Digital Politics With Karen Jagoda

Mark Positano is the Head of Political at StackAdapt, a programmatic digital advertising buying platform. With a focus on advertising outside the "walled gardens" like Facebook and Google, StackAdapt uses AI and data analytics to optimize ad buying and targeting for political campaigns across a wide range of media properties and streaming platforms. We talked about: Getting beyond micro-targeting using a more nuanced approach to targeting voters Growth of political digital ad budgets outpacing growth of traditional ad budgets Digital ad buying strategies How response to digital ads can inform traditional ad strategies Metrics of success of a digital ad campaign #StackAdapt #PoliticalAdvertising #DigitalAdvertising #PoliticalMarketing #Midterms2026 #VoterTargeting #CTVAdvertising #AdMeasurement #ProgrammaticAdvertising StackAdapt.com

Desiree Matel-Anderson, Founder and Chief Wrangler of the Field Innovation Team joins Deepak Puri, CEO of The Democracy Labs, to discuss emergency preparation in an age of natural and man-made disasters, climate uncertainty, and overwhelmed government resources.  The key is to be prepared with a plan to respond with a critical thinking mindset to avoid emotional reactions and panic.  Deepak and Desiree talk about Need for innovative, flexible problem-solving in emergency situations Importance of local community involvement and preparedness for emergencies Emergencies within emergencies Solving problems in real-time Technology and emergency preparation and response #FieldInnovationTeam #TheDemLabs #EmergencyPrep #DisasterResponse FieldInnovationTeam.org TheDemLabs.org

Ben Katz, Chief Architect of ISPolitical, is concerned about the inadequate data and systems security measures political and advocacy organizations, political campaigns, and government organizations have in place. The first step is to audit current security practices and all the people who have access to the organization's databases, financial systems, and web administration. We talk about: Data access vulnerabilities File access levels and permissions Cloud services and backup strategies Verifying vendor security credentials How to improve security practices of smaller organizations Addressing the ongoing arms race between security measures and attackers #ISPolitical #Cybersecurity #Data #DataSecurity ISPolitical.com

Scott Goodstein is the Founder and CEO of Catalyst Campaigns and a digital pioneer. The results from the 2024 election indicate that the ground game needs a fresh review of how volunteers can be better deployed and how to find trusted messengers for a political campaign. The traditional ward and precinct system built relationships with voters over time. What's the new face of field operations? We talk about: The history of door-knocking in political campaigns Measuring the success of field operations Political text abuses Online fundraising traps How the Trump campaign and supporting SuperPACs reached voters #CatalystCampaigns #GroundGame #FieldOperations #Fundraising #PoliticalTexts #Voters #VoterOutreach CatalystCampaigns.com Myth of the Ground Game We've lost control of political text messaging  

John Hoffman, principal of Advocate for Access, has 20+ years of experience working with big pharma companies to promote advocating for patients and driving the move to provide access to drugs and therapies to a broader audience. Public/private health policy trends highlight the need to raise awareness about the science of medicine and the inequities in access to life-saving drugs and effective treatments for chronic conditions. We talk about: The role of social influencers in raising awareness about patient needs, promoting valuable information, and spreading disinformation How healthcare advocacy groups are influencing public and private policy decisions The rise of violent protests against healthcare inequities Stakeholders in the healthcare environment Health policies and healthcare disparities in the US The role pharmaceutical companies play in advocating for patients #AdvocateForAccess #HealthcareEquity #HealthcareInequity  #HealthcareAdvocates #PharmaceuticalCompanies #PatientAdvocacy #SocialInfluenc

Ryan Davis, the Co-Founder and COO of PeopleFirst, shares insights and analysis about the activities of influencers and content creators in the campaign leading up to the 2024 election. While celebrity influencers have large followings, the voices of local people sharing authentic content about all kinds of interests broke through the noise to reach key segments of voters. We talk about: The value of non-political content creators The trap of preaching to the choir of those who are already interested in the campaign Micro-influencers and the sweet spot for followers Gen Z engagement and building relationships Need for diverse voices to reach those looking for political information Political vs. Non-Political https://people1st.substack.com/p/meeting-in-the-middle-political-vs RFK/Trump used creators to break through https://disinfoagainstdemocrats.substack.com/p/how-trump-used-rfk-jr-to-harness Recent Webinar on YouTube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Se2RsJ0Izio&t=1s Sign up for Webinar Invites https

Andrew Einhorn, the Co-Founder and CEO of LevelFields, is an expert on fintech and AI. He highlights how political uncertainty and tight elections create market volatility and can impact voting behavior. Using their event intelligence platform, LevelFields connects the dots using AI to spot trends and predict future behavior. We talk about: How the volatility of the stock market affects voting behavior How AI is being used to understand the cause and effect of conflicts and trade wars on the stock market and voters  Possible political ramifications of antitrust cases against tech giants Events on the horizon #LevelFields #FintechAI #AI #FiscalPolicy #VoterBehavior #Voting #StockMarket #StockMarketBehavior #WealthManagement levelfields.ai

