Joe Biden Presidential Campaign 2020

Presidential candidate, Joe Biden has become one of the few favorites for the democratic nomination. One way in which his overall following has accumulated would be through the use of his overall campaign; with a large percentage of his campaign being pushed out through his social media channels. One specific example would be his Twitter account, with a whopping 4.1 million following. The social media campaign seems to have an emphasis on “Text Join to 30330” as a means of donating towards his campaign. With a somewhat daily update on his Twitter account, Biden’s correspondents have done an interesting job at presenting him in the best light possible. The main goal with any presidential candidates social media account is to bring about attention to their campaign to a larger audience, and this is exactly what Biden intends to do.

When going over the specifics, the campaign does not seem to target a specific target audience, rather he seems to be trying to appeal to the American people as a whole. This can be seen as a downside as there is no specific key target audience which makes engagement much more difficult. The overall call to action seems to focus on “Text Join to 30330” as a means of showing one’s support towards Biden. This is something that is even put in parenthesis after his name on Twitter, which brings this to be the key call to action; a means of asking for donations and, in turn, support from the American people. There seems to be more of an institutional approach when regarding engagement on his social media channels. Specifically Twitter, Biden seems to only be stating information as a means for his followers to comprehend. There is no engagement with his followers, as other presidential candidates are doing. This straightforward approach may also be a missed opportunity mainly because it shows him in a “dry” way. By having no true engagement with his supporters, or even answering their questions, he seems to come off in a quite boring way. Although, he does try to offset this by making posts showing how he does receive much support from potential voters. However, this does in turn show his leadership as a potential president. The campaign is intended to show him as a “right fit” for the next president of the United States, and does so by either stating everything he intends to do as future president or shares how he is doing in particular states. Additionally, many tweets seem to be direct attacks at President Donald Trump as a means of bringing together a community of those who are against the Trump presidency and want a change. The overall campaign does not really seem to use innovative tactics which seem to be quite a missed opportunity. By using Twitter, there can be the use of more videos and engaging tags to bring in the attention of potential voters. Additionally, his feed seems to either be just typed information or links to videos or webpages. This can be made so much more immersive through the use of more videos, live streams, images, and overall engagement polls with potential voters. Using the creative options Twitter has to offer would be a great way to bring attention towards his campaign, especially with younger audiences.

Elizabeth Warren's Instagram

by Sarah Graver

For this assignment, I decided to look at Elizabeth Warren's Instagram page, which she has an impressive 2.2 million followers on. The only candidate who has more followers than her on the platform, unsurprisingly, is Bernie Sanders. Most of the other candidates still in the race have yet to surpass one million followers, which I do not believe to be a coincidence. Warren's Instagram showcases her reach and connection to younger, more progressive voters through being serious and direct, while also employing social media strategies and having a little bit of fun on her Instagram.

Her posts seem targeted most towards a collective group that values the structural change she is proposing, in addition to women and girls. A huge point that a handful of her posts make such as this one is that is it possible for a woman to become president, and this fact is bigger than just her as a candidate, as she shows through speaking to young girls about how they can become president one day. Outside of that, most of her captions use the pronoun 'we', which fosters a community within her supporters. Warren's posts don't often relate directly to one issue, but ones that do get a post dedicated to them include the legalization of marijuana, mass incarceration, and affordable housing. All three of these issues have roots in institutionalized racism, so perhaps she is trying to speak to people of color with those posts.

Most of the calls to action in the posts simply encourage people to donate (or 'chip in') to her campaign. Usually, she asks for $2, appealing to people who cannot afford to make big donations by acknowledging that no donation is too small. Another kind of call to action deals with telling voters in specific states to go caucus or vote, posted the day of, such as this post on the day of the Nevada caucuses. This leads me to say that this campaign mostly relies on institutional engagement, perhaps a reaction from her fundraising slowing down a few weeks ago.

The sentiment Warren's Instagram creates positions herself as a true grassroots, dependable, for-the-people leader. Many of her captions mention a "fight" that she, and we, are taking on together in the face of this election. Several posts use video clips of her delivering meaningful, powerful, inspiring messages, along with featuring community members that deal with issues that Warren wants to fix. 

