By AAPC
Campaign teams and consultants across the country are busy preparing for the next cycle, and a major focus during this time period is fundraising and list building. The AAPC recently spoke with Maggie Paulin, Vice President of Client Services, and the Campaign Solutions team to get their thoughts on best practices for engaging the electorate and preparing for the next cycle.
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By AAPC
By: Philippe Weiss, J.D. President Seyfarth at Work.*
Organizations of all sizes can face harassment suits and suffer business impacts for allowing or enabling misconduct. Federal enforcement agencies have specifically targeted firms with only a handful of employees for failing to prevent and address harassment in order to “send a signal” that even small shops must be proactive. These realities particularly matter in high pressure industries such as political consulting – and where the client may also have wide visibility.
Click here to access the full story on the AAPC Member Network.
By AAPC
The AAPC will announce the winners for the 2021 Pollie Awards Contest on Thursday, April 29 at 7:30 pm EDT. The virtual show will be live streamed and feature some of the best work of the cycle as well as surprise guest appearances. RSVP today to be included in the celebration!
While we look forward to being together again in person as the vaccine rollout continues, we’re eager to get the word out so Contest winners can take full advantage of their hard earned accolades. In fact, winners this year will not be notified until the live stream show so you don’t want to miss it!
We also have some amazing sponsorship opportunities that will place your brand front and center during the Ceremony. Take a look at the available options here.
By AAPC
While the strategies and tools political consultants and firms use to win campaigns have evolved over the years, the traditional model of a political consulting firm has stayed the same. Kelly Gibson, AAPC Board Member, recently founded Stronger Than Communications, which deviates from the traditional structure of a political consulting firm. Stronger Than is a collective of political strategists, committed to majority women-led, women-owned operations. We recently caught up with Kelly to learn more about how this different, collective approach works, and why she felt the need to branch out from the norm.
Tell us a little about what inspired you to launch a collective firm?
Gibson: In my experience in political consulting over the last 15 years, I have met and worked with so many amazing talents, people who push what’s possible and bring all their passion and purpose to the table and I want to do more of that. A collective allows different professionals to join together, with intention, for individual projects. Collaboration has always been how I do my best work, and as the game is changing, that is more important than ever. The members of the collective, currently all women, have their own operations and work with other people. This is not an exclusive professional relationship, but they are all professionals who believe in the power of collaboration, transparency and innovation. It has been just amazing learning more about the incredible women that work in this space, and I so look forward to working with them all, on different projects, to advance the progressive agenda.
How is a collective firm different from a traditional political communications firm?
Gibson: A collective is limitless in its possibilities. Those in it will change, it will grow and shrink, and it allows for custom services for each project. In my career I have had the chance to work with great teams, but more by accident, than on purpose. This will allow smart women, with decades of experience, to be an intentional team and then bring specific skill sets to the objective of any project. The collective offers traditional services, paid comms/strategic comms/media buying/digital planning, but in a completely non-traditional way. And the client knows everything, they have access to the buyers, they have access to the strategy behind a cross-platform program. Nothing is white-labeled or executed behind the scenes.
In addition to individual partnerships, Stronger Than is working on creating agency partnerships. This is to ensure there is agreement on strategic approach, to agree on the importance of innovation or medium before everyone is sitting at a campaign retreat. The intention is to work together from the get-go so the campaign or the project has the best possible chance for success.
Does a collective firm provide different benefits to clients than to a traditional firm?
Gibson: There will be cases where the services are different, but more than services the collective offers a different approach. It offers more voices, more female voices, more diverse voices. It offers access to process, and input from the client on all aspects of the communications services. It is fundamentally breaking from the traditional reality of political consultants. It certainly won’t be the right fit for everyone, but I do believe that in a post-Trump, post-pandemic, post-2020 world, there will be some campaigns and organizations that are looking for a more robust perspective or a more robust approach.
Why was it important for you to ensure your firm is majority women-led and owned?
Gibson: Historically there have been far fewer female voices in political media consulting than male voices. That is changing, and it’s awesome. More women are entering this field, and I am excited to see how that changes the races. That said, women are still in the minority on many teams. Stronger Than will always be majority women, and that brings a different sensibility to the table. The majority of American voters are women. American women make the majority of decisions around family budgets, child care options, and healthcare decisions. This is something that needs to be considered when we are building progressive communications programs. In my experience, that reality has not been as much of a priority as it should be when building teams. The creative assets that women make are different, the ads connect in a different way, and that matters. We are creating an offering that has the potential to reimagine the possibilities in the progressive movement.
