SocialCode Message Test: Anti-Obama Message Yields the Highest “Like” Rates in NH and Iowa
A new political message study conducted on Facebook across Iowa and New Hampshire today reveals that an anti-Obama message yields the highest “Like” rates in NH and Iowa. Mitt Romney and Ron Paul are more “Liked” in NH, while Tim Pawlenty and Michelle Bachmann are more “Liked” in Iowa. A core GOP “values” message is ineffective for GOP hopefuls, but Sarah Palin is the exception.
The randomized campaign was conducted by SocialCode, a full-service Facebook agency and subsidiary of The Washington Post Company, to gauge the power of specific messages for seven potential contenders for the Republican presidential nomination. Between May 23 and June 4, Facebook users in these critical early voting states were asked to show support by clicking “Like” in response to randomly displayed image combinations of seven declared or prospective candidates (or a GOP elephant) with five common Republican messages.
TOP FINDINGS INCLUDE:
• On every message former Alaska governor Sarah Palin received the highest “Like” rate in both New Hampshire and Iowa;
• “Values” rank fourth of the five-item message list across candidates, but it’s a major driver for Palin, who remains a shadow candidate. For Palin, the 2008 GOP vice-presidential nominee, the values-oriented message performs significantly better than does a focus on the economy;
• Palin is the only one of the seven potential candidates where economic messaging scores last;
• Across candidates the most resonant GOP message is to tack against the president: of five common GOP themes for winning back the White House in 2012, a straight-ahead anti-Obama message tested best;
• While President Obama’s re-election hopes may hinge on the fate of the nation’s struggling economy, from a pure policy standpoint it is the president’s health care overhaul that generates the sharpest opposition in this online message test;
• While some GOP strategists see Mitt Romney’s Massachusetts health plan as his Achilles’ heel in the nomination fight, an “anti-ObamaCare” message performs nearly as well for the former governor as does an economic one, the one he’s made the centerpiece of this bid for the GOP nod;
• Romney and health care combination performed better online than did a combination of health care and former Minnesota governor Tim Pawlenty.
For more results: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20110613005520/en/SocialCode-Unveils-Power-Facebook-Advertising-2012-GOP
ABOUT SOCIALCODE
SocialCode, a subsidiary of the Washington Post Company, is a full-service Facebook agency. SocialCode’s unique tools are built on a research engine that offers analytics and information for advertisers that they cannot get anywhere else. With advanced quantitative methods, SocialCode specializes in building targeted communities, engaging those audiences and monetizing potential customers all while conducting research to inform strategy.
