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Was this really the UK’s first Digital Election? That was the question we wanted to try to answer, at least in part, when Diffusion commissioned YouGov to examine the impact that online campaiging played as we headed to the polling stations on May 6th.  You may have seen the results of our Digital Election Report covered exclusively by the Financial Times last month, but I wanted to share some of the data in a bit more detail with you below.

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One of the key research findings was that over half  (56 per cent) of the voting age population consumed political information via digital channels during the General Election campaign. However, despite the hype surrounding some social media channels, one of the most popular sources for political information online were the websites for candidates and political parties, with 19 per cent of the public as a whole and a third of voters aged 18-24, visiting these sites over the course of the campaign.

Twitter was arguably the most hyped platform in the run up to and during the election itself, but our research shows that only 5 per cent of UK voters read any political content via the site, rising to only 13 per cent for those aged 18-24. This contrasts with Facebook, which was one of the big winners of the Digital Election with over a third (36 per cent) of those aged 18-24 reading political information on the platform. Of the sites we surveyed,  Facebook  was the most popular single online source of election information for young voters.  The social network also remained influential with those aged 25-34 with almost a quarter of this group (24 per cent) consuming political information on the site.

Online video content was a focus for all the main political parties, however only 8 per cent of the public watched political videos on sites such YouTube during the General Election campaign, but this figure is significantly higher at 25 per cent for 18-24 year olds.  Online advertising was also a prominent part of the online election campaign, with both the Labour Party and the Conservatives investing in Google AdWords and other online advertising campaigns on key sites.  According to our research 12 per cent of adults, rising to a quarter of 18-24 year olds, recall seeing online political advertising during the election campaign.

Interestingly, email, one of the oldest and potentially most effective digital channels and one which was a cornerstone of Barack Obama’s campaign, seems to have made minimal impact in this General Election.  Only 13 per cent of those surveyed can recall receiving any emails from political parties and organisations in the run up to May 6th.

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This was also not the ‘Mumsnet Election’. It appears that blogs and forums played a much more limited role as a source of political information for the general public, with only 11 per cent recalling reading political information on such sites.  While ‘online mums’ were courted by Cameron, Clegg and Brown, blogs and forums were actually twice as popular among men (15 per cent) compared to women (just 7 per cent) as sources of political news and commentary.

Finally, we also wanted to gauge the impact of digital campaigning on the voting intentions of the public. Did voters feel that the information they read and shared online actually made any difference? Now, asking voters  to separate out the impact of different channels on a decision as complex as voting is a difficult task, but the research revealed some important results.

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Of those that consumed political information online during the election, only 19 per cent claimed it made no impact on how they voted. Significantly, 15 per cent of voters stated that the political content they consumed online had either a ‘fair amount or great deal’ of influence on who they decided to vote for on 6th May. This may seem like a small amount, but a couple of percentage points can be more than enough to sway an election outcome.

As shown throughout the research, younger voters were most likely to have engaged with the General Election online and also most likely to be influenced by online campaigning. YouGov found that almost a third (30 per cent) of 18 – 24 year olds stated that their decision on how to vote was effected to a fair or great degree.

While the 2010 election campaign was dominated by the novelty of the TV debates, it is clear that digital channels, many also used for the first time in a General Election, influenced the electoral choices of British voters to varying degrees.  This was not the Digital Election some had predicted, but it certainly was a Digital Election, with online campaigning making an impact with large sections of the British electorate.

In the weeks ahead all political parties will no doubt be receiving the results of even more in-depth studies into the effectiveness of their online campaigns. If their results mirror ours, there will be some important lessons that will need to be learned ahead of the next General Election, whether it takes place in five months or in five years.

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Metro, the UK’s third largest national newspaper has appointed integrated agency Diffusion to develop and implement its social media strategy for Metro.co.uk. Diffusion has been briefed to build awareness of Metro’s online offering to the 3.5 million consumers who read the paper daily in 33 cities across the UK.

The campaign will look to make Metro.co.uk a destination site for ‘City Clickers’, 18 to 44 year-old young urban professionals looking for the best entertainment, showbiz and sports news as well as the strange and irreverent stories for which Metro has become famous.

Core to the campaign will be to increase online engagement and conversations between the paper and its readers and creating new digital marketing opportunities for advertisers.  Diffusion will be developing Metro’s presence and engagement with readers on key social media platforms as well as building relationships with key bloggers across a range of niche subject areas and at a regional level.

In addition to building visits and reader loyalty to Metro.co.uk, Diffusion will also be promoting Metro’s online services, including the launch of its World Cup Fantasy Football game this month.