Political consulting has long been a male dominated industry. Do you have any advice for other firms on how best to narrow the gender gap?
Gibson: A lot of this has to do with the bench we are building as a party, and I do believe that is changing. There are more women working in politics, and more women running for office. That needs to drive change. So women need to recognize their worth, existing shops need to be open to growth and change, and women need to help each other out. If there is a race you can’t do for some reason, share that with another woman in the business. Talk to each other about what work is out there. I have been saying to other women in the space, if there is something I am hustling, I will let you know. I know I am going to pitch against someone, so why not other fierce women? We have to change the culture to change the reality. I don’t have any overblown idea that I alone can change the space, but I know now is the moment to give it a try. Not to mention, now is my chance to work with really amazing, smart, connected women.
By AAPC
After both U.S. Senate races in Georgia moved to runoffs, the elections quickly became the deciding factor for control of the Senate, and gained historic amounts of national news coverage. The AAPC recently spoke with Lauren Morenko, Vice President of Client Services at Smart Media Group, who’s firm played an integral role in David Perdue’s re-election campaign against Democratic opponent Jon Ossoff.
What was your firm’s role in the Georgia Senate runoff campaign between Jon Ossoff and David Perdue?
Morenko: Smart Media handled the paid media buy for the Perdue for Senate campaign.
Being one of only two runoff campaigns this year, and control of the Senate hinging on the outcome, were there fundamental differences to the runoff campaign strategy and approach vs. the general election?
Morenko: Absolutely. After nearly avoiding the runoff on November 3rd, we knew a few things: 1) all eyes would be focused on Georgia, 2) our opponent would outspend us two to one, and 3) we needed to run the most data driven media campaign in history to give Senator Perdue a chance at reelection. No one could have predicted at the beginning of the cycle that Atlanta would be the highest spending political market in 2020 by over $100 million. By the time we got to the runoff the level of activity was causing chaos for the media outlets. Negotiating rates was essential in both races but creating and monitoring our schedules running every day to maximize our media budget was a full-time operation in the runoff.
Was your firm involved in any GOTV efforts, and if so, what strategies were used?
Morenko: Yes. We worked with a data company to onboard custom audiences and serve our GOTV messages to them at a high frequency to drive up turnout. We were able to divide these audiences into two distinct groups: early and absentee voters and Election Day voters. By serving AB/EV ads to the first group, we were able to provide the info those voters would need to vote in that timeframe. E-Day audiences received similar ads but with polling place information. We were also able to exclude AB/EV participants in real time as their names appeared in the data from the Secretary of State, which allowed for us to be as efficient with the campaign funds as possible.
With so much national attention, what strategies were used to speak directly to the GA voters who ultimately decided the election?
Morenko: Our goal was to ensure that 1) Senator Purdue paid the lowest rates, 2) that over 95% of his schedules ran as ordered, and 3) all messages were correctly running every single day. By doing this we were able to stretch every dollar we placed on broadcast, cable, radio, satellite, OTT, and streaming video and reach as many voters as possible.
What advice would you give your peers who may be faced with working on a runoff campaign in the future? What was particularly challenging (or rewarding)?
Morenko: Being involved in the Georgia Senate/runoff elections allowed us the opportunity to focus all our energy and efforts on developing several techniques to give our candidate an edge which was very rewarding. These innovations had never been used before by any single campaign. The best advice we can give to those who may be involved in high profile runoff campaigns in the future is make sure you have actionable intelligence. Most, if not all, campaigns have access to limitless amounts of data but it is how you use that data that can mean the difference between winning and losing.
By AAPC
With the 2020 election behind us, many political consulting firms are looking to hire new talent and many consultants are looking for a new project now that their campaign has ended. The AAPC caught up with Annie Warren, Director of Human Resources at Targeted Victory and Tammy Phan, Director of Talent at BerlinRosen, to get their insights on the ever more prevalent virtual hiring process.
What tips do you have for companies who have had to switch to a virtual hiring/interview process?
Phan: This is very logistical: Ensure that your video platform works just as well on cell phones or tablets. Many people no longer own a personal computer and may not, rightly so, want to use their company laptop to interview. Hiring should be about inclusion and you never want to exclude people from your interview process who may not have access to certain technology or other resources.
