Winning Connections was a co-sponsor of the “Politics to Go” Conference at George Washington University’s Institute for Politics, Democracy and the Internet. Conference panelists described new ways to harness mobile communications technologies like cell phones and mp3 players to reach and mobilize voters. Winning Connections is currently working with leaders in the field to develop strategies that employ SMS (text messaging) in grassroots lobbying campaigns, in organizing campaign volunteers, and in getting out the vote.

Senior WC staff also attended the recent E-Voter Institute’s conference on “Advertising and the Empowered Voter.” Political consultants, national party officials, and congressional staff were among the panelists. There was a consensus that a dramatic shift is underway in political communications. Panelists described how technologies ranging from TIVO and mobile devices to more sophisticated Web sites are eroding the effectiveness of traditional mass media. In the corporate world, these forces already have forced a new emphasis on direct one-on-one consumer marketing. Panelists said it is inevitable that political campaigns will adopt the same strategies, and it is only a question of how quickly and fully they will embrace them.