November 16, 2011
by jonathan at 3:40 PM
Topix CEO, Chris Tolles, took part in a recent Street Fight
Summit panel discussion about the increasing relevance of hyperlocal content in
political campaigns.
Chris spoke of how hyperlocal ad inventory becomes a very
valuable commodity during election cycles, "It all of a sudden becomes a place
where there's a lot more inventory -- the folks who are buying it are looking
for good places for it, so those of us in publishing-land have the opportunity
to try to create a good home for that."
Others discussed how politicians have the unique opportunity
to leverage hyperlocal content to speak directly to their constituents. The effect of which could have demonstrable
impact on swing voters in smaller communities.
You can view the discussion in its entirety here:
November 1, 2011
by tolles at 5:29 PM
We commissioned Equation Research to do a survey of over 1,000 people regarding the link between voting and online commenting behaviors, and the results were really interesting.
The research found an increasing number of citizens
turning to each other (versus one-to-many sources such as traditional news
outlets and candidate-driven leaflets, etc.) for guidance on key issues. Research uncovered voters using the Internet
as their preferred venue for this exchange of ideas. Specifically, more than two-thirds
(68 percent) of voters use the Internet as their primary source of information
about candidates and political issues, second only to television (78 percent). Online
news also ranked the most helpful political information source, with 89 percent
of respondents calling it somewhat or extremely useful
Even more surprising, more than a quarter of voters (27
percent) participate in political discussions or debates online.
Other key findings include:
- The primary reason voters participate in online
political discussions is that participants dissect issues in greater depth than
traditional media (81 percent of those active online somewhat or completely
agreed).
- Over half of all respondents agreed online
discussions provide an array of opinions, not just extreme sides. This number
jumped to 89 percent when asked of those who actively participate in online
discussions.
- 24 percent of voters agree somewhat or completely that online conversations drive
their vote. Of those that participate in political debate online, 58 percent
say the conversations drive their vote
The research also addressed political advertising. 68 percent of those active in
political conversations online say they are more likely to pay attention to
advertising on a site where they participate in political discussion and
debate. Two out of five voters say they are more likely to see political
advertising as credible if it is on a website that has both positive and
negative commentary about the candidate.
And, 48 percent of voters ranked the Internet as the second most
impactful advertising medium, second only to television (66 percent).
For the 2011 Politics Online Report, Topix and its partner
Equation Research surveyed 1,008
U.S. residents, over 18 who vote in
elections. The mean age of respondents was 44 with a mean income of $70,000
annually.
Here's an infographic of the results (click on it for a human readable version :-)
And a great writeup by Read Write Web of this and other information from Digitas:
