I read this article called Google Sweet Talks Its Way to Political Power from ZDNet's Donna Bogatin and it really fired me up. Usually I enjoy reading Donna's posts because it gives a different perspective on what Google is up to, but not this time. This time I'm upset because of the implications from her article. In summary, she basically writes that Google's interest in sponsoring Personal Democracy Forum's recent conference was purely political in nature in the hopes of locking up favorable situations for its company come 2008. While I'm sure anyone that deals in the political space is hoping for favorable outcomes, as a veteran online media buyer, it was pretty much business as usual for business development opportunities.
Before I continue to shred the article, let me give you a little background on myself (if you already know feel free to skip ahead to the next paragraph). I've been buying versions of search advertising since the very beginning of my online marketing programs going back to AT&T circa 1998. Back then, one of the only sections of our media buys with publishers like Yahoo, iVillage, Lycos, and Excite that worked was search marketing. When I moved to what was then known as DLJdirect, I used that experience to optimize our poorly performing AOL buy, sign a PPC deal with what was then known as GoTo.com (aka Overture aka Yahoo), and the day Google turned on their PPC product, a woman named Jackie P. in my grouped called them up to start a deal. There are also quite a number of case studies of my search campaigns including this one from Google and this one on the impact of search on display ads with Yahoo.
Fast forward to today and I'm a Chief Internet Strategist for Connell Donatelli where I design media strategies and implement media plans for political campaigns including John McCain for President. Of course search marketing is an important component in all of our media plans and Google is the first stop for any of our plans. And, that's what gets me about Donna's post. It isn't that Google is spending money on parties or conference sponsorships that causes campaigns to use it. Do you think Barack Obama's campaign spent $72,000 in the first quarter on Google because it throws a good party (see screen shot in post continuation)?
No, political campaigns just like all other intelligent marketers spend money on Google because it performs. You control what you spend and you can track the results. Unlike crappy newspaper ads, I know where my money is going and what it does when someone clicks on it. Party or no party, sponsorship or no sponsorship, Google dominates because of a great product and strategy and superior, manageable results. If it didn't political campaigns just like all other online marketers would just move on.
PardonMyFrench,
Eric
****Update on 5-22****
Donna Bogatin published our Google statistics for John McCain proving what I wrote above, that it is not about Google buying power, but it is about results. To see the results clipped from the post , not from the actual presentation which I have, see the post continuation.
From Politico:
Barack Obama
Listed firms ($247K total): NGP ($72K), Auburn Quad ($62K), Blue State Digital ($36K), Pair.com ($5K), Google Adwords ($72K).
In-house Internet Staff ($31K total): Joe Rospars, Jim Brayton, Samuel
Graham-Felson, Chris Hughes, Chris Northcross, Jessica Slider.
From Donna Bogatin's post:
250 keywords,
100 text ads,
50 banner ads,
5 video ads
Donatelli’s ode to Google’s Internet was Googley music to Malone’s ears:
The Internet is the most cost effective way to raise money, search engine marketing is the most cost effective within the Internet, paid search converts twice as well as organic search and Google is the place to be because that is were the users are.
How effective? McCain campaign stats:
For every $4 raised, only $1 spent,
Average size of gift $189,
Email and cost per donor acquisition $8.
The comic visited the land for the first time in decades to promote his anRrpWTYnkmcou new animated movie about bees, and he was treated like royalty literally
Posted by: Jennifer | November 26, 2007 at 01:45 PM
Taylor has a home in the Miami suburb of Palmetto Bay that he bought two years ago. The 24-year-old player is in HjJrFiZwfKpezK his fourth season with the Redskins after playing at the University of Miami, where he was an All-American in 2003
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