Where Are My Text Messages Mr. Edwards?
By Lynne d Johnson, 03/06/2007 - 2:03am

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Though the focus of techPresident is on how the candidates use the Web, as well as how voter-generated content affects the process, I've become very interested in what methods are being employed in the mobile space. One in particular wasn't very hard to find, it was in John Edwards YouTube video, "Tomorrow Begins Today," where he announces his candidacy and asks you to "Text Hope to 30644."

Yet interestingly, I didn't originally find out about John Edwards text campaign through the YouTube video. I found out about the text campaign after learning about the work of the Rights Group, a company that builds tools that enable its clients to reach existing constituents and enlist new supporters through mobile marketing programs.

Well, I joined John Edwards, at least I've signed up for his text campaign, and I must say I'm a little disappointed. Since texting hope to 30644, and initially receiving a confirmation message, and then a welcome message that says: "Thanks for joining our campaign to change America. Please text us your email. Start changing America at JohnEdwards.com," I've received no other alerts or updates.

Perhaps I'm supposed to start the dialogue, but I really think this service would be better used by the Edwards team to stay connected with supporters and provide them with updates. For instance, why did I have to go to the John Edwards blog, or subscribe to its RSS feed to find out that Edwards had released a public statement in response to Ann Coulter's comments? Wouldn't the text program present itself as an opportunity to connect with supporters—to message that statement, or a shortened version of it with a text link back to the blog?

If the candidates are going to employ the technological tools available to them, I think they should use them to their best advantage. Maybe that's not the intention of the text campaign, but I can't honestly say that at this point I know what it is.

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to txt or not to txt

Don't forget that that for the average consumer (read voter) txt-ing frequently can be quite expensive if you don't have some kind of plan; particularly for the young people who would be most likely to use sms in the first place. Unlike e-mail, you're asking people to pay money each time they hear from you. For some people this won't matter, but for many it will.

The GOP found that the best use of SMS was to keep in touch with their most solid supporters and mostly when used as an alert system for e-mails they sent out (i.e. "don't forget to check your email for an important message from candidate X"). In those cases SMS was used to drive up the open rates of the GOP's email program.

For the most part, candidates seem to think its enough that they've just heard of text messaging and that the wow factor they think that generates should be enough.

I think its real value (yet to be unlocked) is in field organizing and GOTV.

So ideally a candidate would build in interactivity to enhance dialog, not by rapid response, but by asking survey questions that draw on the crowd to help plot campaign strategy ala howard dean.

Once you build that trust relationship, and have buy-in, and loyal, regular users, you can branch out to informing people of "meet up" like events, candidate appearances, and ultimately, building a viral, peer to peer GOTV operation.

As far as rapid response, I think the Philippines holds the answer: offer a ring tone that is a voice recording set to music. this can be funny or serious, but must be interesting enough for me to decide that everyone I know should hear it.

By justin@justinhamilton.org at Tue, 03/06/2007 - 9:04am | login or register to post comments



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