There are several aspects to Warren's Instagram page that I see to be innovative. Her use of highlights is effective; they are all relevant, important, and there aren't so many that they make her profile look clogged. In her highlights, she has one dedicated to her dog Bailey, which points to how Warren isn't all serious when it comes to her social media. The videos dedicated to specific people and families are a super powerful tool for establishing emotional connections with voters who may sympathize with similar issues, and they come across as very genuine.

There is mostly a nice balance between photos, infographics, videos, and IGTV posts, but her feed sometimes appears clutter after debates, when she posts several videos from the debate that all appear the same due to their composition. Her branding and stylizing are consistent which is obviously super important. I think the only thing I would tweak on her page is to stop posting clips from the same event so close together because they can flood people's feeds and become an annoyance. At the time of writing this post, about a half-hour after the debate ended, there are nine clips from the debate posted on her Instagram. To me, this seems a bit excessive but I understand they are just trying to get as many views as possible in this critical time before Super Tuesday. Other than that, I think she could also benefit from some more creative calls to action outside of asking for donations, like asking people to comment about something important to them, sharing posts with a friend, or beyond that.

Bloomberg's Meh Tweeting

(I can't seem fix the formatting, but here's a no picture gdoc version: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1GT_7a_WdQgvx7jripLNVzAzuhM_n4oyuWEW-YMshMCU/edit?usp=sharing) I don’t have to tell you who Mike Bloomberg is. After a late entry into the 2020 presidential race, he’s eager to do it himself — by paying millions to be featured in every digital and traditional medium there is. Literally, his spending has made the news, and he’s the top self-funded spending presidential candidate. Ever. Even Trump, notorious for his self-funded campaign, spent 331 million less than Bloomberg. 

So we know he’s killing it with paid media, but what about organic media? Specifically, Twitter. Twitter is a micro-blogging social network ideal for having real conversations and showcasing a candidate’s voice unlike other platforms like Facebook. 

Not About Me, It’s About Them

Bloomberg often positions himself as the only candidate who can beat Trump, and that doesn't change much on Twitter.

The above graph is divided into Tweets shared between February 18 and February 25 that attack Trump, attack Bernie, discuss policy, emphasize his history as a mayor or otherwise, and other. 

This graph isn’t an entirely accurate count of Bloomberg’s Tweets. Some Tweets qualified in multiple categories, and Tweets that attacked Bernie/Trump while still discussing policy were categorized under Bernie/Trump. Retweets and repeated Tweets were not counted. Still, there’s a clear pattern. Above anything else, Bloomberg attacks his #1 opponents. 

Bloomberg’s anti-Trump and anti-Bernie dialogue also offers a clear glimpse into his target audience. While every candidate is hating on Trump (and also each other), Bloomberg often Tweets that a extreme left socialist can’t beat Trump, and he’s the only man who can. So he’s targeting moderate voters and Democratic voters who are afraid leftist policies won’t get Trump out of office. 

Rise Up

Every candidate wants your vote come the primaries — and come November. But what else is Bloomberg asking? His Twitter does support a range of call to actions, including registering to vote, knocking on doors, and checking out his website. Even just watching a rally.

None of these are revolutionary actions, but he does offer a variety which allow lower and higher thresholds of participation from his target audience. It’s absolutely institutional engagement. Bloomberg’s speaking to moderate and afraid Democrats, and he isn’t asking for anything out-of-the-box. 

What is perhaps more revolutionary — or maybe just plain interesting — is Bloomberg’s attempts to reach out to non-white voters, especially Black and Hispanic voters. Some of his posts are translations of earlier posts in Spanish, targeting Spanish speakers. Nearly all of his video content with multiple people feature at least one if not more Black or Hispanic person.

Sometimes, they’re even the focus. He features Stephanie Rawlings-Blake, a former Black mayor who supports him. Similarly, he highlights an interview with Malia Cohen about the fight against tobacco. It’s a smart move. Bernie has shown us how important the non-white vote can be, and it might not be too late for Bloomberg to gain non-white support.

