In the News
2009
March 3, 2009: National Journal
Groups Adapt ‘08 Tactics For Lobbying Efforts [Online]
Thomas Keeley, FreedomWorks’ online marketing coordinator, echoed this thought. Obama “showed everyone that the online model is viable,” he said. “Other organizations, including ours, are analyzing that and pulling pieces out that would work for us. And we’re adding our own touches to that.”
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With the midterms approaching and so many legislative battles likely in the near future, Keeley and Frenchman are bullish on online marketing, especially search engine listings. Keeley cited the quick turnaround available on the Web and the ability of groups to capitalize on timely news stories. Google also keeps track of every click — where users are located, how long they stay on the site and a whole host of other details — which gives groups valuable feedback almost immediately.
February 23, 2009: Politico
Parties’ new battleground: Google [Print and Online]
Using search terms also gives political operators greater flexibility to tailor their campaigns on specific issues or in particular geographic regions.
“Unlike print or radio or TV, if something changes, we can change it on the fly,” said Thomas Keeley, the online marketing coordinate at FreedomWorks.
Case in point: Keeley’s group crafted 49 separate ads targeting Blue Dog Democrats, creating a geographic region for each Google search and separate text catered to each lawmaker and district. If one of those members switched his or her votes, the group could immediately change a critical ad to a “thank you,” or vice versa.
February 12, 2009: National Journal
Search For ‘Stimulus,’ Get A Petition [Online]
Thomas Keeley, Freedom Works’ online marketing coordinator, said search engine advertising is the most straightforward way for his group to reach the most people. The organization’s anti-stimulus Web site and petition, www.destimulus.com, pops up in Google’s “Sponsored Links” column when a user searches for the keyword “stimulus.” Freedom Works has been using this tactic for two years, a lifetime in the Internet age. Keeley touted it as a way to keep up with the 24-hour news cycle, since his group can put up a new ad within a day, and it’s cost-effective: groups only pay for ads when users click on them.
This latest round of online advertising suggests a future for lobbying that’s less about cocktail parties and K Street and more about reaching as many people as possible around the country through the Web and e-mail. While these latest search engine ads have come primarily from right-leaning groups, Peter Greenberger, the head of Google’s D.C. political sales team, said organizations from all over the political spectrum have capitalized on the strategy.
Groups can influence the Beltway audience both indirectly, by targeting Web users around the country, and directly, by tailoring ad buys to the Washington area, Greenberger said. The latter is what the National Association of Realtors did with the wording of some of its search engine ads urging Congress to “fix the housing crisis.” That campaign ends Friday, but it may be extended depending on what Congress does with the stimulus and how the provisions related to home foreclosures fare, said Erica Kraus, media director of Fenn Communications Group, which is coordinating NAR’s campaign.
Keeley, however, didn’t see a reason to tailor Freedom Works’ stimulus ads to a Hill audience because “there are so many people angry about it” all over the country. The group has done more specific search engine campaigns before, though, such as advertising alongside lawmakers’ names and tailoring buys to specific districts.
January 11, 2009: Advertising Age
Election is Over, but Google’s Still Chasing Political Spending [Print and Online]
“If there are certain members we want to target, where a member of Congress is on the fence, we can target those areas,” said Thomas Keeley, Freedom Works online marketing coordinator. The group has been on the losing end of the bailout debate but considers its campaigns successful based on the number of referrals to microsites such as nowallstreetbailout.com.
2008
December 16, 2008: Politico
Bailout payout tops $8 trillion [Print and Online]
Part of the answer might have come from an Obama-style Internet campaign launched by FreedomWorks, a grass-roots organization led by former House Majority Leader Dick Armey (R-Texas).
FreedomWorks purchased Google search ads that popped up any time someone clicked for information about the auto bailout. The ad urged people to oppose the measure.
Thomas Keeley, the organization’s online advertising specialist, said the ad helped them generate nearly 100,000 messages to Congress. “We did very well, especially given the limited time we had on this,” he said.
The auto industry wasn’t idle. General Motors and Ford also took out Google search ads urging support for the package — a message that would have been tough to deliver in a big television ad campaign.
The cyberspace campaigns are likely a harbinger of how future bailout battles will be waged once Obama takes office with an e-mail list of more than 10 million supporters.
2006
September 10, 2006: Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
Facebook Politics [Print and Online]
MADISON, Wis. (AP) — The Facebook social-networking Web site popular among college students is being utilized in Wisconsin political campaigns this year.
A “Students for Green-Across the State” page has about 11,150 members listed supporting Republican gubernatorial candidate Mark Green, while a “Wisconsin Students for Doyle” group has about 425 listed supporting Democratic Governor Jim Doyle.
Tom Keeley is a UW-Milwaukee senior who heads that campus’ College Republicans group. He says he regularly uses Facebook to send out notices about meetings and to seek out like-minded students who might want to get involved.
