Email Wars

Having once managed the Direct Marketing department for Caesars Palace in Las Vegas, I have a professional fascination as to how the campaigns are run, in addition to simply being a political junkie. As part of that interest I signed up to the campaigns of the top contenders in both parties: Clinton, Obama, McCain and Romney. (Thanks Sonja for that great idea!)

Since I signed up, I have gotten numerous emails from both Clinton and Obama. Give a good speech? Send an email talking about it with a link to watch it and of course asking for donations. Get a new famous supporter? Send an email announcing it with a video clip and asking for donations. Cry? Send an email with a video clip of when you cried and asking for support. Lose a primary? Send an email saying how close it was and requesting your support to win the next time. Win a primary? Send an email saying how close it was and requesting your support to continue to win the next one. In fact Hillary even sent an email after the Florida primary announcing that she won it – even though it was uncontested and will not count.

But the email wars have really heated up in the past week before Super Tuesday. I have gotten daily emails from Hillary and almost daily ones from Barack. There was even a new email marketing ploy of asking supporters to help call people in Super Tuesday states. The campaign will email names and an on-line way to call and the volunteers can then make the calls from their homes. Clever.

And the emails from the Republicans? I think I received one from Romney in the past week. And I don’t recall seeing a single email from McCain. When writing this blog today I began to question whether or not I really had signed up for his campaign so I checked his web site. Yes I was signed up but he simply hasn't been sending out emails. I don’t know if they aren’t using email because they’re too old for this new technique or too arrogant to think they need it or simply have incompetent marketing teams. But both Romney and McCain are missing out on the awesome potential of email campaigns.

I am not sure who will come out the winner today on Super Tuesday. I just know that both Obama and Clinton have had brilliant marketing campaigns using emails. And perhaps the Republican outcome might be different if just one of the candidates used email as effectively as Hillary and Barack. But if the Republicans don't quickly catch on to the power of emails then they will be in trouble this fall....