Latest news with #TechforCampaigns
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Democrats aren't engaged enough online in nonelection years, study finds
Democrats aren't engaged enough online in nonelection years, and Republicans' digital advantage gave the right a leg up in 2024, new research shows. A report from Tech for Campaigns, a pro-Democratic nonprofit focused on commercial digital marketing and data techniques, found that Democrats continue to treat digital communication as 'a campaign-season sprint,' while Republicans have embraced year-round, off-year investment in the online space. 'The Right, especially [President] Trump, recognized that persuasion is no longer about last-minute convincing, but about shaping beliefs continuously—building trust, shifting opinions, and staying visible through frequent engagement,' the report reads. For example, left-wing advocacy groups and media companies dropped spending on Meta, which owns platforms like Facebook and Instagram, by 75 percent in off years between 2020 and 2025, according to the research. Their right-wing counterparts, on the other hand, decreased that spending by just 3 percent. 'For presidential and major federal and statewide races … the persuasion groundwork is now laid years in advance through partisan media ecosystems. The Trump campaign didn't need the same massive persuasion push in 2024 as the Democrats. The work was already done,' the researchers said. The report comes as Democrats grapple with the party's brand in the wake of 2024 losses. A number of Democrats seen as potential White House hopefuls, including Govs. Gavin Newsom of California and Andy Beshear of Kentucky, have recently stepped into the podcast space, where right-wing voices dominate. As of December, right-wing podcasts had nearly three times the audience of left-leaning programs, according to Tech for Campaigns. But trying to duplicate Republican tactics isn't necessarily a ticket to success for Democrats, the report argued, noting that successful influencers on the right have largely emerged organically, rather than appearing as a 'top-down creation.' Former Vice President Kamala Harris's campaign, which faced a short runway after former President Biden's historic exit from the race, did lean heavily into social media and made concerted efforts to reach young voters in the digital space. She also spent $400 million more than Trump on the race, according to the research, but she spent a smaller share of her funds on mobilization efforts, focusing instead on fundraising and voter persuasion. 'Some will argue the Harris campaign's heavy focus on persuasion was necessary given her late entry. This misses the crucial point: persuasion shouldn't begin a few months before Election Day,' Tech for Campaigns said. 'It requires continuous engagement throughout the four-year cycle with candidates, left-wing groups and other advocates building the brand and the relationship with voters.' Politico first reported on the new advertising report. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
The Hill
4 days ago
- Business
- The Hill
Democrats aren't engaged enough online in non-election years, study finds
Democrats aren't engaged enough online in non-election years, and Republicans' digital advantage gave the right a leg up in 2024, new research shows. A report from Tech for Campaigns, a pro-Democrat nonprofit focused on commercial digital marketing and data techniques, found that Democrats continue to treat digital communication as 'a campaign-season sprint,' while Republicans have embraced year-round, off-year investment in the online space. 'The Right, especially [President] Trump, recognized that persuasion is no longer about last-minute convincing, but about shaping beliefs continuously—building trust, shifting opinions, and staying visible through frequent engagement,' the report reads. For example, left-wing advocacy groups and media companies dropped spending on Meta, which owns platforms like Facebook and Instagram, by 75 percent in off years between 2020 and 2025, according to the research. Their right-wing counterparts, on the other hand, decreased that spending by just 3 percent. 'For presidential and major federal and statewide races … the persuasion groundwork is now laid years in advance through partisan media ecosystems. The Trump campaign didn't need the same massive persuasion push in 2024 as the Democrats. The work was already done,' the researchers said. The report comes as Democrats grapple with the party's brand in the wake of 2024 losses. A number of Democrats seen as potential White House hopefuls, including Govs. Gavin Newsom (Calif.) and Andy Beshear (Ky.), have recently stepped into the podcast space, where right-wing voices dominate. As of December, right-wing podcasts had nearly three times the audience of left-leaning programs, according to Tech for Campaigns. But trying to duplicate Republican tactics isn't necessarily a ticket to success for Democrats, the report argued, noting that successful influencers on the right have largely emerged organically, rather than appearing as a 'top-down creation.' Former Vice President Harris's campaign, which faced a short runway after ex-President Biden's historic exit from the race, did lean heavily into social media and made concerted efforts to reach young voters in the digital space. She also spent $400 million more than Trump on the race, according to the research, but spent a smaller share of her funds on mobilization efforts, focusing instead on fundraising and voter persuasion. 'Some will argue the Harris campaign's heavy focus on persuasion was necessary given her late entry. This misses the crucial point: persuasion shouldn't begin a few months before Election Day,' Tech for Campaigns said. 'It requires continuous engagement throughout the four-year cycle with candidates, left-wing groups and other advocates building the brand and the relationship with voters.' Politico first reported on the new advertising report.