Resume Review

Remember the “history” category in that bar graph? Bloomberg may not favor it as much as attacking Trump and Bernie, but he shares plenty of content showcasing his past experience as a mayor of New York and how this can translate to an effective presidency. 

This isn’t unlike Trump’s own political narrative during the 2016 election. Trump presented himself as “not the traditional politician” and a “self-made man” despite being a billionaire. Much like Trump, Bloomberg also demonstrates the same self-starter qualities that America voted for once before. 

Bloomberg’s storytelling technique isn’t new, but it’s pretty successful. As a “self-made man,” he understands the drive of the American dream. As a former mayor, he has the experience governing and knowledge of politics that Trump does not. He’s the perfect middle man. 

Where Bloomberg is less successful is building a community. Where Twitter is a conversational forum, many of his Tweets are one-way or sound right out of one of his advertisements. Even when he tries to start a conversation with another candidate, he sounds artificial and rehearsed by saying “care to explain, Bernie” twice on two different issues. To me, this is a huge missed opportunity, especially on Twitter. 

He’s shared his story. But for voters to really know him, he also has to share his voice.

Trump 2020 Campaign Website.

Trump Pence 2020 Campaign Website.

By: Maria Brewer

Trump Pence 2020 Campaign Website 

For this blog post, I will be talking about Trump’s 2020 presidential campaign by focusing specifically on the website. I decided to choose Trump’s campaign because I was interested in watching a campaign for reelection, and how the focus of the campaign changes when it is for a candidate that is already in office. I also decided to analyze the website because it is the first platform I visit when I want to do or know something about a campaign or organization, and it also gives me information to access the other platforms of the campaign and informs me about events, or news that I did not know about.

Trump's website is  simple, but complex at the same time. It is a website that is simple to navigate, but it's design is elaborate and effective with text, images and calls to action on plain sight. 

For the audience, I believe the website overall targets a broad audience; Trump’s supporters and people looking for information about his events and issues. The website has a header with several sections to click on: [get involved], [coalitions], [events], [news], [events], [promises kept], [espanol] [SHOP] and {CONTRIBUTE]. 

As you click on the sections, the target audience changes, for instance on the [coalitions] section, there is a list of the different coalitions (e.g Women for Trump) and each coalition has its own website and you are able to access them just by clicking on the coalition you are interested in. I believe this is effective, it directs people specifically to what they are looking for, it is basically the “segmenting” of the campaign, so it is interesting that each coalition has its own website. The calls to actions are more about institutional engagement, because they give the options and for you to follow instructions. 

“Contribute” would be the first call to action you see, since it is a read button on the top right, once you click it directs you to a new tab where you have the option to choose an amount or type your own. The messaging right on top the donation buttons says “We Made History” and includes a text that intends to “inspire” people to believe in the campaign encouraging them to “secure four more years to Keep America Great”. This call to action is effective because first of all, it says “contribute” not donate, this wording choice is more persuasive, invites people to believe that they are part of it, instead of just “donate”.  Second,  once you are directed to the new tab, the text is persuasive even though you already have the person interested in donating they still aim to secure them.  On the get involved section you have even more options, adding “careers”, “volunteer” and “fundraise” besides contributing and signing up for SMS and email updates. 

The first thing that pops up on the website under the header is an option to RSVP and to get tickets to Trump’s next rally or event, which means that this changes depending on the schedule of the campaign, making it super easy to know which event is next and how to access it. 

The second thing you see after it, is a “promises made, promises kept” video, and another call to action in red, that says “join our movement” with a text. . What I believe works the most about the calls to action on this website, is that they have a persuasive text with all of them, in general they use words like “historic” “we made” etc that attract people to act and to be appealed by them. 

Right next, there is a “SHOP” option that directs you to the store and at the end there is a “follow us” part with a link to every single media platform (facebook, instagram, twitter and youtube) and also the latest twitter updates of the campaign right there to view them. I believe that this gives them an opportunity, it is like a sneak peak to the tweets so it encourages people to read more, and it gives the option to choose the platform of your preference. Additionally, you have an option to get text updates by texting TRUMP to a number they show on the bottom of the website, that is a plus. 

