Vote ’10: Social Media In Campaigns
From blogs and web videos to Facebook ads and Twitter accounts, candidates are spending more money on cyber campaigning than ever before. ABC-7 took a look at two heated races in Texas to see the way social networking websites are being used to drum up voter support.
Data obtained through the Texas Ethics Commission on campaign expenditures shows significant differences between the two candidates running for Governor: incumbent Republican Rick Perry and his challenger, Democrat Bill White.
So far Perry has spent $24,000 on social media ads. White has spent about four times that amount: $100,000. The expenditures seem to be paying off, at least when it comes to Facebook friends. White has more than 100,000 more “Likes” on his Facebook profile than Perry does.
But do all the page views add up to actual votes? Not necessarily, according to UTEP professor Dr. Richard Pineda. He says ads purchased on social networking sites could actually be too far-reaching to be effective. “It’s really hard to control the way that the ad gets targeted. As high tech as they get and as although you can sort of whittle down demographics (with the ads), it still makes it really hard to be able to say ‘I’m gonna reach this voter’ or ‘that voter’ specifically,” he said. “You’re going back to a sort of shotgun approach.”
Students campaigning outside UTEP Wednesday afternoon, however, said their generation is more inclined to pay attention to cyber campaigning than other kinds of media. “I suppose Facebook is the way now to show your support for candidates in my generation,” said one graduate student who was campaigning for White. “I would say it gets some attention. I’m not sure if it works for all candidates, though.”
Either way, campaign strategists are paying attention. A staffer for Joe Moody, the Democrat candidate running to keep his seat as a State Representative, said social media marketing is a major aspect of their campaigning. “Joe (Moody) is using social media in a few different ways..he uses Facebook, we just started an ad campaign with Facebook, and Twitter especially,” said Andy Cates.
Olivia Zepeda, the campaign manager for the Rebublican challenger Dee Margo in the state rep race, said they’ve spent a “considerable” portion of their advertising budget on social media outlets. “Facebook and Twitter drive people to our website,” she said.
No matter how a candidate chooses to divide his or her campaign advertising dollars, Dr. Pineda said the most effective way of getting voters to show up at the polls is by encouraging voter education and registration.
