Friday, March 27, 2009

Gillibrand Uses Web Ad For Rapid Response

Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, D-N.Y., has begun using Google AdWords, a program that lets webmasters create their own ads and choose keywords, to respond to Thursday's front page New York Times article about her history of defending tobacco companies. Simply search for "Gillibrand" on Google and an ad from her campaign proclaiming that "Gillibrand Fights Tobacco" should appear to the right. The ad links to a page on her campaign Web site that highlights her anti-tobacco record. A second ad that is displayed points to an immigration reform Web site and the third points to the Times article itself. Gillibrand's campaign usage of the targeted Web advertising platform hints at the future of rapid response in the digital age.

Gillibrand holds a big lead over Republican Rep. Peter King, but would face a more difficult race if former Republican Gov. George Pataki entered it, according to a recent Siena College poll. The poll showed Gillibrand leading King 47-23 percent and she is tied at 41 percent apiece, when matched up against Pataki. Search is a natural tool for political rapid response, said Peter Greenberger, team manager for elections and issues advocacy at Google. "As news breaks, people go online to find more information. Savvy political advertisers take advantage of that spike in interest to get their message in front of voters and lawmakers at the exact moment of relevance," he said.

President Barack Obama and Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., led the way in 2008 by using search for crisis communications, and now other political campaigns and issue groups are adopting the same strategies, Greenberger added. Google expects to see a lot more of this in 2009 and beyond. He said his team is already seeing political campaigns use Google earlier and to a greater degree than ever before. For more on politics and Web ads, read National Journal's recent article here.