Something innovative  that I found interesting, is that right on their header they have the “espanol”(spanish) option. By clicking on it, the entire website translates to spanish, and this is a great opportunity for the campaign, it literally reaches a completely different segment of the population. 

I do not have a lot to say for missed opportunities because the website had a lot of information, links, persuasive elements, images,  good messaging, and even translation. 

Amy Klobuchar on Twitter

By Hayley Lynch

Following her debate performance in New Hampshire, not only did Amy Klobuchar land a third-place finish but the campaign raised $12 million. Although this did not translate to the same success in Nevada, it does reflect an elevation for the candidate who needed to find a way to enhance her appeal. Compared to other campaigns, Klobuchar has not invested as much in online spending. However, the campaign has released plans to begin running both television and digital ads in upcoming states. Aside from ad development though, how has the campaign utilized their owned social media in the meantime? This post will specifically examine Klobuchar’s Twitter account and the purposes that it has fulfilled.

Klobuchar has had stand-out moments during the run of the campaign so far that have led to increased Google searches. Beyond the campaign’s official website, one of the platforms that is available when searching Klobuchar is her Twitter. When looking through her social media presence, it is this specific account that seems to encapsulate Klobuchar as a candidate and her campaign as a whole the most. It serves as a defining function for three main areas that include establishing the story of Klobuchar, forming a community and providing calls-to-action.

In the article, “Presidential Campaigning in the Internet Age,” Stromer-Galley highlighted Twitter as a “key medium for image construction” (p. 21). The Klobuchar campaign has taken to Twitter to fulfill this purpose at a few different levels. At its most basic, the account includes posts made up of Klobuchar introducing herself. The account also offers a deeper sense of Klobuchar as a person. During an interview with Bill Maher, Klobuchar mentioned the importance of humor through this process even mentioning a specific tweet that she put out in response to Trump. She has used her straight-forward wit on Twitter in other instances such as a retweet of The Daily Beast’s commentary on her plugging her website in which she responded with a simple plug of the website again. In other examples, she retweeted a post that compared her campaign colors to the Hidden Valley Ranch bottle and an image of an SNL mention of her famous hotdish. Klobuchar’s Twitter takes opportunities to reflect her as a proud wife and mother as well. She celebrated Valentine’s Day by posting a picture of she and her husband seemingly on their wedding day, and has featured her daughter in multiple ways.

While these approaches have established the narrative of Klobuchar, the person, the account also establishes Klobuchar, the leader. This narrative is achieved through tweeting about her background as the daughter of a teacher and union member, a student who fought for the right to wear bell-bottomed jeans in school, as a patient kicked out of the hospital after giving birth and as a politician who has the ability to win. In one tweet though, a clip shows Klobuchar saying, “My story is nothing compared to the resilience that I’ve seen all over this country….” This provides a connection between her story and the community that she is trying to build, which happens to be another function of the Twitter account.

In constructing a sense of community on Twitter, the Klobuchar campaign shares stories like that of a young supporter whom she finally had the chance to meet in person or the story of their director of Latino outreach, Edwin Torres, who is also a member of the Dreamer community. On a larger scale, the account is used to create an aura of coalition building with mentions of groups like unions and young climate activists. The account is particularly good at celebrating early supporters with many posts reminiscing on those that were with Klobuchar in the blizzard that she announced her campaign in. What the account has yet to feature more of is the supporter formed communities like the #Klobucharmy. The Stromer-Galley article touches on Sanders’ support of participatory culture (p. 10), which is what is also happening with Klobuchar supporters, but not as present on the campaign’s account. The account, instead, maintains an institutional leaning approach.

What the Klobuchar Twitter account really emphasizes are calls-to-action for the campaign. Most of these are made up of posts that lead to the campaign donation website. They either lean on the positioning of Trump as the enemy and the need to defeat him or on the accomplishments of Klobuchar. Other action options included are caucus and rally events as well as the number featured at the very top of the account to text and join the campaign.

Overall, what this account does well is provide a general idea of who Klobuchar is, where her campaign is featured and the victories of the campaign. However, if the campaign continues further, it may be beneficial for Klobuchar to attempt to target specific audiences on a more individualized basis through social media.

