Campaign E-Mails

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Campaign E-Mails

• By Alyssa Ray

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Forms of Interactivity

• One way communication (e.g. web pages).
• Two way communication (e.g. private
• e-mails).
• One to many communication (e.g. e-mails, list
  servers, discussion groups, computer
  conferences).
• Many to many communication (e.g. group projects
  submitted to a computer conference).

Doherty, A. (1998) "The Internet Destined to
Become a Passive Surfing Technology?",
Educational Technology, Vol. 38 (Sept-Oct), No.
5, p61-63
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Benefits

• Delivers information directly to user
• Easy to forward
• Source credibility
• Targets specific demographics (age, location,
  education, etc)
• Low cost
• Quick and easy to produce
• Enhances user perceptions of trustworthiness,
  responsiveness, sensitivity.
• Fundraising interactivity

Yi, Zhixian. (2007). E-Mail Use Patterns in the
United States. Chinese Librarianship an
International Electronic Journal, 24. URL
http//www.iclc.us/cliej/cl24yi.htm
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Detriments

• Effectiveness?
• Information Overload
• Wasted time/effort

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E-Mails from McCain

• directly and personally communicating with more
  than 43,000 supporters during the 2000 election
  cycle.
• HOWEVER
• McCains Computer Literacy

Andrew Williams and Kaye Trammell, Candidate
Campaign E-Mail Messages in the Presidential
Election 2004
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E-Mails from Obama

• High Quantity
• Multiple Authors
• Messages and Information
• Interactivity
• VP Announcement

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2004 Election E-mails

• Quantity
• Direct Address
• Self-Promotion vs. Attack
• Messages
• Issues vs. Character
• Interactivity

Trammell, Kaye and Paul Williams, Candidate
Campaign E-Mail Messages in the Presidential
Election 2004. American Behavioral Scientist,
Vol. 49, No. 4, 560-574 (2005)
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E-Mail Quantity 2004

• Overall increase in quantity closer to election

However
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Huge Increase for 2008 Election

• Obama
• (since 5/16)-111
• (9/15-10/4)-26
• McCain
• (9/15-10/4) 13
• Obama roughly doubling McCain in quantity
• Frequency attributed to variety of authors,
  donation requests, and interactivity with
  events/supporters

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Direct Address

• Bush
• direct address in 82.1 of messages
• Kerry
• direct address in 92.0 of messages

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Self-Promotion Vs. Opponent Attack

• Kerry
• promotion (44.6), attack (24.4) and combination
  (31.1).
• Bush
• promotion (51.9), attack (7.4) and combination
  (40.7).

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Interactivity

• Bushs e-mail messages contained twice the
  interactivity features of Kerrys

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Issues

• 38.5 of the e-mail messages.
• Bushs campaign focused on issues (66.7) at a
  greater rate than Kerrys (33.3)

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Messages

• Most frequent
• 1) invitation of participation
• 2) emphasizing hope for the future

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2004 E-Mail Trends

• INTERACTIVITY INCREASE
• Hyperlinks- get involved, send this message to
  a friend, or even contact the campaign with
  feedback.
• Graphics- banner at the top of the e-mail message
  (97.4), photographs (17.9) and special event
  icons (6.4)
• Multimedia- flash movies (1.3) or video (5.1),
  including ads (1.3)
• BUT STILL LIMITED
• Used 3/12 possible interactivity variables (1/4
  of possibilities)
• AUTHORSHIP
• Campaign staff- 60.3, candidates (14.1), other
  politicians (6.4), family members of the
  candidates (2.6), and celebrities (1.3)

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E-Mail Substance

• Issues (12.8)
• Personality or attributes of the candidate
  (10.3).
• Kerry
• focused on horserace (84.0), issue coverage
  (8.0), and personality (8).
• Bush
• focused on horserace (64.3), issue coverage
  (21.4) and personality (14.3).

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Another Election

• 2002 Florida Gubernatorial
• Jeb Bush (R-I) and Bill McBride (D)
• Characteristics of E-mails
• Personal qualities (24.7)
• Candidates omitted mention of their opponent in
  the e-mail messages.
• Addressed the reader directly (62.1)
• Increase of candidate campaign e-mail messages
  being sent during key campaign dates.

Trammell, Kaye and Paul Williams, Beyond Direct
Mail Evaluating Candidate E-Mail Messages in
the 2002 Florida Gubernatorial Campaign. Journal
of E- Government Vol 1, Issue 1 November 10,
2004.
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Effectiveness

• 2004 Bush
• Substance candidate as voice of people, standing
  for hope, emphasizing political accomplishments.
• Issue focused
• Twice the interactivity
• More promotion, less attack
• Consistent (increased) quantity over last half of
  campaign

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Do these trends lead towards Obama Victory?

• Well just have to wait and see