Deepak Puri, CEO of The Democracy Labs, experimented with an AI engine that can digest, summarize, and verbalize dense content like the Harris Walz Plan to lower costs and create an opportunity economy. The result is this 10-minute podcast, a conversation between a male and female voice highlighting the plan's key issues. The first part of this podcast is the real Deepak and me talking about:  Preferred methods of communicating complicated ideas with voters The value of AI to quickly disseminate campaign information  Bias built into AI models Value of voices to tell a story @TheDemLabs #AI #HarrisEconomicPlan  Kamala Harris Economy Policy Plan TheDemLabs.org  

Daryl Cagle of Cagle Cartoons Syndicate has a keen eye for detail and brings a strong sense of humor to the world of editorial and political cartoons. He is also the host of the video podcast Caglecast, available on YouTube, where he talks with the cartoonists. Political humor is an increasingly challenging topic, and Daryl confirms that there is not much that Democrats and Republicans agree about, including what is funny. We talk about: What catches the political cartoonist's attention to drive home a point The right way and wrong way to characterize Donald Trump The challenge of drawing Kamala Harris, Tim Walz, and JD Vance The role of cats and dogs in expressing political humor #CagleCartoons #PoliticalCartoons #EditorialCartoons #PoliticalHumor CagleCartoons.com YouTube.com/CagleCartoons  

Sean Duggan owner SD Media, a media and entertainment consulting firm, has seen the media landscape for targeting voters shift dramatically, requiring a broader view of where and when to reach voters. Attending the DNC Convention in Chicago, Sean was struck by the mix of entertainment and content and the range of speakers and talent under 40 in the Democratic party. With the end of the election season in sight, new approaches to finding likely and persuadable voters through streaming services, social media, audio networks, and influencers are key to engagement. We talk about: How the DNC Convention reached out to multicultural and young voters How media buying in the last part of the election season has been a new challenge for content creation and ad placement Where the new infusion of campaign dollars will be spent Advertising on YouTube to audience segments otherwise unreachable Mistakes campaigns make about how voters get their news #SeanDuggan #PoliticalAdvertising #PoliticalAds #TargetingVoters #Spott

Eitan Koter is the Co-founder and Co-CEO of Vimmi, which brings next-generation e-commerce functionality to digital video content. With its video commerce platform, audiences can engage with video, make purchases, and contribute within the context of the video.  Applications can include digital feeds of live events and social media posts. We talk about: How interactive videos transform the way candidates and advocates can build relationships with their target audiences How Vimmi's platform overcomes the challenges of seamless social commerce Rising expectations for the availability of shoppable videos Strategies for driving digital engagement #Vimmi #VideoCommerce #SocialCommerce #ShoppableVideos #PoliticalCampaigns #VoterEngagement vimmi.net  

Lauren Benedict is Spotter's Chief Revenue Officer and a media ecosystem professional. She has been at the forefront of the consumer shift to streaming services and CTV and understands the value of content to attract a diverse audience. Spotter invests in content creators to help create a robust landscape of long-form videos on YouTube and provides sophisticated targeting tools for advertisers to reach desired affinity groups. This approach is particularly effective for reaching cord-cutters and low-information voters with a YouTube first-viewing behavior.   We talk about: The content creator economy How consumer media consumption habits are changing Value of targeting voters on YouTube Political advertising in a streaming media world #Spotter #YouTube #PoliticalAds #Voters #ContentCreators #GOTV #Election2024 #VoterPersuasion #LowInformationVoters spotter.la 

Deepak Puri, CEO of The Democracy Labs, attended the DNC Convention in Chicago and came away with a strong sense of the energy that will be applied to Democratic campaigns moving into election season. Deepak was struck by the crowd's diversity, particularly the younger multi-cultural attendees. He also points out the historical views that were driven home by the diverse speakers. We talk about: The role Project 2025 played in the narrative of the Convention The new format of the Roll Call of States and the other entertainment and social media content the Convention organizers made available Most productive actions volunteers are taking to get out the vote Turning enthusiasm into votes   @TheDemLabs #VoterOutreach #VotingMatters #GOTV #Democrats #Canvassing #FieldOperations #Mobilization #Organizing #CampaignVolunteers #Project2025 #DNCConvention #Election2024 TheDemLabs.org  

Jamie Miller is a political consultant, field operations expert, and author of Reasonable Arguments @ Substack and the book American Speeches that Changed History. As a leader in the Florida Republican party and director of the Florida statewide field operations for the 2000 election and recount, Jamie brings unique insights about Florida voters. He is also exploring the use of AI to improve predictive models of voter behavior and field tactics. We talk about: Innovations in field operations  Voter segmentation Persuadable voters Best practices for field operations in the final stretch #FloridaVoters #RepublicanVoters #FieldOperations #VoterSegmentation #GOTV American Speeches That Changed History ReasonableArguments.com