Mike Bloomberg Revolutionizing Youtube Ads

Brittany Van Pelt

https://www.youtube.com/user/mikebloomberg

For my blog post, I am analyzing Mike Bloomberg's use of Youtube (ads) to spread his campaign's message. For starters, Bloomberg was already behind many of his fellow candidates when he entered into the race back in November. Unlike many of his campaign rivals who are created a grassroots donation campaign, Bloomberg is a billionaire. So he has been siphoning his own money to create ads on Google and Youtube. On average, Bloomberg is spending about $7 million a day to advertise on Youtube. This massive campaign is Bloomberg strategic means to catch up and district many complaints about his money use in this election. However, what I think is Bloomberg downfall to this level of strategic planning is a lack of direct in-person connection with voters. Many other candidates have spent as much as of their time as well as money in primary states getting to know voters. This is personal form of interaction that Bloomberg has not done and it makes his candiacy look a little unauthentic. https://www.nbcnews.com/tech/tech-news/bloomberg-spending-big-google-it-s-persuasive-n1140571

By using Youtube, I believe Bloomberg is trying to reach out to just every demographic and audience he can. Youtube is a versatile site that crosses all age groups and racial demographics.
Bloomberg is also being strategic by have ads that are 5-10 seconds long. A quick, but repetitive ad will make it less likely that someone who click the skip button. Bloomberg campaign definitely has two clear call to action connected to it. In many of his ads, Bloomberg starts with a VoiceOver of President Trump saying something radical or unworthy of the office he holds. Then, Bloomberg enters in promises of why he is the best person to beat Trump and how as former Mayor of NYC, he knows how to get things done. The second call to action is a standard theme with many presidential races. Bloomberg tries to solidified that he is the American Dream. That is he can go from being middle class to a billionaire, his audience can too. The ad is a montage of his life so far--- from childhood, to career, to his run for president now.

Bloomberg's Youtube page is mainly used to introduce him to the public and for people to learn how to get involved with his campaign. There isn't much innovation for the individual to partake in. The campaign does use the Youtube ads to project this idea of Bloomberg as the only candidate that can beat Trump. I think it tries to build a community of mostly centrist Democrats. Folks that don't want Trump to be in office, but also don't see themselves in a lane with more progressive Democratic candidates.

I don't believe that Bloomberg is using this platform in any innovative or eye-catching way. I think the way he is marketing this content to the public is genius. Bloomberg decided to skip all the primary states and focus on Super Tuesday elections which is where his name is going to be on ballot for the first time. I think this is beneficial for him because it will allow him to get his name out to the public, a couple of debates for visibility and ideological differences with other candidates, and then hopefully gain some traction. His main source of introducing himself to the public is through repetitive-looping of his ads on TV and on YouTube. However, I don't think this will be a successful or winning strategy for him. I think the campaign is definitely missing out on connecting with voters in an authentic, in-person way. Like I stated earlier, since Bloomberg got in therace later than most candidates, he wan't focused on the primary and caucus states like Iowa and New Hampshire. Even though they don't have a ton of delegates, they can give a candidate a great deal of momentum going forward. I think for a candidate like Bloomberg that isn't well know out of the trig-state area, this was a mistake to not do.

Elizabeth Warren's Twitter Shows a Powerful Message, but not Enough Innovation | By Luke Miani

Elizabeth Warren is already making history as a major female presidential candidate, and her Twitter account is evidence of that. Warren has amassed 3.7 million followers on the platform and her campaign is very active. She Tweets at least 5 times per day and most tweets reach at least 4-5 thousand liked and one thousand retweets. Her campaign is one of hope and change, powered by her strong drive to make a difference. Warren was a college professor and consumer protections advocate before winning her senate seat in 2013, so she has plenty of experience and expertise uplifting and propelling average Americans to a better life. She is now taking this drive to her presidential campaign with enthusiasm

Warren demonstrates that her message is inspiring, especially towards young people, as her inspirational campaign messages often receive 10-20 thousand likes and thousands of retweets. Warren is positioning herself as a progressive politician who cares deeply about the average American who feels disenfranchised by the status quo- particularly women and people of color, as well as young Americans. Her messaging heavily focuses on intersectional supporters, uplifting people, and motivating supporters to get out and vote. Her content is primarily institutional, however. There are repeated calls to vote, links to caucus information, and links back to the Warren campaign website. She also posts a decent amount of photos/videos without a clear call to action; highlighting issues, showing conversations at campaign events, posting selfies with supporters and other motivational messages – but without overbearing donation requests or website links. This is an interesting approach, and it does leave some opportunity on the table, there is likely traffic that could be gained by having a call to action on these tweets. I, however, think she is likely going for reach and awareness with these tweets, many of which feature other notable politicians, to reach new individuals and expand her base. 

