Messenger vs. Message

A few simple things we can agree on first -

1. The Democrats are MUCH better at digital media than the Republicans, 
2. There are most certainly Republican tech people who would love to change that, 
3. The Republicans have a perception problem with younger voters.

Now, here's the twist - the guy who is widely regarded as the micro-targetting guru that propelled George W. Bush to victory in 2000 and 2004 is widely considered by programmers as outdated.

And he's the spokesman for the new Republican initiative to bridge the divide.

According to Politico - Silicon Valley isn’t buying GOP’s data plans - Tarini Parti and Michelle Quinn - POLITICO.com

Karl Rove's outreach is falling flat with the industry.  Its a very interesting piece and perspective, and worth reading, not just for the political implications, but what it says about the value of having the right messenger.

Think about it - We all know the Republicans need help, we all know Karl Rove is very politically savvy, we all know a bridge needs to be covered, and seemingly, this would be the data guy to do it.

But he's not.  Why?  According to the article, because he is seen as a "direct mail" guy not a digital guy. 

Regardless of the reality of this fact, it begs the question.  When you let the perception of the messenger drive the message... what happens?

In the case of a needed service from the best possible source... it falls flat.

Are your messages being delivered by the right messenger?