Digital Politics with Karen Jagoda

Jess Ellis, Senior Specialist, Client Partnerships, Politics at VDX.tv, illuminates the CTV and OLV landscape for political and advocacy advertising. With the increasing shift to streaming and the use of apps to download and watch videos, targeted advertising opportunities are diverse and effective for reaching specific segments of voters. The length of the ads is also shrinking as voter attention spans shorten, requiring more imaginative use of words and images. We talk about: #VDXtv #CTV #OLV #PoliticalAdvertising #TargetingVoters #FASTapps #VideoAdvertising VDX.tv

Anne-Christine, investigative journalist and human rights activist Stop the Coup 2025, joins Deepak Puri, CEO of The Democracy Labs, to address the anti-abortion war and threat to women's health from Project 2025, a 900-page Mandate for Leadership: The Conservative Promise from the Heritage Foundation. With references to the Comstock Act of 1843 and other state laws, this group is organizing campaigns that promote Christian nationalist values, intending to turn this country into a theocracy. Deepak and Anne-Christine talk about: #StoptheCoup2025 @TheDemLabs #HumanRights #WomensRights #ReproductiveRights #Project2025 #Democracy StoptheCoup2025.org TheDemLabs.org

Bryan Miller, President of Neptune Ops, discusses how browser companies are changing their policies regarding the use of cookies to locate specific individuals and the need for new campaign strategies to find and persuade voters online. In the post-cookie world, political consultants must consider new identifiers based on other data, surgical contextual targeting, and geo-fencing. We talk about: #NeptuneOps #TargetingVoters #PostCookies #PoliticalAdvertising NeptuneOps.com

Patrice O'Neil, Founder of Not In Out Town, joins Deepak Puri, CEO of The Democracy Labs, to discuss gathering communities together to support conversations that drive understanding about fighting hate and racism. Patrice reports that screening their film Repairing the World in local gatherings has become a catalyst for people to share their stories about being harmed by hate and actions that can taken to fight racist attacks. NIOT has become a story center for communities who want to stand up together and learn from each other. Deepak and Patrice talk about: #NIOT #NotInOurTown @TheDemLabs #HateSpeech #Racism #RepairtheWorldFilm niot.org RepairtheWorldFilm.org TheDemLabs.org

Melanie Lavelle, Founder of Benefit Kitchen, joins Deepak Puri, CEO of The Democracy Labs, to discuss the impact of welfare reform and the creation of an app and database to empower people to understand what benefits are available. Benefit Kitchen is focused on working with people to overcome obstacles and gain insight into the eligibility rules for federal, state, and local benefits. Melanie has discovered that many rules and hard-to-find information are designed to keep people from enrolling and discourage participation in programs. The more these agencies hide, the more determined Melanie is to dig out the information and help people get necessary services and resources. Deepak and Melanie talk about: #BenefitKitchen @TheDemLabs #WelfareReform #GovernmentBenefits #FederalBenefits #StateBenefits #FoodStamps #SDOH #Seniors #MobileFirst BenefitKitchen.com TheDemLabs.org

Sandy and Lonnie Phillips, Founders of Survivors Empowered, join Deepak Puri, CEO of The Democracy Labs, to discuss their reaction and activism as a result of the murder of their daughter Jessi, killed in the Aurora Colorado theatre 2012 mass shooting. Their organization is focused on regulating companies that sell ammunition and repealing the Protection of Lawful Commerce in Arms Act. Deepak, Sandy and Lonnie talk about: #SurvivorsEmpowered @TheDemLabs #MassShootings #Ammunition #GunViolence #NRA #Activism #AssaultWeapons #RepealPLCA SurvivorsEmpowered.org TheDemLabs.org

Joe Fuld, Founder of The Campaign Workshop, joins Deepak Puri, CEO of The Democracy Labs, to consider how the role of political and advocacy campaign managers has changed over the last 20 years. The constants are the ongoing challenges for a campaign to refine the message, have the candidate or advocate's voice heard by the target audience, and find the pressure points to make the most short-term and long-term impact. Joe also emphasizes the need to keep innovating to build robust campaign strategies. Deepak and Joe talk about: #TheCampaignWorkshop @TheDemLabs #Organizing #Advocacy #Fundraising #CivicEngagement #PoliticalCampaigns The Campaign Workshop TheDemLabs.org