Despite her excellent engagement and positive messaging, the twitter account definitely plays by the rules and doesn’t employ particularly innovative strategies. There are some instances of semi-viral tweets that receive tens of thousands of likes and retweets because of their powerful message, but overall it’s standard campaign fare. This is likely part of why her campaign has slowed down as it struggles to capitalize on momentum. I do appreciate the positivity and hopeful nature, I think this stands in contrast to many politicians to try to harness fear or anger to gain support. I think if Warren wanted to expand her support she could employ some running thematic areas, her Twitter account has a lot of intersectional themes, which is great, but it can appear disjointed as she hops from one issue to another. I think she could break down the campaign by day into certain themes and issues she could highlight, and perhaps quote tweet replies from supporters to encourage engagement and promote active support. If she engaged with supporters on her Twitter page it would show a connected ‘woman of the people’ look and prove that you don’t have to go to a campaign event or donate to get Warren’s support and attention.

Elizabeth Warren is making a dent in this election with her hopeful yet powerful messages designed to inspire and motivate people using hope rather than hate. However her campaign is lacking some innovative tactics and outside-the-box thinking that would really help propel her candidacy

Our Best Days Still Lie Ahead: The Joe Biden Campaign Website

The Biden campaign’s website is using his past and nostalgia to connect to his target voters and position himself as an experienced, electable candidate. The header of the website is a close-up photo of Biden, that is either old or edited, as he looks much more vibrant and younger than he is in person. The photo is accompanied by the words “Our Best Days Still Lie Ahead.” This tackles the electability and age worries for supporters coming to this website. Whether it is interpreted as big picture “our” as a nation's best days are to come or “our” as a campaign’s best days are to come it may set some people who are reconsidering support after Iowa and New Hampshire to reconsider. The text on the site and the words and phrases he uses are trying to reach a specific group of people who are nostalgic or looking for a return to the pre-2016 Obama administration era America. While Bernie Sanders or Elizabeth Warren are promising a revolution or structural change Biden’s messaging is centered around ideas like “we are in a battle for the soul of America. It’s time to remember who we are.” It celebrates an idea America and Americans Joe Biden is promising to restore. There are also a lot of photos on the website, and many featuring Biden with black supporters which is probably no coincide considering a large portion of his base are black voters.

The campaign has a major call to action right when you open the website before you can see the main page there is a pop-up asking you to donate. Also, while you navigate through the website there the bar directing visitors to donate remains at the top. It is also bright red, compared to the blues and whites of the website which makes it stand out more. The third option on the navigation menu is “action center” which has several options to volunteer on the campaign starting with “text for Biden” and “call for Biden” and moving down to “run to be a delegate for Biden.” There are also several different points where they direct visitors to put down their names and sign up with the campaign. For example, at the end of the section about Joe Biden’s story, it says, “That’s Joe’s Story - What’s Yours?” with a spot to fill out your information. They offer many different options to get involved through the “action center”, but they focus on donations and sign-ups throughout the website. It seems like the campaign is encouraging supporters to simply follow directions, most of their calls to action are accompanied by specific instructions and not much encouragement to be creative - which works with his target demographic who are less likely to be entrepreneurial or creative online. 