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Democrats' online problem: They're not doing enough year-round
It turns out, Democrats aren't online enough. Conservative organizations spend more than left-leaning ones on platforms such as Facebook and Instagram in non-election years, capturing a large audience while those Democratic-aligned groups go more dormant in the digital space. And it's making Democrats' election-year persuasion game that much harder. That's the warning of a new report from Tech for Campaigns, a political nonprofit focused on using digital marketing and data techniques to support Democrats, that argues one of the party's major problems is that its communication falters in non-election years. While Democratic spending and presence online surged leading up to the election, for example, Republicans quickly regained the spending advantage this year. Democrats, in other words, aren't putting in the work online during 'off years.' The report, shared first with POLITICO, comes as Democratic donors and officials have grappled with how online personalities and social media content boosted President Donald Trump in 2024, and openly acknowledged Democrats need to fix their brand. 'The Right, especially Trump, recognized that persuasion is no longer about last-minute convincing, but about shaping beliefs continuously — building trust, shifting opinions, and staying visible through frequent engagement — just like commercial brand building,' the report's authors wrote. 'Democrats may acknowledge this shift but continue treating digital communication as a campaign-season sprint.' Republicans' audience advantage spans from podcasts, where Democrats have fretted about the influence of hosts like Joe Rogan, to social media and digital sites. On Facebook and Instagram, for example, Republican-aligned pages outspent those associated with Democrats throughout former President Joe Biden's term, the report found. The only exception of the fourth quarter of 2024, when Democratic-aligned spending surged ahead of the November election. Republicans regained the spending advantage in the first quarter of 2025, suggesting Democrats are not making up ground. 'Democrats have a brand and customers who require consistent and constant communication,' said Jessica Alter, co-founder of Tech for Campaigns. 'And ads … 3-6 months before an election can certainly supplement that strategy, but they can't be the main strategy, not when Republicans never stop talking to their audience.' The online spending gap is not coming from political parties or campaigns. Instead, Republicans' digital advantage largely stems from allied groups and digital media companies, such as PragerU and the Daily Wire. Those sites and other similar ones are not focused strictly on electoral politics. But they have cultivated broad audiences, and spent years sharing content about issues — such as transgender students' participation in sports and opposition to diversity, equity and inclusion programs — that are electorally potent. And Republican candidates are primed to take advantage of those large, sympathetic audiences when an election draws near. While there are newer left-leaning media competitors, such as Courier Newsroom and NowThis Impact, the conservative pages and websites still have a larger audience and spend more on to boost their content across the platforms. When it comes to campaigns, Democrats do have a financial advantage. But although Democratic campaigns consistently outspend Republicans on digital platforms, that's often more focused on fundraising than persuasion and mobilization ads. That's a mistake, Tech for Campaigns argues. While former Vice President Kamala Harris' campaign spent nearly three times as much as Trump's across Facebook, Google and CTV after she entered the presidential race in July 2024, only a small share, 8 percent, was devoted to mobilization, the report finds. That allowed Trump and his allies to close much of the gap when it came to digital content designed to get voters to the polls. But the report cautions against simply trying to recreate what Republicans have done well — for instance, by trying to find a Democratic equivalent of Rogan or even assuming that podcasts will be the most important medium for 2028. Instead, it argues, Democrats need to be willing to try different formats, testing what works and adapting as needed. 'Simply increasing funding to replicate Republican tactics from the last cycle won't be sufficient — nor will continuing to rely primarily on the same networks of talent,' the report concludes. 'Successful right-wing influencers emerged largely organically outside party structures, not through top-down creation.'
