Slow Start For Mobile In 2012 Presidential Campaign

An anonymous reader writes "Social networks played an important role in the last U.S. presidential election, but the explosive growth in smartphone usage and the introduction of tablets since 2008 could make or break the candidates for president in 2012. As the Republican primaries heat up, the major contenders show on their official websites a strong recognition of social networking and connecting in digital ways via desktop computers. But the GOP and President Obama's campaigns are not yet making many mobile-specific connections to supporters via smartphones or tablets, analysts noted. Some campaigns have special links on their websites for getting updates via SMS to a phone, but they don't appear to have candidate-specific downloadable mobile apps on Apple's App Store or the Android Market so far."

Comments

... and the demand for this is where?

[wanderfowl]

I can't think of anything I'd want _less_ than a candidate for public office sending me campaign-related text messages. Does anybody outside of the campaigns themselves actually want this, or is this a social marketing consultant's wet dream?

Re:... and the demand for this is where?

[vlm]

I can't think of anything I'd want _less_ than a candidate for public office sending me campaign-related text messages

How bout campaign related voice phone calls? Those are pretty annoying, although at least they're cheaper than a SMS.

Re:... and the demand for this is where?

[Anonymous Coward]

Well, except hot candidates. I wouldn't mind being the meat in a Bachmann-Palin sandwich.

Re:... and the demand for this is where?

[vlm]

Ah, you do know Palin shoots her own meat, with a rifle from a helicopter, right? I'm detecting a 5.56mm hole in your otherwise righteous plan.

always one step behind

[Anonymous Coward]

When the world moved to the web, politicians were printing paper flyers.

When the world moved to social networking, the politicians put up oldschool web pages.

As the world moves to mobile computing, the politicians learn about social networking sites.

They are always a step behind, because they react to what their analysts are reporting, and being reactive means you are never up with the times.

Our web site has seen an absolute explosion in mobile platform use over the last 24 months. No surprise our elected representatives don't get it yet.

The USA

[Anonymous Coward]

The country that sells politicians the same way it does sanitary towels. Somehow it seems strangely appropriate.

Re:The USA

[plover]

The country that sells politicians the same way it does sanitary towels. Somehow it seems strangely appropriate.

Oh, that we could discard them as easily as well.

That's a bad thing?

[black3d]

Is there really a demand for "candidate-specific downloadable mobile apps"? I can't think of anything more horrific spamming up the App Store.

Re:That's a bad thing?

[plover]

Hey, maybe this is where Apple's censorship and keeping the walled garden safe from intrusion might really pay off. "Sorry, Mr. Obama, but your message is too political for the App Store. Lose the editorial cartoons lampooning the Republican Party and we'll give it another consideration."

Re:That's a bad thing?

[black3d]

Or more specifically, if a voter is at the point where they're downloading an app to get the "latest news and updates" on a specific candidate (over and above the email and sms spam they can already get), then you don't need an app to win that individual's vote. For the fence-sitters who just want to get apps for "every candidate", again it's not going to help either. The only advantage here is to the marketing consultants.

Re:That's a bad thing?

[Sponge Bath]

That's a good point. The centralized and sometimes seemingly arbitrary approval process leaves Apple open to charges of political meddling regardless of what they do. A bit of free publicity could be had as simply as submitting a "candidate specific" app that violates some Apple terms and then run to the press complaining about corporate interference.

I'm happy enough with my Rick Perry ring tone (pew pew! I'm a straight shooter... pew pew! I'm a straight shooter...), and don't see the need for a native app.

Re:That's a bad thing?

[srmalloy]

Is there really a demand for "candidate-specific downloadable mobile apps"? I can't think of anything more horrific spamming up the App Store.

If there were a mobile app that was candidate-specific and allowed you to send a high-voltage charge to the rump of the candidate the app was dedicated to, it would sell like hotcakes.

Re:That's a bad thing?

[AngryDeuce]

Even a virtual currency would be a better gauge then the current retarded "poll" method. Thanks to Frank Luntz (and people like him), you can't really trust any fucking poll out there. Something that gives everyone, say, $100 virtual dollars to distribute among the various candidates throughout the entire campaign period would be a good tool to see who truly has the support of...well, anyone in the 'has a smartphone' demographic, anyway.

Although honestly, it really doesn't seem like ours is a demographic they much give a shit about, based on how often they fuck about with the things we care about, i.e., SOPA.

Umm?

[bfandreas]

While I can see how the convenience of these devices speed up spreading "ooops" moments I can't really see how this will actually help candidates. Also never have there been so many cameras in the audience. What positive power is there to leverage when it comes to tablets and smart phones? I honestly can't even come up with a very convoluted answer to that one. This is a most vapid submission.
In the current climate where it seems to be the best strategy to damage contestor instead of even offereing half-arsed simple solutions to complex problems those devices make a good attack vector for smear campaigns.
I could imagine an app that makes you guess the definition of santorum. Here's a hint: it ain't pretty.
Will it help the nation? Propably no.

The real tragedy here is that a truly suitable candidate will be put off by what's currently going on.

Do we need mobile apps for everything?

[Tr3vin]

Are full "apps" really required? With constant news coverage, social networking accounts, mailing lists, and websites, why do I need another direct feed from campaigns? Something like twitter is much more useful. I am more likely to see their messages via my twitter stream than via a custom app that either prompts me with annoying messages or that I have to remember to check. The only people I see using the apps are people that have already decided who they are voting for and the mobile app might as well be a "donate now" button. I fail to see how a mobile app is going to do any good at promoting a campaign and actually gaining votes.

Why bother?

[ZankerH]

Just about every modern smartphone/tablet is perfectly capable of displaying normal (desktop) websites. Sounds like a waste of effort and campaign money to me.

Mobilizing supporters

[Goonie]

The point of having an app like this, is not so much direct persuasion to vote for a candidate, it's to help motivate and organize committed supporters.

American elections are, in large part, decided not by persuading independents to vote for one candidate or the other, it's by which party can get its ideologically-aligned supporters to the polls.

Committed supporters can be very useful in that - you feed them what are in effect talking points to persuade their less committed friends to come and vote; it makes organizing volunteers to, say, drive likely voters to the polls easier, and so on and so forth. That's where a mobile app might be useful.

Re:Converting vs preaching to the faithful

[Darkness404]

Yep, I mean, honestly is someone from the GOP /really/ going to install the Obama 2012 "app"? Or is someone who is a die-hard Obama fan going to install the Gingrich 2012 "app"? I don't understand why this would benefit candidates. After all, I get the messages of the ones I want to via social networking, I don't need an app on my phone for that. What they need to do is cater to the masses via TV and shills... I mean the completely unbiased cable news networks. No one but the most die-hard fans will install an "app" for a candidate. Its easier just to ask them for money and bombard the TV with ads.