Old Tactics and New Technologies Don’t Mix
I have been reflecting more on John Kerry’s email strategy and it struck me: He continues to use the strategies and tactics of direct mail for his email outreach. That means his focus is on educating citizens from the top-down. It also means he is not taking full advantage of the Internet.
The Internet is about using information to drive people to take action and then turning activists into a true community. The actions Kerry asks for is to give money. But the real power of the Internet is as a communications tool… writing Congress, viral marketing, and the like. Those are the actions best asked for.
So, while thinking about Kerry’s use of email, my brain coughed up the perfect analogy of strategy and tactics that have been superceded by technological advances. The analogy comes from Barbara Tuckman’s The Guns of August:
Following the Franco-Prussian War of 1870, the French developed the tactic of timed charges. Infantry would charge the enemy for a short burst and then drop to the ground and cover. The duration of the charge was determined by the time it took the Germans to reload their muskets.
Unfortunately, by the time the French were able to use this tactic on the battlefield in WWI, the Germans had invented the machine gun. The French infantry were mowed down as they charged.
The lesson is clear: strategies and tactics must keep pace with technological advances. And thus, as new Internet technologies emerge, political campaign tactics must evolve with them or campaigns will be mowed down like so many French soldiers.