Mobile will play pivotal role in 2012 political campaigns

By Lauren Johnson

January 10, 2012

A string of Obama's recent SMS program

In the 2008 presidential elections, President Obama?s campaign was applauded by mobile marketers for its use of SMS and mobile Web. But with an increase in consumer adoption and more companies incorporating mobile in the past three years, how will political candidates use the channel in the upcoming 2012 elections?

Text messaging is still the most effective way for political candidates to reach a broad group of consumers, but video, applications and advertising will also play an important part in the 2012 elections. Additionally, political candidates will need to combine their mobile efforts with other marketing channels including social media, broadcast and Web for 2012.

?Voters will demand more with real-time engagement in the 2012 elections, whether it is breaking news, polling information or an insider perspective from the campaign,? said Scott Goodstein, CEO of Revolution Messaging, Washington.

?Mobile is growing up and the fad is wearing off with people that want real-time information via their devices,? he said.

Multichannel campaign
Mobile is slated to take over a bigger part of ad dollars for political candidates in 2012 after marketers saw the impact that mobile had in 2008.

However, now marketers have access to other channels that were not as widespread in 2008.

?Whether it is through in-app, MMS, a mobile landing page or a YouTube clip, the ability to watch a video through mobile makes a direct connection between candidates and voters,? Mr. Goodstein said.

Video is a key component to a political campaigns with debates and speeches, making mobile a natural extension for candidates for voters to visually see candidates while on the go.

Mr. Goodstein, who worked on Obama?s election campaign, says that the campaign wanted to use more video in 2008 but was held back with technology advances.

For example, smartphone penetration has increased dramatically since the last presidential election and has created larger data plans and better video quality for consumers.

In addition to video, applications will also play a more strategic role in political campaigns this year.

Mobile campaigns are expected to especially use more location-based services that tie political messages to real-world places where voters can do something to support a candidate.

From getting contact information, finding supporters or locating a nearby voter stations, apps can help political marketers target a large group of voters and make a campaign more tailored for specific voters to help educate them.

Mobile apps can also be used to help drive donations by political candidates.

For example, Calyp, which is a loyalty and rewards app, is currently being by used by Republican candidate Rick Perry to let users donate via the app. Users can also share Rick Perry content with their friends and family via social media.

?A mobile political campaign is not just about short text messages anymore,? said Andrew Levi, founder/CEO of Calyp, Dallas.

?Mobile needs to be used as part of a full, creative campaign with interactive videos and social media to target a mass number of consumers,? he said.

Here is the in-app endorsement that Rick Perry is using on the Calyp app

Talk via text
Despite the rapid growth in smartphone ownership, SMS reigns as the channel with the broadest reach, which is especially important for political candidates looking to reach a mass amount of voters.

However with the increased use of mobile marketing, consumers expect more when opting into a SMS program and candidates will need to make sure their text message programs use mobile more strategically in the 2012 elections.

?With political campaigns, you are talking about trying to market to people in mid-America with a higher percentage of SMS usage,? said Derek Johnson, CEO of Tatango, Seattle.

Tatango has worked on the SMS programs of Massachusetts Senator Scott Brown and Washington State Senator Patty Brown and believes that SMS is beyond the stages of being a vessel for communicating.

 

Obama's text messages lead users to a mobile Web site where they can donate and buy merchandise

Consumers are familiar with mobile Web and therefore expect to get a message with a direct way for them to act on.

For example, Obama?s most recent text messages include links to mobile Web sites where users can donate and learn about upcoming campaign events.

MMS can also help political candidates bolster their campaigns.

?The key to text-message marketing is getting people engaged and having the opportunity to provide a rich media experience that gathers voters? attentions and grabs a piece of emotional ground for them,? said Steven Gray, CEO of iLoop, San Jose, CA.

Text message programs can also be effectively used to interact with voters at events and build a mobile database.

?Mobile is a phenomenal tool for citizens to speak out about issues they are passionate about,? said Amanda Moskowitz, general manager of?Mobile Commons, New York.

?For political candidates, mobile messaging is a powerful way to grow a base of supporters from their media and events," she said.

"Candidates can then affect important outcomes through mobile messaging with these groups,?such as?rallying people for more local events, motivating them to get out the vote, prompting a donation and many other forms of effective engagement."

?Target audience
Another big area of mobile growth for 2012 will be in mobile advertising, specifically with geotargeting.

Location-based mobile advertising lets candidates target voters in areas that they might need an extra push, such as battleground states.

For example, Republican presidential candidate Michele Bachman recently used geotargeted ads at the Minnesota State Fair that educated users on a proposed tax increase on food found inside the state fair.

Voters can expect to see similar mobile initiatives from political candidates in 2012 looking to drive a specific, targeted message to a group of consumers by location.

