GOP ‘Culture Change’ Needed

The Republican Party Establishment’s Ignorance in the Realm of Social Media is Giving Democrats an Electoral Advantage

By Matt Rooney | The Save Jersey Blog

ElephantsEvery now and again you read an article, Save Jerseyans, and say to yourself “exactly!”

I read such an article this week over at Campaigns & Elections titled “Republican consultants need a culture change.” Can anyone disagree with that? But the article’s author dug a little deeper and focused on a top that’s near and dear to my heart: social media. Specifically, how poorly Republicans candidates utilize it…

Democrats were far more effective than Republicans in advertising to key demographics this past cycle. Democrats sent custom messages to specific audiences on television and online. Republican candidates, meanwhile, failed to embrace targeted messaging strategies that localized their elections, relying instead on single-issue national messaging.

The left succeeded because it had the data. Obama’s team spent months recruiting target state data managers to focus on list building activities. Republicans didn’t. That was the game change. In today’s digital age, data is the most precious commodity. The possibilities for optimizing, segmenting and communicating information from data are nearly endless.

Sadly, New Jersey Republicans aren’t an exception to the rule.

I’ve often observed that your average N.J. Republican operative/chairman/consultant/candidate ranks social media/blogs somewhere between yard signs and bumper stickers in their order of campaign priority. You could get away with that backwards attitude eight years ago, Save Jerseyans, but not now when virtually everyone under 35 obtains the majority of their political news from online sources like Facebook and blogs like Save Jersey. Those younger voters made up the margin of victory for President Obama in a few key battleground states.

The only current difference in New Jersey is that Chris Christie’s unique star power translates into viral experiences which, frankly, take a little more work to facilitate with a less talented communicator. That should help Republicans in 2013. But Governor Christie won’t be around forever, folks. Term limits or national opportunities will call him away. We better figure out how to bridge the gap between now and then or the GOP may never overcome the Democrats’ 700k voter registration advantage in my lifetime. 

Matt Rooney
About Matt Rooney 8405 Articles
MATT ROONEY is SaveJersey.com's founder and editor-in-chief, a practicing New Jersey attorney, and the host of 'The Matt Rooney Show' on 1210 WPHT every Sunday evening from 7-10PM EST.

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