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While we are on the subject of things digital, Joe Biden's campaign team has come to the conclusion that increasingly few people get their political news from national television or newspapers, so they are looking for other (mostly digital) ways to reach voters. That is slightly complicated because Twitter is completely toxic and some othe popular apps, including WhatsApp and TikTok, do not accept political ads. So how to get through to voters who aren't paying attention?
A key insight is that many people spend much of their time on phone-based apps. So that's where Biden's team wants to go. One of their approaches will be to get influencers in various communities to pitch Biden, however gently. In many cases these communities will be nonpolitical. It could be simple, such as a fitness influencer wearing a Biden button while talking about diet. Subtle, but it shows someone respected in some community who supports Biden. And this could be very cheap. How much would it cost to get an influencer who likes Biden to use a Biden mug or have a Biden poster in the background? Maybe a couple of hundred dollars? That doesn't buy much TV time, and yet might have a big impact since it wouldn't be perceived as campaign advertising but as a subtle statement by the respected influencer. And, of course, an influencer could be paid to produce content appropriate to the forum. A wellness influencer could praise Biden's ideas on health care without straying too far from home.
Another strategy is to get previous donors to help. Sending them messages and asking them to forward the messages to all their contacts could be very effective since these messages will not be eaten by spam filters. This approach was heavily used by the campaign of Sen.-elect John Fetterman (D-PA), who had local celebrities, like Nicole "Snooki" Polizzi, make short videos mocking Mehmet Oz for running for office in Pennsylvania when he actually lived in New Jersey. The videos were clever and went viral. Biden's team wants to use that approach heavily. Another Fetterman idea that Biden wants to use is to allow supporters to edit and upload their own video clips that mock or damage one's opponent. The Senator-elect's site, fettermemes.com, shows how this works. If Donald Trump and Ron DeSantis get into a p**sing match next year, there will be a huge amount of raw material the Biden campaign could post to allow supporters to download and edit into punchy little clips good for sharing. Digital apps to help coordinate volunteers are also on the agenda. New approaches to social media are being worked on; for example, Facebook groups or Fantasy Football text-message chains are other ways to reach voters.
But Biden isn't going to forget television completely, just refocus on how to use it. His team has discovered is that people still watch the local news, so there will be a much bigger effort to get attention on local news broadcasts. Paid advertising is one way and can be extremely well targeted. If you want to hit urban Republicans in a swing state, KSAZ-TV is the Fox affiliate in Phoenix. That kind of microtargeting is much cheaper than running national ads. Also, having some important administration official show up in a key market and talk to some local group is likely to make the local news there.
In short, Biden's focus is not going to be running 30-second ads on national television, but much more digital, getting supporters to spread the word, and using existing communities of various types and local media. (V)