Money to burn
Tuesday, Apr 18, 2017 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Politico…
A new expense filing reveals how Gov. Bruce Rauner’s campaign is investing heavily in an online mapping technology aimed at influencing voters - and potentially elected officials. The filing shows the Rauner camp’s biggest recent expenditure - more than $338,000 - went to a New York-based company called Project Applecart. (See Rauner’s filing). The technology uses unorthodox ways of collecting data on individuals, including through high school yearbooks and obituaries, according to this explainer: watch here. It identifies a “social anchor” who has links to voters with similar ideals. That anchor is then targeted in phone banks and other messaging. The technology can also be used to target an elected official who a campaign is attempting to influence for an endorsement or other action. GOP presidential contender John Kasich in 2016, used Applecart during the New Hampshire Republican primary, where he came in second to Donald Trump.
* Sun-Times…
Among Rauner’s top expenditures was $338,092.12 to Project Applecart LLC, a New York company that offers “strategic political consultancy” while developing technology built to give tools and insights “for motivating political action.” The company says it builds “scalable, scientific and data-driven solutions,” according to the company’s website.
Other expenditures included $27,278.75 for Arena Online, a Salt Lake City digital marketing firm specializing in political campaigns.
* Scott Kennedy…
- walker - Tuesday, Apr 18, 17 @ 9:43 am:
Behavioral and attitudinal “anchors” for social media networking. Kinda like one of those dating websites.
- Downstate - Tuesday, Apr 18, 17 @ 9:48 am:
A media exec explained how this technology was used in the 2012 Presidential race. In any given city block, the politicos know who is an R, D, Independent, Soft R, Soft D, etc.
They used very targeted mailing. Your neighbor might get 12 pieces of political mailings a month, while you get zero. The reason is that they aren’t going to waste dollars on persuading voters that have already made up their mind. Both sides are focused on grabbing the Independents and soft voters
They even spend their TV ad dollars on shows that they know are watched by independents, etc.
The set top boxes for your cable? Much of the information from that is matched up with your internet searches, credit card purchases, etc.
They have the ability to actually deliver ads to your TV (political and otherwise) that are targeted specifically to you (and your buying habits). FCC, so far, has prohibited that from happening with Cable TV. But, of course, it’s standard practice on the internet.
- Henry Francis - Tuesday, Apr 18, 17 @ 9:51 am:
That persistent rascal, upsetting the apple cart throughout Illinois.
- Slippin' Jimmy - Tuesday, Apr 18, 17 @ 9:54 am:
Thank you Governor for not supporting Illinois businesses while you endeavor to manipulate the Illinois electorate.
- Wordslinger - Tuesday, Apr 18, 17 @ 9:56 am:
Who’s the “social anchor” for those who dig a schnorrer who spends his days making up screwball excuses for not paying his bills?
Jughead Jones?
- Winnin' - Tuesday, Apr 18, 17 @ 10:07 am:
Makin’ more lists of people to spread the anti-Madigan message.
These people may also be manipulatin’ internet searches.
- Anon221 - Tuesday, Apr 18, 17 @ 10:12 am:
Lot of manipulations going on for a “non”-campaign. Rauner’s been usin’ the term “Focus” a lot lately, especially in the WBEZ interview. Guess he’s “lasering” in on his “Focus”.
- Not Rich - Tuesday, Apr 18, 17 @ 10:16 am:
I would love to see what mailer is developed for Leader Radogno’s block in Lemont..
- Arsenal - Tuesday, Apr 18, 17 @ 10:20 am:
I’m not sure this is a waste of money, but I think one of Clinton’s problems was she relied on data and targeting too much. You’re better off widening the circle of people you talk to.
- Honeybear - Tuesday, Apr 18, 17 @ 10:23 am:
Social Anchor- love it. Not the social anchor they (Rauner) were looking for but I’m gonna use that. Of course they better be careful. Clinton used big data to disastrous results. Best do it the old-fashioned way. Cultivate social anchors personally and individually. The one on one ground game is more important than ever. One on one Bruce. No way around it.
- Downstate - Tuesday, Apr 18, 17 @ 10:29 am:
Honeybear,
Not to be argumentative, but the “ground game” victory went to Clinton in both FLA and PA.
- Oswego Willy - Tuesday, Apr 18, 17 @ 10:31 am:
Here what’s real…
Rauner is investing his time and resources to ensure his campaign and messaging has its best chance as Rauner destroys the state, purolpisrly
Rauner refuses to invest any of his honesty or hard work in the governing of Illinois.
Good government is good politics. Good politics is good government.
Rauner?
“Destroy what you can get away with, blame everyone for the destruction. The hard work is for the destruction and the campaign to excuse it”
That’s Rauner.
That’s what this targeting is all about, and let’s be clear, Rauner doesn’t say a single word that hasn’t been tested, and will stay on that message until the cows come home… or testing says to change it.
Follow the money. The money tells me this all is true(?)
- Patchin - Tuesday, Apr 18, 17 @ 10:36 am:
“Purolpisrly”
- Anon221 - Tuesday, Apr 18, 17 @ 10:48 am:
OW- I think Rauner and Honesty have had a very limited acquaintance.
- spidad60 - Tuesday, Apr 18, 17 @ 10:56 am:
I’ve already decided…is there a link to opt out?
- Oswego Willy - Tuesday, Apr 18, 17 @ 10:57 am:
- Anon221 -
Maybe the only thing honest going on is that the costumes, messaging, phony sympathy and empathy is a ruse.
If Rauner let us all I’m on the gag, and it wasn’t actually hurting people, then you could call it comedy…
- Jocko - Tuesday, Apr 18, 17 @ 11:00 am:
==a “social anchor” who has links to voters with similar ideals==
In other words, people who love what Bruce says, but ignore (or lose interest) in what he does.
- Anon221 - Tuesday, Apr 18, 17 @ 11:14 am:
OW- Shakespearean or Rowan and Martin???
- Oswego Willy - Tuesday, Apr 18, 17 @ 11:17 am:
===OW- Shakespearean or Rowan and Martin?===
Yes.
Yes?
Yes.
Ugh.
- Oneman - Tuesday, Apr 18, 17 @ 11:29 am:
Getting away from the Rauner is evil thing for a moment.
Did some work with establishing networks using address books and other information in Outlook for a software company years ago. The challenge was in part scoring a relationship, we would know you both may have gone to law school X, but you couldn’t really use a single commonality as a key, so the key really became the number of relationships that might exist. To a degree like these guys we looked to buy some of the data and were looking at scraping some of the data, but we had a more narrow audience. The trick isn’t as much as gathering the data as it is scoring the relationship(s).
One of the things about the company that purchased the company I worked for was they potentially had a lot of this data, while I was there we never ever able to convince them of the value of integrating it tighter.
As with virtually all data, correlation does not always mean causation nor real relationship
Post hoc ergo propter hoc
- Winnin' - Tuesday, Apr 18, 17 @ 11:52 am:
I wonder if these geniuses figured out from yearbook pictures which Trump supporters were supposed to be Democrat Hillary supporters … but fell for Trump hook, line and sinker.
And how will these folks characterize the inner-city mega churches? Will Rauner be able to get them to vote against their own self-interests like before? Or have they learned?
- The Captain - Tuesday, Apr 18, 17 @ 12:12 pm:
I would give all the whiskey in Ireland to find out what its results are for Michael J. Madigan.