch was a result of whatever platform/tool was used to compress the video to make it small enough to send via texting. It’s weird it wasn’t caught BEFORE it was sent, but again - things happen. Note to campaigns: this is why good tech matters.
--Ready to Move On?
Koch-funded AFP Action is running some anti-Trump digital ads. One of them, titled “Only Way,” is a 15-second spot that says the only way Biden wins re-election next year is if Trump is the Republican nominee. Perhaps they have a point, perhaps they don’t. Another one says it’s “no secret” why Democrats want Trump; it’s Biden’s ticket to re-election. On Facebook, the ads are being targeted to Iowa, New Hampshire, South Carolina, and Nevada.
--Wild, Wild West Virginia
So I’m gonna go out on a limb and suggest that West Virginia’s Senate primary race between Gov. Jim Justice and Rep. Alex Mooney is going to get u-g-l-y before it’s all said and done. And why wouldn’t it? Mooney entered the race eons ago; this Senate seat is all he’s ever wanted, and instead of getting institutional support he got an entire class of party insiders who went and recruited Justice to run anyway. Under no circumstances will I be commenting on the political strategy at play here (gulp), but them’s the chips, my friends. And to be honest, I love nothing more than a good primary fight; it makes everyone stronger, in my opinion. But these two are also offering pretty distinct approaches in their strategy. Mooney is taking swing after swing at Justice. He even has a page on his website dedicated to “Phony Jim Justice,” although I’d like to speak to whoever designed it. He’s even paying attention to Justice’s fundraising emails, which I am ALL FOR. Check out the exhibits:
FWIW, I’ve gotten that same Karl Rove email now like 5 times. At least. Justice, meanwhile, is staying laser-focused by talking about his record, attacking Joe Biden, and turning Babydog into an internet sensation. Mooney who?
--Chump Change
Per NPR:
The Republican presidential primary is getting crowded. With a former president and well-heeled politicians running, plus super PACs boosting them, it all points to what's likely going to be the most money ever spent to win the GOP nomination.Early projections show it will likely cost close to or more than $1 billion, according to Open Secrets, which tracks campaign-finance spending. The final figure will depend on how long it takes for the nomination to be wrapped up."It's a lot of money to become a successful president in the end," said Sarah Bryner, research director at Open Secrets.Like a never-ending arms race, the price to become president has skyrocketed.
That’s a lotta money, honey.
--Burgumentum
Gotta hand it to Team Burgum: they know how to run a P2P texting program. Check out the timestamps for these texts. Someone REALLY likes to send at EXACTLY two minutes past the hour. (h/t to a friend of Doomscroll). But perhaps there is some method to the madness. Apparently this is a well-known tactic in the sales world. When it comes to making cold calls, sales people were always told to reach out in the 10-minute period at the top of the hour. So, between like 2:55 and 3:05. Maybe Team Burgum is employing a little old-school strategy here?
Industry Watch
There’s a lot going on out there, but for some reason I got sucked into an internet rabbit hole the other day about Instagram Broadcast channels. I told you I’ve been doing a lot of thinking about organic social media lately! Normally I let platform product updates pass me by like a 10% sale at Sephora, but I think Broadcast channels are cool for a few reasons -and very applicable towards campaigns these days.
People have to opt into subscribing to your channel (even if they already follow your account) so it’s a REALLY good way to filter out hardcore supporters.
And yet…it’s also a really good way to grow your Instagram following. If someone joins your channel but isn’t already a follower, they’ll be prompted to become one.
Anyone who has joined a Broadcast channel with get notifications whenever content is posted there. Win win win.
Ya’ll…don’t sleep on this.
Who’s Spending Where
From 6/15 - 6/21, the top conservative spender on Facebook was Sound of Freedom Movie, yet again, with about $684,000 in spend. Maybe one of these days I’ll stop considering this film a conservative advertiser because this just ain’t fair! Second place goes to Ron DeSantis for president with $76,000, while third place goes to Perry Johnson for President, with $70,000 in ad spend. The Daily Wire spent about $65,000 through Matt Walsh’s page, and Americans for Prosperity spent about $58,000.
The top conservative spender on Google from 6/15 - 6/21 was Ron DeSantis for President. The campaign spent $73,000 - mostly on a mix of lead-gen and fundraising search ads. Trust in the Mission PAC spent $43,000, putting them in second place, while Trump Save America Joint Fundraising Committee ($37,000) and Vivek 2024 ($27,000) came in third and fourth place respectively. Rounding out the top five is McHenry for Congress, who spent about $19,000 on video ads touting his conservative credentials. Interesting.
P2P
The Grapevine
Nice little Q&A here with a graphic designer from WRS about campaign design.
National Public Affairs tweeted out something called a Polling Round Up, which is nifty and helpful.
Got a tip for The Grapevine? Job announcement? Job opening? Tips for surviving an 8-hour plane ride? Email ‘em to me at itsthedoomscroll@gmail.com
Last But Not Least
From the other side of the aisle:
(h/t FWIW)
From the other side of the tracks:
I love love love a good meme, but this tweet stopped me in my tracks the other day. Maybe think twice before using that Kourtney Kardashian pic? Yikes.
That’s all for this week. Thanks for reading! Did you like it? Consider forwarding to your friends!