The campaign emphasizes leadership. The most engaging and well-done part of the website is the section called “Joe’s Story” and it is clear how much the campaign is relying on Joe Biden’s story, history, and personality to carry him through the election. He has had a tragic and inspirational life story, and they are using that for the campaign's advantage. I would say this campaign is less about community building among supporters and more about building a relationship and an understanding of Joe Biden. The “Joe’s Story” section is full of old photos, family photos, and photos with Biden and his supporters. It is effective to see his history played out in the most positive light and could serve to inspire his supporters. The campaign doesn’t utilize any particularly innovative techniques, the most interesting and fun thing about the website is that as you scroll down Joe’s life story a train moves down the page as you scroll, a nod to Biden’s infamous use of Amtrak. I don’t think this campaign is missing out on anything important. It does what it needs to do to appeal to his supporters and is very representative of his candidacy and campaign goals. I think any attempts to be hip or appeal to youth would appear out of place and disingenuous. 

University students are feeling the BERN: Grassroots engagement in the 2020 Sanders campaign (Tori Ford)

With a platform that champions the elimination of student debt, Bernie Sanders is no doubt the unofficial candidate for the average college student. Not only is Bernie the most popular choice among Democratic college students, but they are also his campaign’s primary mobilizers.

            Among the first questions on a volunteer sign-up form for the campaign site is “Are you a student?,” and a page dedicated to volunteer engagement has an option specifically for campus mobilizing. When you look at the page dedicated to Bernie’s political stances, one of the top platforms is “College for All.” For such a candidate who could become the oldest President ever elected to a first term, Bernie has no trouble appealing to a young crowd.

            Bernie’s campaign is ever-proud of its 100% “grassroots” fundraising and engagement, and from the look of the campaign website, this pride is well-founded. Though his claim of a 100% grassroots-funded campaign may be misleading, Bernie employs more grassroots engagement methods than other candidates. The campaign’s options for volunteering are almost all interpersonal, even down to the framing of these options.

            Instead of saying “download our official campaign app,” the campaign site says to “Organize your friends: Persuade your friends, family, and neighbors to join our movement using the official Bernie 2020 app.” Other opportunities for engagement are making phone calls—which the campaign calls “phonebanks”—and hosting campaign events, knocking on doors, sending texts, and campus mobilizing.

            What’s unique about Bernie’s campaign is its combination of reaching young voters and promoting traditional forms of volunteer engagement. Canvassing, making phone calls, organizing events, participating in protests, joining local associations, and word-of-mouth lobbying are all pretty traditional forms of advocacy for such a young target audience. On the page for volunteer engagement, there’s no mention of Instagram, Twitter, or other mediums college students are most likely to use. Social media and predominately digital tactics do not seem to be the priority for Bernie’s campaign, but rather creating strong ties which not only mobilize students, but also create long-term loyalty.

            There are a couple of theories that could explain this unorthodox use of traditional engagement to mobilize college students. Since I am only looking at the campaign website, it’s possible there are other platforms using digital engagement, like social media. An Instagram feed, which offers limited but more widespread ways to engage—such as resharing a campaign post—may be used to direct students to the campaign website, where stronger ties can then be established. If someone is going straight to the campaign website, it’s likely that they’re looking actively for those ways to engage with the campaign, more than a student idly scrolling through Instagram.

            Alternatively, this use of traditional engagement could be interpreted as a weakness in Bernie’s campaign website. Is he missing out by not pushing more digital engagement to his student supporters?

            In either case, Bernie’s frame of grassroots mobilization has the goal of making people feel valued and engaged. The campaign slogan, “Not me. Us.” projects an image of collaboration with the “common man.” The language of “we”, along with encouraging potential volunteers to join with “thousands” of Bernie supporters, motivates people to join a large community that needs you.

Based on the following of supporter-led websites such as Feel the Bern and Bernie Sanders Grassroots Family, it’s clear these communities are following that same grassroots mission with success. While these traditional forms of engagement don’t guarantee room for creativity, Bernie’s nurturing of grassroots groups helps local teams utilize resources in creative ways. Grassroots group websites post their own local updates and are credible, well-attended, and accessible in ways that an official campaign site can’t always assure.

While “grassroots” approaches are somewhat of a “gold standard” and difficult to actually accomplish, Bernie’s campaign gets closer than most. His campaign’s website pushes traditional engagement and tries to help foster communities of voters—especially students—around a shared cause. His campaign website shows us that while grassroots tactics are almost impossible to adhere to perfectly, they can still be used well to get honest support.