Most days, we here at techPresident take little more than a glance at the steady stream of PR pitches that flow into our in-boxes as most of them aren’t all that interesting. But you never know; there’s a lot of innovative people working at the intersection of tech and politics, so we read them all and follow up when appropriate. But today we got word of a new pitch that, perhaps deliberately, wasn’t sent our way. Alas, a friend brought it to our attention, and now you too get to see just how silly some political consulting firms can get when they’re trying to position themselves as go-to shops for digital savvy.
The pitch yesterday from SKDKnickerbocker, a big Democratic firm, and McLaughlin & Associates, a Republican survey research firm: they’re announcing a partnership with technology company LocaModa to offer a “bipartisan social media tool for elected officials, candidates, and politicos to engage the constituents and political audiences they care about.” And what is that tool? LocaModa “allows campaigns, interest groups, and other organizations to add specific Twitter tags to pull in content relevant to the location where the technology is displayed – from town halls to political conventions, gala events to fundraisers, and more.”
Yes, you read that correctly. LocaModa is nothing more than a Twitter hashtag display device–and there are literally dozens of those out there already available for free use: Twitterfall, Twazzup, Topsy, Tweetgrid, Tweetscan–not to mention Tweetdeck and Hootsuite, or for that matter just using Twitter search!
Ah, but listen to what the experts at SKDKnickerbocker and McLaughlin and Associates say:
“Social media technology like LocaModa Red and Blue is where campaigns are headed,” said Anita Dunn, Managing Partner of SKDKnickerbocker. “More interaction with voters, more real-time conversations, more feedback – this is a tool to facilitate that.”
“Technologies don’t change the goal of campaigns, they simply change how you achieve that goal,” said Jim McLaughlin, President and Partner of McLaughlin & Associates. “This technology is part of that change that is happening.”[Emphases in the original]
Seriously, guys, is that the best you could come up with? “This technology is part of that change that is happening.” “This is a tool to facilitate that.” In case you’re wondering, Anita Dunn served as Obama White House communications director from April through November 2009, and she has a long career in politics going back to the Carter White House.
Wait, there’s more. You can get a branded version of LocaModa (that conveniently includes the logo of either the Democratic or Republican firm) and amazingly, that “will allow politicos to engage in an interactive dialogue with their target audience”:
LocaModa Red (for Republicans) and Blue (for Democrats) will allow politicos to engage in an interactive dialogue with their target audience. In a town hall setting, for example, lawmakers can pre-select a Twitter account and/or hashtag that they want to highlight on their LocaModa board, then live-stream Tweets related to those topics to provide content for Q&As and guide discussion on specific issues. Projecting LocaModa onto a backdrop, TV, or big screen takes the interactive experience to the next level, allowing your physical audience to engage in a real-time dialogue with your digital constituents.
Yes, this will take the experience to the next level.
July 24, 2012