Reid McCollum, Program Outreach Director for Progressive Turnout Project, joins Deepak Puri, CEO of The Democracy Labs, to discuss tactics for getting out the vote in swing states by paying canvassers. This approach to door-knocking is particularly effective in small towns where people from the community use technology to create walk lists to find likely Democratic voters. PTP will invest $35 million in programs to rally Democrats to vote through direct voter contact. The paid door-knocking program pays $125 for every completed list of 50-60 doors. Deepak and Reid talk about: Who are they paying to canvass, and what are the advantages over using volunteers Adding value to the large apparatus of state and national party field operations Postcarding success Value of a conversation with a voter Emphasis on creating the social norm to vote #TurnoutPAC @TheDemLabs #VoterOutreach #VotingMatters #GOTV #Democrats #Canvassing #FieldOperations #Mobilization #PaidCanvassers #PhoneBanking #Postcarding   Turnoutpac.org

Daniel Scantlebury, Vice President of Data Science and AI at Resonate, is eager to dive into the data he is collecting about voters and where they find information. With the explosion of affinity groups mobilizing to support the Harris-Walz campaign, Daniel is using his insights to better understand and predict voting behavior and targeting opportunities. Existing voter segments used for messaging and targeting are under the microscope and subject to change.  We talk about: Self-organized groups and reaching these niche audiences What the term Progressive means Which candidates are considered old  Media bubbles  Impact of grassroots activity on voter turnout #Resonate #Voters #Progressive #VotingBehavior #Grassroots #VoterTurnout #Organizing #VoterSegmentation #HarrisWalz #Election2024 Resonate.com  

Andrea Miller, Center for Common Ground, joins Deepak Puri, CEO of The Democracy Labs, to discuss tactics to encourage voters and volunteers in the Black, Indigenous, and People of Color communities, particularly in rural areas, to get involved in campaigns. With an emphasis on grassroots organizing, training for effective phone banking, and activities such as postcarding that can be done at home or in small groups, this Center is mobilizing voters and eager to get out the vote in November 2024.  Deepak and Andrea talk about: Voter outreach in rural areas Postcarding to BIPOC voters using cards designed to be culturally motivating  Turning excitement into action Project 2025 implications for Black and other Voters of Color #CTR4CmnGround @TheDemLabs #VoterOutreach #VoterTurnout #RuralVoters #Election202 #Voters #VoterSuppression #BIPOC #GOTV #Postcarding #Postcards #CampaignVolunteers CenterforCommonGround.org TheDemLabs.org  

Varun Nikore, Executive Director of the AAPI Victory Alliance, joins Deepak Puri, CEO of The Democracy Labs, to discuss the voting habits of Asian American or Pacific Islander voters and how to increase turnout. With an eye on overcoming resistance in the AAPI population to voting, the Alliance offers various activities to encourage involvement in campaigns and excitement for voting. Deepak and Varun talk about: Where the AAPI population is growing the fastest Raising awareness about Kamala Harris, who is part of the AAPI community The impact of Trump on the enthusiasm of AAPI female voters Project 2025 implications for the AAPI population Social media initiatives to engage the AAPI community #AAPIVictoryAlliance @TheDemLabs #AAPI #AAPIVoters #Voters #AsianVoters #AsianAmericanVoters #PacificIslanderVoters #Election2024 AAPI Victory Alliance TheDemLabs.org  

Greg Miller, Co-Founder, COO, and Chair of the OSET Institute, joins Deepak Puri, CEO of The Democracy Labs, to discuss using innovative technology to support election administration, including using AI to support call centers to address voters' questions.  OSET has also built an AI model to analyze the text of Project 2025 to connect the dots and cut through the coded language to identify potential risks. Deepak and Greg talk about: Challenges to managing elections in 2024 Types of technology being used to enhance election administration  Building a generative AI model to evaluate Project 2025 and Agenda 47  The future of elections #OSETInstitute #TrusttheVote @TheDemLabs #ElectionAdministration #Project2025 #Agenda47 #AI #VoterSuppression #Voters #Election2024 OSET Institute TrusttheVote.org TheDemLabs.org

John Fitzgerald is EVP, AD Sales, DAX US part of Global Media & Entertainment Lmt and associated companies, and an audio ad expert. Digital audio ads expand the universe of people who can hear a candidate's message thanks to the proliferation of devices that can be used for real-time and on-demand listening. Digital audio ads can also be produced quickly and tweaked to personalize messages for targeted audiences. We talk about: Politicians as brands and what they can learn from advertisers of trusted consumer products The unique characteristics of digital audio ads and where they are being heard Targeting opportunities for digital audio ads Why campaigns need to include advertising on podcasts to their media mix to reach niche audiences #DAXUS #DigitalAudioAds #PoliticalAds #TargetingPoliticalAds dax.global.com/us/