Warren: Targeted Victory has invested in an HR team with a mandate to ensure each candidate, no matter entry-level or Executive Vice President, whether we hire them or not, has a positive experience meeting our team and learning about our company. All of our initial screens are done via video chat. This way I can be sure the candidates are comfortable with joining and meeting virtually before they speak to hiring managers.
Following up with the candidates after the interview is something Targeted Victory has instilled in our HR team. Whether passing on the candidate or waiting for feedback from managers, companies have to put an emphasis on communication. If we meet great candidates who we don’t have a spot for, oftentimes I follow up with a handwritten note thanking them for their time and letting them know we’ll keep them in mind. Just because we aren’t moving forward with an offer, it doesn’t mean the interview experience shouldn’t be pleasant.
Do you believe that virtual hiring/zoom interviews will become more common moving forward?
Phan: Absolutely. In person exchanges will always be valuable, but virtual interviews have so many benefits. They allow non-local candidates to be as competitive as local ones in the interview process. They give companies (which may have budget caps for things like flights or hotels related to interviewing) more leeway in who to interview.
Have you found any unforeseen benefits to virtual hiring that were not as present in traditional in-person interviews?
Warren: Because employed candidates do not have to take time off of work to interview, we are able to interview candidates more quickly and ease scheduling burdens. It also eliminates the need for back-to-back interviews if both parties are at home and more flexible throughout the day. Additionally, the candidate pool has increased drastically because you can speak “face-to-face” with candidates all over the country. As a result of these factors, time to fill is often reduced.
What can a candidate do to make themselves stand out more to hiring firms, especially when the hiring process is mainly virtual?
Warren: Show your enthusiasm! It can be difficult to relay excitement through your computer, but do your best! You don’t have to lose the human connection with virtual interviews. Targeted Victory values transparency, collaboration, and, above all, kindness. Maintaining this culture is extremely important to our partners and staff, so when I am doing screens I try to think about whether the person will be a good fit – in both the culture we’ve adapted to online and the culture we will return to when we can get back in the office.
Work on your web presence. Try video chatting with a friend/family member beforehand. Take a look at how your body language comes across on the screen. Sit up straight, maintain eye contact, and speak clearly and slowly. Close all of your open tabs/programs on your computer. Emails and messages coming through can be distracting, and it’s very obvious when eyes are wandering and not focused on the interview. Closing down programs can also help to avoid the slowdown of your video and audio feed.
Test your technology prior to the meeting! Technical difficulties impact everyone, but do your best to ensure your internet connection is strong, your camera and microphone are working and you’re in a quiet, well-lit area. Technology issues at the beginning of the interview can cause panic on the interviewee’s side, causing them to lose focus and set the wrong tone for the interview. Make sure you know where the mute button is located and how to hit it quickly in case outside noises pop up!
Phan: I’m so thrilled you asked this! I understand the desire to stand out in very unique ways; but make sure they’re the right unique ways. Candidates have mailed things physically when we ask them only to submit things online, or reached out via LinkedIn, email, and also phone, multiple times. Then, I’ll look at their application, and it’s often the case that the cover letter is a form one and may even have typos or is addressed to the wrong company, and the resume is not suited to the role. Instead of spending time trying to get an edge on the interview process, invest instead in making sure that your application materials are thoughtful, clear, and well written.
Based on your experience, where is the best place for a candidate to start when looking to get hired in the political consulting business? Are most hires found online, or through connections?
Warren: Being referred to a company through a mutual connection is helpful for three reasons: 1) Your connection can usually get the resume straight to HR/hiring manager 2) Your connection can provide context around the company, clients, and culture which will give you a leg up going into the interview. 3) Political consulting is a mission-driven industry, and the work requires a great deal of trust, so having personal relationships are key when trying to find new opportunities.
If you’re applying online, LinkedIn is probably your best bet. Become comfortable on the platform and spend enough time there to customize your feed. When you apply for jobs through LinkedIn, follow up with a message. Most of the time you will be able to find the hiring manager’s email address online. I always appreciate it when a candidate applies on our website or LinkedIn and then follows up with an email. Trust me when I say it will help you stand out among the sometimes hundreds of applicants that come through.
Phan: You should 100% leverage your networks and look online. Many employers understand that only hiring people through connections furthers inequities and are eager to find people outside of their existing bubbles.
What are the biggest mistakes that candidates should avoid when looking for a new opportunity in political consulting?
Phan: Know your “why” for doing this work and know how to communicate that “why” in a clear, succinct, and authentic way. Not enough people can. Politics is personal and political consulting can be incredibly hard work. Employers want to know that when things get really tough, you still have a reason to be present, passionate, and give it your all.
