Mobile Campaign Technology

Authored by John Burnley, IT Specialist and ORS Contributor

I love my HTC Android phone.  Not only does it combine the basic features of most phone hardware offerings, but it also has a variety of applications that I can use while I’m away from home, instead of waiting until I return to use my desktop computer.  My life has become a lot easier, especially in keeping connected with friends, family, business and information.

America as a nation has become more mobile!  Over the last few years, we have seen the commercial offerings of intelligent devices like the iPhone, Blackberry and the ‘Droid’ introduced into the consumer market.  With each offering, the platforms become more sophisticated and capable of running applications previously reserved to the ball and chain of the desktop computing environment.  Over the holidays, I did some of my shopping as well as magazine renewals while on vacation in Florida with my Android phone.  We are now seeing more industries making attempts to add mobility to their marketing strategies.  However, there are features and capabilities that may also benefit grassroots political campaigns.

Mobility adds yet another technological platform for candidates to spread their message, organize volunteers and solicit funding.  John Edwards used text messaging in 2007 to solicit funds from supporters.  With the video playback and internet browsing capability of most smart phones, mobile platforms can be used in conjunction with other social media offerings to connect with supporters, volunteers and donors.  Barack Obama’s campaign video on YouTube that told volunteers how to use tools on the campaigns website is easily viewed from my mobile phone.  Scott Brown’s video he used in raising over 1 million dollars in one day using a money bomb strategy to solicit donations is also easily viewed.  Imagine combining SMS text messaging, Email and video into a strategy for fundraising targeting an existing following from Facebook or Twitter, who voluntarily opted to receive such solicitations.  As Scott Brown’s successful fundraising effort showed, a large group of small donations can add a significant amount to a campaign’s war chest.

The use of mobile phone technology in political campaigns is, in my opinion, only getting started.  However, we are starting to see applications specifically targeting political markets.  There is even an iPhone application for former President Ronald Reagan speeches and information.

Verafirma is a small Silicon Valley technology company that specializes in electronic signatures.  Their Democracy Project immediately caught my attention with their iPhone petition signing application.  At times, signature gathering may be difficult, cumbersome or expensive.  Instead of mobilizing volunteers to go door-to-door or paying $2 – $10 per signature, why not mobile-ize the process, tapping an existing audience from social media sources or even online internal campaign communities?  Of course, the candidate or campaign representative would need to confirm that electronic signatures would be accepted.

Not all applications may be available or compatible for the various smart phone devices yet, but that problem should be reduced over time as mobile campaigning becomes a more mainstream strategy with developers and vendors expanding their development and support offerings.  However, do not be surprised by the level of importance that mobile technology plays in the upcoming national mid-term and local elections.

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