I hate candidate (and fundraiser) phone calls
‘Tis the season of phone calls from candidates’ phone banks. Or, if you are really lucky, for dumb recordings of candidates’ sound bites.
My wife, formerly a fundraiser, tells me that these phone calls are essential to campaigning, whether for political office or for an organizational fund raiser. I don’t buy it. There is nothing worse than walking out of the grocery store to be accosted by someone shoving Clinton pamphlets (at the upscale market) or PETA literature (at the co-op) in my face.
Nothing makes me less likely to vote for a candidate or contribute to an organization than a phone call from some phone bank volunteer. Knocking on my door earns an organization a trip to the bottom of my list of organizations to which I will contribute in any given year. I cannot banish candidates entirely, unless I elect not to vote at all, but among the several candidates I am likely to vote for, the ones who do not call (or who call the least) are the ones more likely to get my vote.
I am sure my small protest is completely futile, but I have a teensy bit of hope that someday someone will realize that there are better ways to solicit votes or financial contributions. To my mind, phone banks and street organizers are roughly as effective as junk mail, but far more annoying.
If McCain (or Obama, or Ron Paul, or Clinton, or whatever candidate) himself (or herself) wants to call me, my phone line is open. But I won’t hold my breath.
I got a call from a campaign (Clinton) last night, and actually, I liked it - no candidate addresses some of my more random issues (like food labelling for allergens), because they don’t affect most people. But the kid I was talking to had a big book of Clinton’s stances on issues, and he paged through it to see if she had ever said anything about food labelling. She hadn’t, but he gave me the contact info for her LC on food issues, with whom I left a message to call me back. I probably would not have gone after that on my own.
I realize that some (perhaps most) people do not mind getting these phone calls. But for me, having a stranger call me or show up on my doorstep immediately puts me on the defensive and makes me less likely to listen, even if they represent a candidate I like. This kind of in-your-face campaigning is annoying and I do not think it is effective.
What would be more effective? Reach people when they are receptive to a candidate’s message. Reach them through their social networks, both online and offline. Think of the way a YouTube video becomes viral. It spreads from one friend, coworker, list member, etc., to another. Each recipient catches the virus and then passes it on, just like walking onto an airplane with the flu.
Likewise, campaigns should seek to become viral. Take a page out of the evangelicals’ book and make people into walking witnesses for the candidate. Instead of manning phone banks, supporters should strike up conversations at the grocery store, coffee shop, or bar, as well as dinner parties, lunch meetings, and in other casual encounters.
Maybe that’s just wishful thinking, however, and campaign spam will never go away.