?Geo-targeting is the magic bullet for political campaigns because it enables them to focus their ad spending only in the markets where there is heated competition,??said Alistair Goodman, CEO of?Placecast,?San Francisco.?

?We can expect to see a number of new uses of mobile technology - from geo-triggered alerts when a candidate is speaking in the area to social services connecting like-minded campaign supporters when they are near each other,? he said.

?Political campaigns are consistently at the leading edge of using new digital marketing tools for reaching their audiences and spending on mobile this time around will be both substantial and highly valuable.?

Final Take
Lauren Johnson is editorial assistant on Mobile Marketer, New York

Lauren Johnson is associate reporter on Mobile Marketer. Reach her at lauren@mobilemarketer.com.

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Tunisian police battle militants before political talks

1 of 6. Protesters shout slogans during a demonstration calling for the departure of the Islamist-led ruling coalition in at Kasbah Square where the government headquarters are located, to call for the departure of the Islamist-led ruling coalition, in Tunis October 23, 2013.

Credit: Reuters/Anis Mili

By Tarek Amara and Patrick Markey

TUNIS | Wed Oct 23, 2013 4:50pm EDT

TUNIS (Reuters) - Six Tunisian policemen were killed in armed clashes with militants in a central town on Wednesday, as the government cracked down on Islamist fighters using the chaos in neighboring Libya's to get weapons and training.

The violence, some of the worst since Tunisia's 2011 uprising, unsettled the start of negotiations between the Islamist-led government and opposition to end a crisis over the country's transition to democracy.

Authorities did not identify the militants involved in fighting south of the capital, but two months ago Tunisia banned Ansar al-Sharia, a hardline Islamist movement officials blamed for killing two opposition leaders this year.

The interior ministry said a gun battle broke out after police raided a house where suspected militants were hiding in Sidi Bouzid, 260 km (160 miles) south of the capital. Police found arms, explosives and a car bomb being prepared.

"They were carrying out a raid, and the terrorists opened fire on them. We have six security forces dead and four wounded and one gunman dead," Mohammed Ali Aroui, spokesman for the interior ministry, told state television.

Militant violence is less common in Tunisia than in some other North African countries, where al Qaeda-linked groups have a stronger presence. But hardline Islamists have grown in influence since the 2011 Arab uprisings.

Security forces at the weekend killed 10 militants blamed for attacking Tunisian police patrols in a remote area near the Algerian border and killing two officers.

The assassination of two opposition figures this year by suspected Ansar al-Sharia gunmen outraged the secularist opposition, which has accused ruling Ennahda, a moderate Islamist party, of failing to stamp out religious extremists.

THREE WEEKS TO GO

Under pressure from mass protests, and mindful of the army's ouster of the Islamist president in Egypt, Ennahda has agreed to step down, and talks with the opposition on a political transition were due to begin on Wednesday.

Prime Minister Ali Larayedh on Wednesday confirmed Ennahda was ready to resign, but insisted on the completion of the country's new constitution, the establishment of an electoral commission and a clear election date before handing over power.

The three weeks of talks are meant to choose members of the transition government, decide on a new electoral commission and set a timetable for presidential and parliamentary elections.

But opposition activists doubt Ennahda's intentions. Thousands of opposition supporters packed the capital's central Avenue Habib-Bourguiba earlier on Wednesday to demand the government live up to the agreement to step aside.

"There is no trust that this government will go," said Saloua Faza, a teacher carrying a large Tunisian flag marching in Tunis. "They have never shown us any good faith."

Ennahda won 40 percent support in Tunisia's first post-revolt election for an assembly to draft a new constitution, and it formed an interim coalition government with two secular parties.

Its popularity has fallen during its period in power, but Ennahda remains the best organized movement in Tunisia. It faces several leftist and secular groups, as well as Nida Tounes, a party that includes figures from the previous regime.

Ansar al-Sharia is just one of the hardline Islamist groups based in North Africa. Its leader is a former al Qaeda fighter in Afghanistan who is accused of inciting his followers to attack the U.S. embassy compound in Tunis a year ago.

(Reporting By Tarek Amara; Writing by Patrick Markey; Editing by Robin Pomeroy and Mike Collett-White)

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Euro Declines Below 1.28 as the Italian Political Stalemate Worsens

By Benjamin Spier 27 March 2013 11:23 GMT The continuation of the Italian political stalemate caused a rise in 5-year bond yields during a government sale today, and may also have been responsible for the Euro’s dip below 1.2800 against the US Dollar for the first time in four months. Along with the decline in Euro, a clear risk aversion theme can be seen in widening bond spreads, a decline in AUD/USD, and a drop in European equities.

