A look behind the blogger sites covering the Republican National Convention (last of two parts).

Last month, we spent time visiting the sites of bloggers credentialed to cover the Democratic convention -- not to analyze the rhetoric and political arguments, but to analyze the bloggers' efforts to capitalize on the perceived demographics of the Kerry-Edwards ticket. With the Republican convention set to begin next week, we're giving equal time.
 
Comparing the marketing and advertising by the mostly Republican-sympathetic bloggers assigned to cover the Republican National Convention (RNC) to their rivals on the Democratic side is a vicarious experience. On one hand, the business model seems almost identical. Tap into core constituencies, and then either sell advertising or products that would be considered amenable to core audiences.

On the other hand, the tone of advertising and products heralded on the GOP blogs is almost entirely different from the Democratic-leaning Web logs. There are no links to Amazon.com book pages that beat up Kansans for voting conservative nor any coffee cups for sale that by thinly disguised inference make fun of Saddam Hussein and the successful effort on the part of the Bush administration to remove him from power.

Contributions and commentary

Instead of cartoonish depictions of a Saddam whose weapons of mass destruction have not yet been located, a number of RNC-credentialed blogs carry a "Coalition of the Willing" ad. On such credentialed blogs as Dean's World, originally created to combat one-time Democratic front-runner Howard Dean, British Prime Minister Tony Blair is exalted.

The notice, which features the smiling face of the steadfast U.S. ally Tony Blair, thanks the nation he leads for answering the call "when the call came to stand up and be counted." The ad does not link to a specific product, but to a Web site called ThankYouTony. In turn, ThankYouTony has a link to the main campaign site for President Bush, which has a link from where you can make a campaign contribution.

The net effect of the Blair ad, then, is to harness the good will that many partisans feel toward the British leader, and then ultimately, to link to a fund-raising mechanism for the candidate who feels grateful for Blair's help.

What's even more telling on the Dean's World site, as well as a few others, is the presence of several keyword-driven, Google AdWords/Google Syndication ads. It should come as no surprise that the specific Google Syndication ads on Dean's World, and several other RNC-credentialed Blogs, are at least somewhat in sync with the perceived sentiments of the readership. Here are two examples of Google Syndication ads currently up on several of these Blogs:

• "War Iraq" is actually a link that routes through Internet advertising agency DoubleClick and on to a sign-up page for The Wall Street Journal Online. On its editorial pages, the newspaper has been a steadfast supporter of the Bush administration and the war in Iraq.
• "Conservative and Anti-War?" offers a direct link to the Web site of American Conservative, a publication whose ideology is indicated by its name.

Self promotion -- in more ways than one

Republicans don't only fight wars, though. They date. For those romantically unattached Bush partisans who presumably are tired of meeting "liberals" via dating sites such as Match.com, there's Conservative Match.

The pitch, as shown in ads on such RNC-credentialed Blogs as Blogs For Bush and HughHewitt.com -- like most other memorable advertising tag lines, this one is a zinger -- "Stop Dating Liberals!!"

The body copy of the ad is both direct and inviting, and speaks directly to the target audience: "Are you tired of arguing about politics on your dates? Do you get sick of hearing your boyfriend or girlfriend bash President Bush? Now there is hope! Join the ConservativeMatch.com community and find thousands of conservative singles just like you."

When he or she clicks on the ad, the user is quickly routed through the servers of advertising agency Blogads.com. As soon as that Web address appears, it quickly redirects to a sign-up page on ConservativeMatch.com.

A nationally syndicated talk show host heard in some 60 markets, Hewitt also uses his blog for self-promotion. On his blog, there is an ad for Hewitt's book "If It's Not Close, They Can't Cheat" -- a reference to the tight 2000 Presidential election and the vote-count controversies that followed. The body copy of the ad refers to "the dire consequences of a John Kerry victory." The ad itself is clickable to Blogads.com, and then, in the blink of an eye, to a book order page on Amazon.com. The work, which stood at No. 49 on the Amazon.com best sellers list a few days before the RNC, is published by Nelson Books, an imprint of conservative and religious book publisher Thomas Nelson, Inc.

Also in the publication realm, Hewitt's Blog offers a link to a special subscription sign-up page on the Web site of The Weekly Standard, a conservative newsmagazine. The link (weeklystandard.com/hugh) offers 48 issues for $39. Routed through Blogads, The Weekly Standard sign-up page pays tribute to "Hugh." The body copy notes that the magazine's publisher and two top editors are frequent guests on Hewitt's radio show.

Crushing the competition

If political advertising is often more uncivil than commercial advertising, this dynamic plays out in the language and supported branding materials used to characterize competitors. For Republicans, of course, that competitive dynamic is personified by Democratic Presidential nominee John Kerry. Senator Kerry is seen by some as a flip-flopper, a perception directly channeled by Hewitt into "John Kerry Flip-Flops."

When clicked, the ad routes through Blogads and then to a Web site called The Right Stuff: Comedy For Real Americans. The page features two $17.95 sandals, each adorned with what the site views as contradictory statements uttered by Kerry throughout his political career. The same page also catalogs a series of bumper stickers whose sentiments are unequivocal: "Terrorists Agree: Kerry-Edwards" sets the tone.

Accusations of untrustworthiness in the political marketing sphere can be compared to accusations of unreliability in product marketing. Yet in politics, the opportunity exists for the message to be far more personal.

The perception that Kerry is untrustworthy is echoed on Blogs For Bush. An ad tagged "Anti-Kerry Bumper Sticker" appears for a sticker that says "Don't trust John Kerry with your money? You're not alone." The ad goes on to say that Kerry's wife -- ketchup heiress Teresa Heinz Kerry -- "wouldn't marry him without a prenup," an arrangement that in the view of some partisans, makes a Kerry-led administration risky management of the U.S. government's finances. When clicked, the Web surfer reaches LibertyOutlet.com, a site that brands itself as one that offers "politically conservative, pro-gun T-Shirts, Mugs, Mousepads and Bumper Stickers.

Straw men and bogeymen have long been used in product advertising campaigns. In this year's Presidential campaign, an equivalent can be seen in the "John Kerry For President of France" tee-shirt ad posted on Blogs For Bush. Once again, Blogads is the conduit, this time to self-avowed "pro-American apparel" site CasualConservative.com.

After the Republican National Convention ends and the Labor Day weekend concludes, the Presidential campaign will be underway in full force. Tag-lines, slogans, ad copy and alliances will be front and center, and will be instructional to all marketers who try to sell image, ideas and services. We'll be watching and analyzing for you.