Rhiannon Ruff, Co-Founder of the digital agency Lumino, is a Wikipedia expert and author of the book Wikipedia & Crisis Comms. Increasingly, for voters and the media, Wikipedia is the go-to source for campaign and candidate information, and the accuracy of the information is critical for the site's moderators. While there are ways to get content edited, one presidential candidate's approach is a lesson in what not to do. We talk about: #LuminoDigital #Wikipedia #PoliticalCampaigns LuminoDigital.com

Andra Watkins, The New York Times best-selling author and speaker, joins Deepak Puri, CEO of The Democracy Labs, to discuss the threat of Christian Nationalists to the future of our democracy. Indoctrinated as a child in Christian Nationalism, Andra understands the language of the calls to action in Project 2025 and warns about the potential impact on families and communities in her Substack: How Project 2025 Will Ruin YOUR Life. Deepak and Andra talk about: #AndraWatkins #HowProject2025WillRuinYOURLife @TheDemLabs #Project2025 #ChristianNationalists #ChristianNationalism How Project 2025 Will Ruin YOUR Life TheDemLabs.org

Deepak Puri, CEO of The Democracy Labs, shares his reaction and insights from participating in the recent commemoration of Bloody Sunday and his walk across the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma, Alabama. As an activist, Deepak appreciates the importance of learning from history and the need to continue the fight for civil rights. We talk about: @TheDemLabs #EdmundPettusBridge #CivilRights #Activism #HowProject2025WillRuinYourLife #VoterSuppression #VoterApathy #VoterRegistration #Protests #CivicEngagement TheDemLabs.org

Jim Margolis, Partner at GMMB, was a Senior Advisor to Barack Obama in both of his campaigns for the White House. Jim is one of the stars of the recent documentary The Bigger Hammer: Race for the White House A Look at the 2008 Obama-McCain Race for President. Taking on the challenge of introducing Barack Obama meant having a strategic plan to define a different kind of leader, telling his unique, authentic candidate story, and finding common interests with all voters. It was also the first presidential campaign to use the new social media tools to connect with voters. Jim emphasizes that the critical issue for campaigns is figuring out how to connect with voters where they are across the increasingly complex media landscape. We talk about #TheBiggerHammerFilm #JimMargolis #BarackObama #PoliticalAds #Fundraising #MessageTesting #Pollsters #RapidResponse #Storytelling #Endorsements #2008PresidentialCampaign #KeithGaby #2008PresidentialElection #PresidentialCampaigns #PoliticalCampaigns GMMB.com Click here for the Interview with Keith Gaby, Director of The Bigger Hammer documentary. The Bigger Hammer on Amazon Video

Fred Davis, CEO of Strategic Perception Inc., is a well-known Republican communications expert and one of the stars of the recent documentary The Bigger Hammer: Race for the White House A Look at the 2008 Obama-McCain Race for President. As the Chief Creative Officer of McCain's presidential campaign, Fred had the challenge of running against the Barack Obama team and the plot twist of the addition of Sarah Palin to the McCain ticket. While Fred agrees social media, digital ads, and the internet are helpful for fundraising and organizing, he is not convinced those are strong tools for branding. We talk about: #TheBiggerHammerFilm #FredDavis #PoliticalAds #Fundraising #MessageTesting #Pollsters #RapidResponse #Storytelling #JohnMcCain #SarahPalin #2008PresidentialCampaign #KeithGaby #BarackObama #2008PresidentialElection #PresidentialCampaigns #PoliticalCampaigns StrategicPerceptionInc.com Click here for the Interview with Keith Gaby, Director of The Bigger Hammer documentary. The Bigger Hammer on Amazon Video

Varun Nikore, Executive Director of the AAPI Victory Alliance, joins Deepak Puri, CEO of The Democracy Labs, to discuss the Asian American Pacific Islanders' growing presence in the US. This group is expected to be the largest minority group by 2040 and includes first to fifth-generation family members from over 20 countries of origin. Varun's mission is to get more people from the AAPI community involved with politics, to run for public office, and to drive fundraising campaigns to support the next generation of leaders. Deepak and Varun talk about: #AAPIVictoryAlliance @TheDemLabs #AAPI #AsianAmericanPacificIslanders #Voters #Fundraising #Election2024 #BattlegroundStates AAPIVictoryAlliance.com TheDemLabs.org