A discussion today between Italian center-left coalition leader Bersani and anti-establishment Grillo, which was publicized via a web video feed, led to no new agreements as Grillo rejected Bersani’s proposals. Meanwhile, Bersani shot down rumors from earlier in the day that he was negotiating with center-right Berlusconi. It is unclear what will happen if Bersani fails to assemble a coalition before the end of his mandate, but it could lead to another technocrat being appointed as prime minister.

Additionally, a sale of 5 and 10-year Italian government bonds brought in 6.91 billion Euros, slightly disappointing a maximum target for 7 billion Euros. 2018 bond yields rose to 3.65% in today’s sale, versus 3.59% during a sale on February 27; the 10-year bond yield actually dropped to 4.66% from 4.83% during that same February sale.

Finally, a rumor of a downgrade to Italian sovereign bonds was the last piece of news that contributed to the 15.0 bps rise in the Italian 10-year bond yield in secondary markets. The German benchmark bond yield dropped 5.7 bps to 1.29%, and the Greece benchmark yield is trading 62.3 bps higher to 12.42%.

Fallout from the Cyprus bailout deal continues in today’s European session, as a Cyprus Central Bank spokeswoman said the banks will open tomorrow and a draft of proposed capital controls is ready. An official Euro-zone document said the Cyprus bailout was not the template for future rescues. This comes as a slightly improved tone, following the Euro-group president’s comments over the past few days that depositors and bond holders may experience losses in future aid deals in the Euro-zone.

The British Pound also fell today on news of disappointing current account in the fourth quarter combined with an announcement from the BoE that there is a 25 billion Pound shortfall among UK lenders.

In the Euro-zone, economic confidence for March was reported at 90.0, disappointing expectations for 90.5. The French GDP for Q4 was confirmed 0.3% lower than the previous quarter. Neither release had significant effect on Euro trading, as concerns over Italy and Cyprus preoccupied traders.

EUR/USD is still trading slightly below 1.2800, and may next see support at 1.2660, by the current six month low.

(Did you understand all the terms used in today’s report? If so, test your skills with DailyFX’s Trading IQ Quiz.)

EURUSD Daily: March 27, 2013

Chart created by Benjamin Spier using Marketscope 2.0

--- Written by Benjamin Spier, DailyFX Research. Feedback can be sent to bbspier@fxcm.com .

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27 March 2013 11:23 GMT

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Financial markets Weakened on Italian Political Uncertainty

ONG Focus | Insights | Written by Oil N' Gold | Tue Feb 26 13 00:51 ET

Financial markets slipped on concerns over the election in Italy. Exit polls suggested that a hang parliament would be formed amid the neck to neck race between the centre left party and Silvio Berlusconi's centre right coalition. In China, HSBC's flash manufacturing PMI was disappointing but the results were likely affected by Lunar new Year holiday. The US Fed Chairman Bernanke will begin his semi-annual testimony before Congress. Ahead of the meeting, Dennis Lockhart, the Atlanta Fed president stated that the US economic growth could exceed expectations this year but ongoing monetary stimulus is needed for sustainable recovery in the job market. Wall Street declined with the DJIA and the S&P 500 indices losing -1.55% and -1.83% respectively. In the commodity sector, the front-month contract for WTI crude oil initially slipped to an 8-week low of 92.07 before rebounding to 93.11 at close. The Brent crude contract also recovered after dipping lower earlier in the day. Gold price rose on bargain hunting with the benchmark Comex contract adding +0.88%.

Italy’s election sparked fresh fear for the euro as exit polls showed that a hung parliament would likely be formed. Accordign to Reuters, the center-left would have a solid majority in the lower house in terms of votes. However, it would not be able to pass bill without the Senate. Moreover, the Italian Centre for Electoral Studies estimated that Bersani's coalition would take 121 seats to, Berlusconi 117, Grillo 54 and Monti’s centrist coalition 22. No party or likely alliance with the 158 seats needed to form a Senate majority.

In China, HSBC's flash manufacturing PMI dropped to 50.4 in February, compared with consensus of 52.2 and down from 52.3 in January. The sub-indices of new orders and output fell -2.5 points and -2.2points respectively while the new export orders index slipped -0.7 points to 49.8. Yet, it should be cautioned that the results were subject to seasonal adjustment due to the Lunar New Year holiday.

On the dataflow, the US S&P/Case-Shilller Composite-20 probably gained +6.7% y/y in December from +5.5% a month ago. House price index might have added +0.6% m/m in December, same level as November. Meanwhile, consumer confidence probably increased +1.2 points to 59.8 in February while new home sales might have increased to 385K in January from 369K in the prior month. The Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke will testify at the Senate Banking Committee today.

 

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