Abi Slater, Head of Marketing for Metro commented, “Metro.co.uk has established a strong reputation for fun and irreverent content which sets it apart from traditional newspaper websites. While the newspaper clearly owns the mornings, the website has the potential to give people more Metro moments throughout the day and week.  Sustained online consumer PR and strategic use of social media channels will be key to building awareness, traffic and consumer loyalty to Metro.co.uk. Diffusion impressed us with their strong understanding of social media and the ability to showcase real results from working with online media brands”

Ivan Ristic, director, Diffusion commented:  “The 2010 General Election was a watershed moment in proving the importance of digital channels and online communities to the media industry.  Metro has recognised this with the rebrand of Metro.co.uk and the campaign will provide a positive, solid platform enabling users to share content at a time when other news outlets are restricting access to their sites.”

The first of the Election TV debates is just hours away and as reported today by PR Week, the post debate spin operation will be on a mammoth scale.  However, despite the army of official spin doctors attempting to convince the media that their man was the victor, journalists will also being playing close attention to the vast online spin room known as Twitter.

From Prime Minister’s Questions to Glee, Twitter has become the official social media TV ‘back channel’ with thousands of viewers using the platform to comment in real-time about the programmes they are watching.  The first of the leader debates is likely to see this trend taken to a new level.  Now, that’s not to say that the reactions on twitter will automatically be more authentic and representative of the viewing audience – every party’s activists and supporters will be furiously tweeting up the performance of their candidates. But before having to negotiate ’spin alley’ the banks of journalists watching the debate from the press room will be able to tap into twitter and get an immediate feeling for the exchanges and strange behavioural tics that have got people watching talking.

It would be naive to presume that those reactions on twitter won’t make any impact on the way specific journalists chose to report tonight’s events. For those of you wanting to follow the debate while watching DIY SOS I understand the official twitter hashtag will be #LeadersDebate

Today sees the publication of a landmark study, the Digital Integration Report, conducted jointly by Diffusion and PR Week. We surveyed almost 130 clients, drawn from across in-house comms, marketing and digital departments, in an attempt to reveal exactly how organisations are grappling with the challenge of integrating digital into their communication strategies.

Digital is one of the defining issues for the PR industry and PR professionals today and we wanted to look beyond the social media industry echo chamber and listen to the views of real brand owners. How important really is digital and search? How much budget are brands devoting to social media? How are clients measuring results and looking to evaluate return on investment? Where does responsbility for digital sit within organisations and how well is it being integrated? Are PR agencies providing the digital experise that brands require?

The revealing and thought-provoking answers to these questions and many others can be found in the  report published by PR Week here and you can also watch a special video podcast we’ve recorded discussing some of the highlights from the report, below.  The research collected a wealth of data and we will be publishing further insights next week on PRWeek.com and on this blog.  Required reading for anyone involved in communication. You can also download a pdf of the report here.

This morning saw the launch of the Diffusion Facebook & Politics research report, with the results of one of the most comprehensive assesments of how the Conservatives, Labour Party and Liberal Democrats are using the platform. We examined the profiles of over 169 MPs on Facebook, 564 prospective parliamentary candidates and the official Facebook presence of the three main political parties.

Why did we go to all that effort you may ask? Well, one of the most powerful criticisms of the social media industry is its propensity to jump on the latest bandwagon, often aided and abetted by a media eager to write about the next big thing. Recent coverage on the use of social media in the forthcoming general election has been an interesting case in point.

From the acres of press coverage devoted to it over the last 12-months, it would be easy to assume that Twitter is the only show in town. While few would argue that Twitter has provided a vibrant new platform for political discourse, we believe its significance is being over-stated.

It’s worth taking a moment to step back from the hype and look at the cold hard facts. Facebook remains the big beast of the social media world, with four in ten people in the UK (24m) active users of the platform. 18 million of those are estimated to be aged 18 and over.  Analysis from Hitwise for February 2010 shows that Facebook now accounts for over half (51%) of all visits to social networking sites. This compares to just 2% of all such visits to Twitter.

Social media and social networking sites specifically, have the potential to play a key role in the online campaigns of all political parties in the forthcoming general election. However, scale, reach, functionality and engagement will be critical success factors. This is why we believe that Facebook, not Twitter is likely to be the most significant platform employed to energise and organise party activists on the ground and influence undecided voters.

Some of the key findings from our research have been reported today in the Guardian and Metro, causing quite a stir in political circles. Our headline findings show that the Conservatives are, to date, clearly winning the Facebook election battle.  We will be releasing more detailed findings from the report over the next few days, so watch this space!

The arrival of Google’s Nexus One mobile phone has kick-started what will be another exciting year for mobile.  PR Week asked Diffusion Mobile’s David Ross-Tomlin for his expert views on the significance of the Nexus One and the likely impact on BlackBerry, the iPhone and the wider mobile ecosystem. You can watch the video podcast below.

Diffusion’s 2010 PR Graduate Scheme is now open and we’re looking for the brightest and the best to join PR Week’s New Consultancy of the Year in September ‘10.  For more information about our scheme, what we’re looking for in new recruits and to download an application form, please visit our Graduate Careers page here. Remember, the closing date is 8 February 2010.