Getting different constituent databases to talk to each other is harder than tracking down the mythical unicorn of the sea.
There’s some pretty interesting and innovative stuff helping marketers and media managers get messages to the right audiences.
First, a story on the Obama re-election team’s Project Narwhal. As anyone who has worked at a non-profit or corporation that maintains databases (e.g., every organization and non-profit, everywhere) knows, getting all your customer or constituent information all in one place is a difficult and evasive task. Different systems track payments, donations, volunteer actions, inquiries, help requests, and demographic data. Getting all that information in single, consolidated, user-friendly system is neigh impossible – different individuals – even different departments – have ownership of that data, and they’re not always willing (or even able) to share.
From the article:
Even as the outside world marveled at their technical prowess, Obama campaign staffers were exasperated at what seemed like a basic system failure: They had records on 170 million potential voters, 13 million online supporters, 3 million campaign donors and at least as many volunteers—but no way of knowing who among them were the same people.
But Project Narwhal attempts to tackle this disconnect and create the mythical sea unicorn of voter databases:
Narwhal would bring new efficiency across the campaign’s operations. No longer will canvassers be dispatched to knock on the doors of people who have already volunteered to support Obama. And if a donor has given the maximum $2,500 in permitted contributions, emails will stop hitting him up for money and start asking him to volunteer instead. Those familiar with Narwhal’s development say the completion of such a technical infrastructure would also be a gift to future Democratic candidates who have struggled to organize political data that has been often arbitrarily siloed depending on which software vendor had primacy at a given moment.
Good news for all our friends holding office and running campaigns, for certain, not to mention a great way for voters themselves to be kept up to speed on specifically the issues they care most about.
In related news, a new billboard in the UK is using facial recognition technology to determine your gender, and then changes the content of the ad itself depending on who it thinks you are:
Women who walk up to the billboard, which is located at a London bus stop and will be viewable for two weeks, are greeted with a 40-second film explaining the plight of women and girls in poor countries around the world, who often are denied eduction and opportunities that are afforded to men.
Men, however, get a cut-down version of the content. They can’t see the film, but they do get to see shocking statistics about the situation, like the fact that 75 million girls are denied education.”
Actually a pretty clever application, given that the intent of the ad is to highlight different in the way men and women are treated in a circumstance much more serious and life-changing than a bus stop billboard.
The Denver Post has hosted the Ride the Rockies event for many years, but now it is time for the plains to have their moment. Governor Hickenlooper’s office is is partnering up with the Denver Post to put on a new ride that takes participants on a ride through the eastern plains of Colorado. Viaero Wireless, the up and coming new cellular company in eastern CO, is on board as the title sponsor and the combination of these three should bring a great new addition to the myriad of fun recreational diversions in Colorado.
The ride is set to take place September 21st to the 23rd, so it will be a nice wind down from all of the big summer events, and a great way to discover a part of Colorado that is often overlooked. The best part? Onsight has been hired to work on the branding, website and communications for the project. We are very excited to get another great bicycling event as part of our growing place in the sports and bicycling world! We have some really great plans for this race that will make it a truly unique event for Colorado.
Stay tuned for updates on the progress of the development of this exciting new event.
The placeholder website allows signups for updates on registration and events related to the ride. Go there to sign up: http://www.pedaltheplains.com
The Colorado Licensed Beverage Association has launched their new website. We spent a solid month working with Jeanne Mcevoy, the director, to get a site that helps progress their mission and encourage better communication with members. We helped to write content, develop a new logo, print new business cards, refresh the look of the organization and make a site that serves their members with the same quality online as they have already been provided offline.
While CLBA has done a great job on Facebook in the past, we also reworked their Social Media campaigning and developed new strategies to make sure they are getting the most out of their time in the social networking world. It was a pleasure working with Jeanne, and she was gracious with her compliments of our work:
“It doesn’t get any better than this! OnSight’s creative, team-oriented approach consistently produces results for CLBA. They guided us through an overhaul of our brand, built us a new website, and make sure we are successful under the gold dome year after year.”
OnSight’s George Merritt played a key role in Denver’s successful effort to defeat what would have been the nation’s most severe paid sick leave mandate. Proponents touted polling at the outset showing as much as 65 percent of Denver voters supporting Initiative 300. Heading up communications for Keep Denver Competitive, the opposition campaign, George worked with local businesses as well as local elected officials to help voters understand I-300 was a poorly crafted initiative that targeted the smallest businesses in Denver.
It’s never easy to explain nuance through earned media, so George and the campaign sought out significant community stakeholders to help relay their message.
The support of Mayor Hancock and others proved to be a big win for local shops and businesses in Denver. The measure failed with 64 percent of voters saying ‘No.’ The Post’s political blog “The Spot” called result a big win for the Mayor here:
Denver Mayor Michael Hancock took a risk when he became the public face behind the effort to defeat Initiative 300, the Denver ballot measure that sought to provide paid sick leave for workers throughout the city.
Hancock’s predecessor John Hickenlooper had a virtually unblemished record of success in supporting winning ballot measures — including light rail, Referendum C, the preschool tax and Denver’s Better Bond Program.
Hancock cut a humorous/Hickenlooper-type television advertisement against the ballot initiative, which ultimately got drubbed at the polls on Tuesday with 64 percent of voters saying “no.”
“There is no overstating the role that he played in this campaign,” said George Merritt, spokesman for the opposition campaign, Keep Denver Competitive. “Small businesses are reticent to get involved in politics. To have a representative who could articulate the trouble and flaws of this initiative was critical.”
As part of an ongoing series of video-driven social campaigns we are producing for Congressman Ed Perlmutter, we thought it would be fun for Ed to try his hand at fast food. As a kid, Ed worked construction jobs and his experience in the food industry is limited. That might help explain his struggles on the deep fryer. But as we learned from the staff, a good smile and attitude go a long way, especially at the drive through. When it comes to talking to people, face to face, there’s no one better than Ed.
Putting people back to work is Ed’s first priority and he is going to continue to visit with local businesses and workers to look for ways to cut red tape and get people back to work. Keep an eye out for Ed’s next “Take a Congressman to Work” visit!
We also want to say a special thank you to The Bailey Company and the Arby’s staff for their patience and showing us the ropes.
Beltway Blog — Perlmutter works at Arby’s, gains perspective
By Allison Sherry
WASHINGTON — Democrat Rep. Ed Perlmutter has launched a “Take a Congressman to Work Day” contest where constituents vote on a regular business the congressman would goes and does a job for a day in his district to gain perspective on what it’s like out in the real world right now.
The real world outside Washington, that is.
Arby’s recently edged out the Denver West Hair Company for the first go-around. (Let’s hope the congressman would merely work the register and not cut, style or dye anything!) At the Arby’s on Colfax Avenue and Simms, Perlmutter worked the curly frying machine and made roast beef sandwiches.
“As you’ll see, it can get pretty hectic in the kitchen, especially during the lunch rush,” Perlmutter wrote in a newsletter to voters. “I don’t want to spoil anything for you, but it’s clear I was not meant to work a fryer.”
OnSight’s George Merritt played a key role in Denver’s successful effort to defeat what would have been the nation’s most severe paid sick leave mandate. Proponents touted polling at the outset showing as much as 65 percent of Denver voters supporting Initiative 300. Heading up communications for Keep Denver Competitive, the opposition campaign, George worked with local businesses as well as local elected officials to help voters understand I-300 was a poorly crafted initiative that targeted the smallest businesses in Denver.