Bernie v Ted

A couple of weeks ago I posted an analysis comparing the online marketing of two presidential campaigns – Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump, the front runners in their respective political parties.

This week I thought I would explore the current second place contenders – Bernie Sanders and Ted Cruz.

As a recap, a  compelling site includes relevant content that will engage the customer.  Secondly, the web site should appear in the top online searches.  This is not an endorsement or promotion of one candidate over the other.  It is simply an illustration and comparison of online marketing.    

Let’s recap what a components of a strong web site. 

1. Visually Appealing – It is the first impression of you or your company. 
2. Clean lines and text that is easy to read and uncluttered pages
3. Easy navigation.  Users should be able to see the website and know what the company is about and how to easily find products and
   Relevant content that is substantive and descriptive.

These web sites are both very similar in a lot of aspects and are more similar to the Donald Trump site where the home page is a clear declaration of the candidates positions.  For Bernie it is “Nobody who works 40 hours a week should be in poverty”. 

For Ted Cruz it is: Join the movement of Courageos Conservatives”

Ted Cruz also makes research and navigation a bit easier by including clear navigation buttons on his home page.

Both meet the guidelines for being clear, decriptive and relevant to what they stand for and impactful.

For Bernie, he has a click through link to go to his site.  This is where you are directed. This is a very powerful visual.  Pictures of a diverse selection of people and an another bold statement “This is your movement”.  The navigation to further elements of his campaign are on the left side and easily navigable.  The contribution button follows.

Both these campaign web sites meet the core requirements for a relevant web site.  They are both powerful presentations of the candidates and their positions.  Ted Cruz takes advantage of additional promotion of news and video clips son the bottom half of his web site which provides the opportunity for his campaign to present positive information.  Now I’ll test the remarketing efforts of the campaigns