Po Murray, Co-Founder and Chairwoman of the Newtown Action Alliance, joins Deepak Puri, CEO of The Democracy Labs, to discuss the variations in state and federal laws protecting residents from gun violence. Since Uvalde, there have been changes in the awareness of the need for background checks and holding stakeholders responsible for public safety. Citizen activists are pushing for state and federal legislation to pierce the shield that protects weapon sales. Deepak and Po talk about: #NewtownActionAlliance @TheDemLabs #GunViolence #MassShootings #SchoolShootings #AssaultWeaponBan #GunLaws #GunIndustry #SandyHook #Uvalde #EthansLaw NewtownActionAlliance.org TheDemLabs.org

Keith Gaby is the Director of The Bigger Hammer: Race for the White House a Look at the 2008 Obama-McCain Race for President and communications expert. This behind-the-scenes documentary is a time capsule of presidential campaigns before the proliferation of social media and mobile devices. The film presents a balanced picture of the strategies and tactics of the advisors to Obama and McCain and how they handled challenges and opportunities. We talk about: #KeithGaby #TheBiggerHammerFilm #Obama #McCain #2008PresidentialElection #PresidentialCampaigns #PoliticalCampaigns The Bigger Hammer on Amazon Video

Ian Gates, a participant in the Students for Justice Vote intern program, joins Deepak Puri, CEO of The Democracy Labs, to talk about getting young voters involved in political campaigns and voter registration efforts. The challenge is finding young voters where they get their news and creating content that comes from trusted sources and is shared in their social networks. This intern program focuses on learning about campaign techniques, political marketing, and civic engagement to build the next generation of campaign managers and candidates. Deepak and Ian talk about: #StudentsForJusticeVote @TheDemLabs #YoungVoters #VoterRegistration #Elections #VotingRights #Voters #Democracy #Election2024 StudentsForJusticeVote.org TheDemLabs.org

Josh Klemons, Founder of Reverbal, joins Deepak Puri, CEO of The Democracy Labs, to talk about the need to make the audience the hero, not the candidate, when communicating with voters. An expert on first-in-category candidates, Josh has refined his storytelling skills to create compelling digital content for winning campaigns and drive relationship organizing. Deepak and Josh talk about: #JoshKlemons @TheDemLabs #TikkunOlam #FreeDigitalTools #RelationalOrganizing #Elections #Voters #Democracy #Election2024 JoshKlemons.com TheDemLabs.org

Ray Kingman, Founder and CEO of Semcasting, is focused on bringing a deeper understanding of the media habits of voters to campaigns. The shift from traditional linear TV advertising to Connected TV and other digital ad options is being accelerated thanks to the ability to target messages and measure the delivery and effectiveness of the ads. We talk about: #Semcasting #PoliticalAds #DigitalAds #Election2024 #RealTimeVoterMeasurement #RTVM Semcasting.com

Michael Serazio is an Associate Professor in the Department of Communications at Boston College and author of The Authenticity Industries: Keeping it "Real" in Media, Culture, and Politics. Calling authenticity the moral framework of our time, Michael addresses whether politicians can fake authenticity and what gives inauthenticity away. Drawing on observations of reality TV, social media, pop music, commercial advertising, and electoral politics, Michael has written a thought-provoking analysis of how politicians are becoming more like brands and brands are acting more like politicians. We talk about #MichaelSerazio #TheAuthenticityIndustries #PoliticalCampaigns #PoliticalMessaging #VoterPersuasion #Authenticity The Authenticity Industries: Keeping it "Real" in Media, Culture, and Politics by Michael Serazio

Matt Robison is a political consultant and former chief of staff for former New Hampshire Congressman Paul Hodes, his co-host on the Beyond Politics Podcast. Matt shines a light on the tendencies of New Hampshire primary voters and what the results might indicate about voter strategies in 2024. We talk about #MattRobison #BeyondPoliticsPodcast #NewHampshirePrimary #NewHampshireVoters #Election2024 BeyondPoliticsPodcast.com