“Yes, digital media is playing a part in national elections. But while both candidates are using technology, neither is using digital media to their full advantage: to engage voters in two-way conversation. Neither Democrats nor Republicans are speaking with voters. Instead, they’re talking to voters.” (shannon delaney, to win, candidates need to go digital)

what was it that i said the other day? oh yeah, consumers expect conversation and interaction… and bam, here’s another example. this shannon delaney’s got the right idea. political campaigns collect all sorts of personal data on voters and supporters, and nothing is done with it. if you’re going to take my information when i sign up as your supporter, or as a donor to your campaign, why not take a lesson from harris teeter, giant (whose rebranding was much needed, and well done in my opinion) cvs pharmacy, and hallmark (to only name a few), and use that information to target me personally and to reward me for my support and dedication to your campaign? if i give harris teeter my information and spend enough money in their stores, they’re going to send me steak knives, aprons, and all sorts of other silly gifts. not that i want barack obama steak knives, don’t get me wrong, but these candidates have a wealth of information on their supporters and they’re not doing much of anything with it, other than spamming our inboxes (obama, i love you but don’t want emails from your wife, or from you, for that matter) and periodically sending us “thank you” letters via snail mail. i might enjoy your emails more if i knew that they were targeted to me individually.

i guess that’s the generation y in me. i want to know that i make a difference to your campaign. i want to know that even if i could only afford that $5 i donated, that YOU appreciate it. i want to know that you’re willing to spend a little bit more to make sure that i feel included and special. that’s what it comes down to. we want to feel special. maybe we expect a bit too much these days, wanting politicians to cater to our feelings (ha) and expecting the brands we use on a daily basis to actually communicate with us instead of to us. just goes to show that the digital world has made a huge difference in our expectations and in the way we interact with candidates, brands, and even each other.