The presidential political campaigns can be a black box, cloaked in the spin of campaign surrogates with talking points that reveal little, if anything.
Thanks to Russian hackers and shady English data companies there’s one place where we can see behind the veil: Facebook ads. What these ads are focused on, what they’re not focused on, what they’re asking for, and who they target can reveal a lot about the strategy of candidates.
Take a look at their strategy and see what you can steal for your Facebook campaigning strategies.
Email Capture Surveys
Email capture surveys are a very popular strategy being employed ahead of the debates. You’ve likely seen these, they’re surveys asking voters their priorities or opinions. The surveys ahead of the debate focused on what voters would like to have candidates mention in the debate.
Spoiler alert: these surveys are not actually created to gauge public opinion. Their main goal is to collect emails so the candidates can follow up with email fundraising asks, but the candidates have used them for a couple other purposes as well:
Most of them also serve as a sort of “Push Poll” to talk about what the candidate has done that the survey taker would appreciate. Here’s a question from Julian Castro’s poll as a for instance:
Did you know Julián was the first Presidential candidate to visit Puerto Rico, the first to commit to paying his interns a $15 minimum wage, the first to go on a 50-state tour, and the first to release a comprehensive immigration plan?
- Yes!
- No, but I do now!
They’re also created to encourage people to donate. At the end of many of these surveys is a question asking how much you’ll give to make these issues a reality. These then lead to an ActBlue page for visitors to donate. Is it a little forward? You bet. But in the age of Trump doesn’t subtlety feel a little passe?
Ignoring It Entirely
What candidates aren’t doing can be more revealing than what they are. The leading Democratic Presidential candidates are running no national ads about the debates, focusing on other asks. Neither Joe Biden nor Bernie Sanders are running Debate focused ads. This is for good reason, they have nothing to gain from making the debates a high-stakes endeavor.
As we saw in the last debate, the leading candidates are big targets for the other nominees on stage. After seeing Kamala Harris’ remarkable rise in the polls, and Joe Biden’s remarkable drop, after she went after him on busing in the last debate, many of the 2nd tier candidates are sure to be on the attack at the second debate to differentiate themselves. Biden and Bernie, with decades of votes and statements, are the top targets.
According to Real Clear Politics Democratic Primary polling averages chart, Joe Biden is leading with 32%, followed by Bernie Sanders at 16.2%. They’re the biggest targets, and are responding by trying to take focus away from the debates for their supporters.
Deadline Fundraising Asks
A sense of urgency is a proven strategy to get people to act, and the presidential candidates are using it as an important deadline to get money from their supporters before the debates. You might be asking yourself: “The debate isn’t an actual deadline, what are you talking about Bryan?” Well you’re correct, it’s not a deadline at all, but with seven months to go before the Iowa Caucuses the candidates need all the urgent deadlines they can get their hands on.
They need you to donate tonight by Midnight to help get on the stage. Yes, they’re already on the stage tonight, but the power of the urgent request is an emotional response, not an intellectual one, so they’re using it in Facebook ads linking directly to their ActBue Accounts.
Even candidates that will won’t ever see the debate stage are getting in on the action. Miramar Mayor, and rarely discussed presidential candidate, Wayne Messam is, as of the day of the debates, running ads to get him on the stage in July. There's no way that's going to happen. The candidates have already been picked for the debate, so giving Wayne “$15 to have Wayne’s voice heard,” won’t change that fact, but at least it's something.
Personal Plea Fundraising Asks
Some candidates shine on video, and they’re going to their supporters with personal pleas for a donation.
Cory Booker, for instance, has a grassroots feeling iPhone selfie video making a personal plea for donations ahead of the debate. “I’m a little worried,” he says, because the DNC could raise the threshold for the debate, and he’ll be locked out of the debates. This personal touch can be very powerful when used by the right candidate.
Event Promotion
Candidates are trying to build on the ground communities in key states through official watch parties. Nearly every candidate is hosting one in Detroit to gain “visibility”, as Joe Biden’s event so candidly states. Others, like Amy Klobuchar and Elizabeth Warren, are running ads to promote events, especially in early primary states like New Hampshire.
Campaign Swag Sales
So is really only Pete Buttigieg, but it’s a cute idea that’s well executed. Mayor Pete is only running one ad about the debate ahead of the Detroit event: a limited edition debate sticker for $3. The sticker doesn’t say anything about the debates, but it’s a well designed sticker that’s designed to add something new into their small dollar fundraising campaign.
Truth is that you start to run out of small dollar donors at a pretty fast clip. You need to employ some new strategies to get new small donor leads, or to re-engage old donors with new asks. This strategy helps re-engage those donors with something new outside of the desperate pleas for money before the deadline.
The first round of debates were a lively showing, with candidates dropping and falling by big margins as a result. The second debate should be just as interesting. Find where to watch the debates tonight on streaming or broadcast cable