Sasha Issenberg November 5, 2014 “Obama Does It Better” Sasha Issenberg November 5, 2014

Obama Does It Better GOP Behind Dems in Data-Driven Targeting The Republicans are hoping to benefit in 2012 from the new, and more sophisticated voter targeting strategies pioneered by Obama and the Democrats in 2008. GOP Still Behind in Data Race Despite their enthusiasm, GOP strategies (and Conservative political operatives like Ralph Reed) have thus far failed to grasp or effectively use new data-driven targeting strategies.

Obama Does It Better GOP is Missing: Various Cutting Edge Voter Targeting Models Look-Alike modeling Microtargeters often describe their project as “look-alike modeling,” because the goal of using statistical algorithms is to discern patterns in an existing sample (like people on a church list) that can then be used to find people who resemble them in other populations, about which there is less Information available.

Obama Does It Better Rise of Democratic Targeting Strategies To beat the Republicans, the Democrats: - The reached out to consumer marketers, private-data warehouses and social scientists (political scientists, behavioral psychologists). - Learned about the importance of randomized “field experiments” (Death of the Hunch) - Learned how to use targeting models to “predict individual preferences.”

Obama Does It Better Democratic Targeting Strategies: Two Phases 1. Change Opinions: Educate them about Candidates 2. Change Behavior: Use psychological Strategies to get them to vote. Both of these strategies can be developed based on experimental research from the field.