With the Toronto mayoral race underway, the next six months -- leading up to election day on October 27 -- will be filled with frequent media appearances, candidate signs peppered across the city, flyers, televised debates, and of course, the circus of attack politics that has become so popular of late.
But what about digital campaigning? After all, the candidates are marketing a brand (themselves) to the public in order to get their votes. And including a digital component in an election campaign is absolutely essential in today's political (and multi-media savvy) environment. Voters use online communication channels to get informed, engage and voice opinions, so it's pivotal for candidates to have a presence.
So how are the Toronto mayoral candidates doing when it comes to leveraging digital media?
Here's an overview of the ways in which the three leading candidates -- Olivia Chow, Rob Ford, and John Tory, as based on approval ratings as of April 16th -- are using digital media to bolster their election campaigns:
Candidates
Olivia Chow
Website:One thing that can be said of Olivia Chow's website is that it invites conversions right away. Right off the bat visitors are met with very clear messaging with the "New Mayor. Better City" slogan, and an immediate invitation to "Join the team!" is a smart way to capture supporter information and get them behind the campaign.
Twitter: Often, politicians don't come across well on Twitter: It's obvious that they are using a staffer to tweet their messages and control the account. Olivia Chow's has a bit of a personalized touch that makes it sound like she's actually tweeting (even if she likely isn't).
Facebook: Olivia Chow's Facebook page has a good level of activity, and a high degree of engagement (almost 50,000 likes). The messaging is consistent with the rest of her campaign - a balanced mix between politically motivated issues and lighter fare (the picture of her cat that says "New Meower, Better Kitty" is particularly clever). She does have the highest number of deleted comments of any candidate. According to her campaign staff, the deleted comments were abusive, racist and misogynistic.
Youtube: The campaign is leveraging video to reinforce the main tenets of her platform: putting children at the forefront of policy decisions, and an emphasis on the environment. There are also some interesting videos (not explicitly linked to her campaign) that show support for her as a candidate.
Rob Ford
Website: Rob Ford's website has clear messaging (centering on putting taxpayers at the forefront) and has clear calls-to-action (CTAs) above the fold, inviting visitors to make a donation, become a volunteer, request a lawn sign or contact the team. The structure is intuitive, making it easy to navigate. However, it is busier looking than both Chow's and Tory's websites, and the changing gallery of photos in the header are visually distracting.
Twitter: On Twitter, Rob Ford's campaign staff isn't doing much to engage with followers or other users (probably a strategic move), but they are doing well to publicize his accomplishments as mayor with tweets like the following:
Facebook: Perhaps strategically, Mayor Ford's Facebook page isn't updated that frequently (as of writing, there hasn't been a post since March 24th). However, unlike Olivia Chow, his campaign staff choose to leave many derogatory comments against him live. According to Dr. Tamara Small, who specializes in digital politics at the University of Guelph, this is likely a strategic move ¬that will help rally his support base prior to the election.
YouTube: Ford is making good use of the platform to connect with supporters through his Ford Nation video series. Production value notwithstanding, the videos are gaining a significant number of views, helped no doubt by the likes of Jimmy Kimmel.
John Tory
Website: Like the other two candidates, John Tory's website promotes a clear message ("Let's Move Forward Together)", with conversion opportunities to donate and subscribe. Furthermore, there is a big push for his central platform point: the Fighting Gridlock Initiative (ie. improving traffic conditions in Toronto).
Twitter: His campaign staff are doing a fairly good job engaging with followers and other users, which adds a bit of variety to how the medium is being leveraged.
Facebook: John Tory's Facebook page is quite active, with many of the same Twitter updates made on this platform. The strongest aspect is that again, the Fighting Gridlock Initiative is front and centre - something that is consistent across all digital marketing avenues the Tory campaign is using.
Facebook: John Tory's Facebook page is quite active, with many of the same Twitter updates made on this platform. The strongest aspect is that again, the Fighting Gridlock Initiative is front and centre - something that is consistent across all digital marketing avenues the Tory campaign is using.
Youtube: The campaign is using video, but not regularly. Thus far, there have only been 4 videos published, and the views are very low. This represents a big gap in his campaign, particularly because Tory comes across very strongly via this medium (not to mention, the production value of his existing videos are quite good). If campaign staff can find a way to more effectively market the existing videos, and expand their video inventory, it could be very fortuitous.
At this point in the mayoral race, none of the candidates are using any digital campaigning techniques that are innovative or novel. Websites and the standard social media avenues are being leveraged, but in today's political environment these are a given. That said, we are still very early in the race. As we move closer to election day in October and the race becomes more heated, I suspect we will see more creative, extensive uses of digital media to supplement traditional campaigning.