Politico
4 days ago
- Business
- Politico
Democrats' online problem: They're not doing enough year-round
It turns out, Democrats aren't online enough. Conservative organizations spend more than left-leaning ones on platforms such as Facebook and Instagram in non-election years, capturing a large audience while those Democratic-aligned groups go more dormant in the digital space. And it's making Democrats' election-year persuasion game that much harder. That's the warning of a new report from Tech for Campaigns, a political nonprofit focused on using digital marketing and data techniques to support Democrats, that argues one of the party's major problems is that its communication falters in non-election years. While Democratic spending and presence online surged leading up to the election, for example, Republicans quickly regained the spending advantage this year. Democrats, in other words, aren't putting in the work online during 'off years.' The report, shared first with POLITICO, comes as Democratic donors and officials have grappled with how online personalities and social media content boosted President Donald Trump in 2024, and openly acknowledged Democrats need to fix their brand. 'The Right, especially Trump, recognized that persuasion is no longer about last-minute convincing, but about shaping beliefs continuously — building trust, shifting opinions, and staying visible through frequent engagement — just like commercial brand building,' the report's authors wrote. 'Democrats may acknowledge this shift but continue treating digital communication as a campaign-season sprint.' Republicans' audience advantage spans from podcasts, where Democrats have fretted about the influence of hosts like Joe Rogan, to social media and digital sites. On Facebook and Instagram, for example, Republican-aligned pages outspent those associated with Democrats throughout former President Joe Biden's term, the report found. The only exception of the fourth quarter of 2024, when Democratic-aligned spending surged ahead of the November election. Republicans regained the spending advantage in the first quarter of 2025, suggesting Democrats are not making up ground. 'Democrats have a brand and customers who require consistent and constant communication,' said Jessica Alter, co-founder of Tech for Campaigns. 'And ads … 3-6 months before an election can certainly supplement that strategy, but they can't be the main strategy, not when Republicans never stop talking to their audience.' The online spending gap is not coming from political parties or campaigns. Instead, Republicans' digital advantage largely stems from allied groups and digital media companies, such as PragerU and the Daily Wire. Those sites and other similar ones are not focused strictly on electoral politics. But they have cultivated broad audiences, and spent years sharing content about issues — such as transgender students' participation in sports and opposition to diversity, equity and inclusion programs — that are electorally potent. And Republican candidates are primed to take advantage of those large, sympathetic audiences when an election draws near. While there are newer left-leaning media competitors, such as Courier Newsroom and NowThis Impact, the conservative pages and websites still have a larger audience and spend more on to boost their content across the platforms. When it comes to campaigns, Democrats do have a financial advantage. But although Democratic campaigns consistently outspend Republicans on digital platforms, that's often more focused on fundraising than persuasion and mobilization ads. That's a mistake, Tech for Campaigns argues. While former Vice President Kamala Harris' campaign spent nearly three times as much as Trump's across Facebook, Google and CTV after she entered the presidential race in July 2024, only a small share, 8 percent, was devoted to mobilization, the report finds. That allowed Trump and his allies to close much of the gap when it came to digital content designed to get voters to the polls. But the report cautions against simply trying to recreate what Republicans have done well — for instance, by trying to find a Democratic equivalent of Rogan or even assuming that podcasts will be the most important medium for 2028. Instead, it argues, Democrats need to be willing to try different formats, testing what works and adapting as needed. 'Simply increasing funding to replicate Republican tactics from the last cycle won't be sufficient — nor will continuing to rely primarily on the same networks of talent,' the report concludes. 'Successful right-wing influencers emerged largely organically outside party structures, not through top-down creation.'
