Target Point

The National Dialogue Monitor

Yesterday on Fox and Friends, Karl Rove talked about our latest research product, the National Dialogue Monitor, and what it had to say about the state of the GOP Presidential nomination.

The National Dialogue Monitor tracks every time a politician, celebrity, organization, issue or corporation is mentioned across all media channels - television, radio, newspapers, magazines, blogs, websites, and social networks - measuring the associated volume, tone and topics of each tracked entity.

We'll be sharing more details about the NDM over the next few weeks, but in the meantime, take a look at what Rove had to say about it here:

Our First App

TargetPoint is extremely pleased to share our very first iPhone application: the "Danger on our Roads" app is part of the Michigan Transportation Team's (MTT) initiative to highlight the state's need for increased investment in transportation and infrastructure.  

The app encourages users to be on the lookout for dangerous roads and bridges in Michigan, take photographs and upload them with their location to the MTT, where they can in turn share them with Michigan legislators to underscore the severity of the state's infrastructure crisis.  

So far, the app seems to have hit a nerve and has been getting a lot of attention - it's been featured by a number of local publications, and it even was the subject of a segment on WILX last night.

This is the first of what we are sure will be many mobile applications that will help organizations gather, analyze and communicate data.  And so far, it seems we are off to a pretty good start.  

The Information Arms Race

TargetPoint’s MicroTargeting work was recently featured by GOOD Magazine as part of their Data Issue in “The Information Arms Race.” The article dives into many of the specifics behind the use of data, analytics, and predictive modeling in political campaigns with the help of an in-depth interview with TargetPoint CEO Alex Gage:

A candidate is the “product,” a voter the “customer” [says Gage]. A young woman opens up her laptop, goes online and starts clicking away—a common-enough act, but one that Gage understands as something more. He jerks his finger at her. “You see what she’s doing? She’s giving off data exhaust.” The digitized record of a virtual life, data exhaust is composed of valuable bits of information about our habits and preferences. And it may help determine the country’s next president.

Political candidates, campaigns and causes are realizing that their data is a strategic asset that can be leveraged towards an electoral win: “Now, a data strategy is as necessary as a television strategy, and each campaign is an information arms race.”

Obama's Data Operations

The marketing news site ClickZ, in a follow-up to earlier reports about the Obama Campaign’s hiring process, posted a deeper look at Obama’s data analytics staff and strategy.

It seems the Obama campaign is directly employing data experts in-house as part of an Analytics Department at the campaign’s Chicago hub. This staff will coordinate with state data directors around the country, helping infuse data analytics into every aspect of the reelection bid. TargetPoint’s Alex Lundry, responding to signs of Obama’s data strategy, was quoted in the ClickZ article...

MicroTargeting a Modern Campaign

Today’s edition of Roll Call featured a front-page article about Indiana Senator Dick Lugar’s 2012 reelection campaign. Senator Lugar, who will face a tough primary opponent during his bid, came to TargetPoint for help with microtargeting. At a fundraiser last week, Senator Lugar had no hesitations mentioning his new strategy to constituents:

Microtargeting a Modern Campaign

Lugar explained to the crowd gathered in the sweltering barn that his campaign is using “microtargeting” for the first time, describing it as process used to “define who the electorate is.” It’s part of just five minutes he spent talking about his re-election during the 40-minute speech.

Campaign professionals have used microtargeting for at least a decade. But the Senator’s unfamiliarity with the topic illustrates just how long it’s been since Lugar has had to run a tough campaign: 1982.

As a major part of modern campaigns, politicians can use microtargeting not only to “define who the electorate is,” but also help focus GOTV strategies, determine what issues motivate voters, refine persuasion efforts, decide messengers and messages, and more. During the 2012 primary and general election season, the candidates who best employ microtargeting to understand the electorate will have an indispensable advantage.