By AAPC
By AAPC
Political consultants are of course very busy during an election cycle, and effective stress management is key to staying sharp. AAPC’s most recent webinar featured an expert on mindfulness and well-being who discussed stress management strategies and ways in which AAPC members, and everyone for that matter, can find some relief.
Check out the key lessons from the webinar below, and listen to the recording for even more expert insights.
This webinar has been archived for playback. AAPC members can click here to view all webinar archives.
Key Lessons from the Webinar
Access the full recording to hear additional tips from our panelists.
By AAPC
The AAPC recently caught up with Danielle Cendejas, Senior Vice President, The Strategy Group, Mark Harris, Partner, Coldspark, and Hunter Hawkins, Digital Director of Policy & Advocacy, The Lukens Company, to find out how the anticipated surge in early voting this cycle is affecting their campaign work.
What are you doing / what’s your plan around turnout for early voting?
Cendejas: I do most of my work in California, and every voter will be receiving a ballot this election. We anticipate many voters, who usually wait to vote close to or on Election Day, will be returning their ballots almost as soon as they receive it. Our team has adjusted our mail schedules and pushed our candidates to ramp up their fundraising efforts to ensure we reach those voters who want to make their decisions earlier. We will also closely monitor ballot receipt data made so we can adjust our mail files, digital ads, and field activities to maximize our client’s resources.
Harris: Our plan for turnout uses the traditional fundamentals of looking at our low turnout voters and reaching them at their doors, on the phones, online, and in the mail to get them out. The difference is this year we have more options to get them to vote by mail in addition to just election day. As people vote each day we can strike them from our list and focus on those who have not. It’s the same principles but on a massive scale.
Hawkins: A good number of our clients have been focused on early voting and voting by mail, which seems to be a bit higher than normal. Obviously with COVID still playing a huge role in this, we have had to recalibrate a bit and rework our schedule. Essentially all of our digital ad calendars had to shift back 2-3 weeks from what we thought we would find when the year started. Our creative has focused significantly more on early voting, and redirecting voters to their state’s early voting websites and registrations. GOTV has essentially turned from a 72 hour push, to a month long push in many states.
What are you going to do the week before the election to GOTV?
Cendejas: For clients, we will be very focused on helping update universes, provide support for organic social media posts, and continue helping set up online phone and text banks until the polls close.
Hawkins: We all know the major role that Facebook has played in the last election, but we have been forced to evolve given the restrictions in place for 2020. Therefore, we switched our focus on display, videos, OTT, CTV, texting, etc. to help pull our candidates over the finish line. As strange as it sounds coming from the digital side, our mail shop has been playing a leading role in the upcoming GOTV since a large number of people in our country are most likely at home, looking at one of their many screens. That lends itself to mail and videos quite nicely.
How is Facebook’s ban on new political ads the week before the election impacting your strategy?
Cendejas: It forces us to be more intentional with placing the buy. Many of our down-ballot candidates have limited budgets and have to choose where they spend their money. The new deadline means we’ll likely be spending less money on Facebook and more on a self-service digital ads platform, text messaging, or door hangers. We’ll also ask our supporters to post on their accounts about the candidate to spread the word.
Harris: It means planning in advance on what creative we MIGHT want to run and trying to get those prepared. This is an incredibly dumb move by Facebook that ultimately will only hurt underfunded and underdog campaigns. Oftentimes, late Facebook creative is made to respond to false attacks elsewhere. We won’t be able to use that tool this year.
Hawkins: In a strange way, our strategy has not had significant edits to it because of the new ban. The only real thing it’s doing is shifting up our creative date one week, so instead of pushing live in the last 48-72 hours before election day, we are pushing our ads live 9+ days ahead of time.
By AAPC
Peer to peer texting is perhaps the quickest and most effective way to get your message to voters. But, it doesn’t matter what you say or how many people you text, if your message never reaches them.
Message deliverability is a common struggle and can cost campaigns money and votes. During AAPC’s latest webinar, experts from Text Request discussed how to solve your message deliverability problems. They covered why texting works so well for campaigns, what happens behind the scenes once a text is sent, how to ensure messages are delivered at scale (and stay compliant), and what you can do to improve campaign performance starting today.
Check out the key lessons from the webinar below, and listen to the recording for even more expert insights.
This webinar has been archived for playback. AAPC members can click here to view all webinar archives.
Key Lessons from the Webinar
Access the full recording to hear additional tips from our panelists.
