Vote for this URL: Candidate Websites

I thought it would be interesting to look at two sites from the same campaign, the district of my hometown, which covers the northeast corner of Massachusetts. On the front page of both Websites, John Tierney, the Democratic incumbent, and Bill Hudak, the Republican challenger, featured: a campaign logo; an email sign up box; contribute, volunteer, and subscribe buttons; a link to their Facebook page; and a welcome message.

To me, Tierney's site (johntierney.com/home) is underwhelming, and its content limited. The layout is inefficient, not using the sides of the page, but only the middle. There is no multimedia on the page, and the 327-word welcome letter dominates it. For people who do not want to read the letter, this is a waste of space, and there is nothing else on the front page to engage them.

However, Tierney does feature a picture of himself (two, in fact) on the front page, which Hudak does not. I think including a picture helps candidates build familiarity and rapport with voters, and should be on every campaign front page.

To see just how far the Internet has come in seven years, I've included a February 2003 screengrab from Tierney's site (I'm sure that at the time, it loaded properly, but you get a concept of its archaic nature.)

Hudak's site (hudakforcongress.com) impresses me much more, using the front-page space very well. An 80-word "welcome" from Bill sits in a small box at the top with a "read more" link. A slider alternates

between four embedded YouTube videos. A scrolling calendar shows Bill's itinerary on the lower left. Links to his Twitter and YouTube accounts. A news feed links to recent mentions of Hudak in the media. The part of the page that caught my eye is the "voter shout box," which scrolls to show comments left by campaign supporters. It's a nifty device, and lets voters know that the Hudak is legitimate - he has supporters already.

The third candidate Website I looked at was Marco Rubio's (marcorubio.com). Rubio is running in the Rubublican primary for a Florida US Senate seat against Governor Charlie Crist. Rubio's site has a good color palette - white, light blue, and, to a lesser extent, red - which is easy on the eyes. His Twitter and Facebook links are easy to find on the right, and the top of the page is well-spaced, not cluttered and overwhelming, but not empty and fuctionless, either. However, the "latest news" section takes up far too much room, stretching all the way down the front page. Also, there is no picture of Rubio.

Overall, I think campaign Websites have become increasingly useful over the years, but at the moment, we don't agree on what their function is. Some people think they are mostly a way to learn about a candidate. Others think they are for fundraising. Still others think they are for organizing and networking supporters and volunteers. Really, they're for all of these things, though each candidates needs are different. Challengers need to share their backstory and platform with voters--and are desperate to raise money. Incumbents also need to raise money, and they need to tap into their base for volunteers.

In and of themselves, most people won't vote for someone because of their Website. And that's okay. With integrated marketing communication, there are many other ways for a candidate to get their message out. When voters are exposed to these multiple times, the message starts to sink in.

Midterm: public policy scrapbook

Here are some pertinent links to supplement my midterm on carbon footprint labeling for consumer products:

¶October 2007: "Food industry rejects "carbon label" idea." European Union agribusiness speaks out against "misleading" carbon labels.

¶August 2008, The Guardian: "Japan to launch carbon footprint labelling scheme." Excerpt: "Although the labeling scheme is voluntary, few firms want to be seen to be lagging behind rivals in the rush to corner the growing market in eco-friendly products."

¶Jan. 28, New York Times (blog): "CO2 Labels for Motorbikes in Europe?" Excerpt: "The European Commission plans to propose rules that would oblige motorcycle manufacturers to label new models with the amount of carbon dioxide they emit."

¶July 2009, Boston Globe: "Wal-Mart using its clout to go green." Excerpt: "By rolling out an environmental labeling program disclosing to consumers the environmental costs of making products sold at Wal-Mart, the $401 billion retail behemoth has transformed green standards from nice-to-have to must-have."

¶October 2009, Boston Globe: "Talking with Timberland CEO on sustainability." Excerpt, Swartz quote: "Business has the ability to efficiently solve problems through innovation, and that expertise should be maximized during the climate debate."

¶October 2009, New York Times (graphic): "To Cut Global Warming, Swedes Study Their Plates." Excerpt: Beef up to 170 times more carbon-intensive than apples.

¶The Global Warming Diet: How carbon food labels would look

¶A Carbon Label for California

¶July 2009, TreeHugger.com: "Wal-Mart's Sustainability Index: The Greenest Thing Ever to Happen to Retail?" Excerpt, in relation to Walmart's "sustainability index": "With inspectors and analysts crawling up the supply chain and peeking into every corner of production in order to deliver a comprehensive environmental assessment, we might see some major changes made by some major companies."

I'm telling you with my eyes: Non-verbal messages in advertising

This advertisement could be a parody, but it could just be blunt. There's no smoke and mirrors here, just a handsome couple and a woman about to open a jewelry box. She is close to her romantic partner (proxemics) and is smiling and clasping her hands with anticipation. The message here is similar to most jewelry ads: give her this and rekindle the passion; give her this and you'll be back to new love.

A very sappy commercial. This commercial isn't so different from the Jetpack print ad, but it seems to focus on younger couples, those who are looking for a grand gesture of love, not to turn back the clock to happier days in their relationships. Most of the communication here is through the eyes and laughter.

I've always loved Stouffer's ads, but they've never made me want to buy their food, because that's not what they're selling. They're selling the linchpin of a happy family: dinner together, and dinner fast (because we're busy, you know). This image features smiles and applause all around as daughter/sister puts on a show. The advertisent's wood-brown color palette and watercolor appearance make it look almost like a Norman Rockwell, evoking the good feelings of years gone by, which Stouffer's can help bring back.

Ads like these are everywhere, and Giorgio Armani has been using them for years. It works like this: Here's a model; The model uses this fragrance; You, too (or your significant other), can look like this, or at least boost your allure, by using the fragrance. The last step is implicit. Smell is absent from advertising, so other methods must be used instead.

"I will be many things," this ad reads, suggesting that Virginia Slims cigarettes broaden your horizons, boost your capabilities, and give you daring and wit. The pose of this model, a handstand, suggests vitality and quirkiness. Also, that the model is a young, pretty, African-American woman with a great smile counteracts the perception that smoking ravages your body in every way possible.