Blue State Digital

Last updated
Blue State Digital
Company type Subsidiary
Industry Consulting
Founded2004
Founders Jascha Franklin-Hodge
Clay Johnson
Joe Rospars
Ben Self
Thomas Gensemer
Headquarters New York, NY, United States
Washington, D.C., United States
Key people
 Joe Rospars, founding partner and Chief Executive Officer
Parent WPP
Website www.bluestate.co

Blue State Digital is an adtech [1] [2] [3] that specializes in online fundraising, and campaign consultancy. [4] The company was founded by 4 former staffers of the Howard Dean 2004 presidential campaign. [5] [6] The company became notable after providing digital strategy and technology services for the 2008 and 2012 Barack Obama presidential campaigns.

Contents

Blue State Digital has offices in New York City, Washington, D.C., Boston, San Francisco, Chicago and London, and in December 2010, Blue State Digital was acquired by WPP plc. [7]

History

Howard Dean's 2004 presidential campaign pioneered new applications of new media to engage voters and raise campaign funds.[ citation needed ] In 2004, four former Dean staffers—Jascha Franklin-Hodge (CIO), Clay Johnson, Joe Rospars (CEO), and Ben Self—founded Blue State Digital [8] to provide campaign technology (voter database, fundraising technology, and campaign recruitment) [9] and strategic services. In July 2014, Jascha Franklin-Hodge (CTO) left to become the CIO for the City of Boston. [10]

In 2005, Thomas Gensemer from America Coming Together (a Democratic-allied advocacy organization) became the managing partner. Their earliest clients included Ted Kennedy's Senate campaign, [11] the Communications Workers of America, [12] the Democratic National Committee (chaired by Howard Dean), Harry Reid, [13] and AT&T. [14]

In 2007, the company was recruited in the early phases of the Barack Obama'2008 US Presidential campaign [15] [7] to provide technology services, and for Rospar to create and lead the internal new media strategy team. These technology services included web hosting, an online fundraising product called BSD tools, [16] and a custom social networking platform. Over the course of the campaign, more than $500 million was raised, millions of volunteers were mobilised, and an online database of 13 million supporters was created, [17] This was reported in the media as being, in large part, due to their platform, and services. [18]

After their work in the successful Obama Campaign, the company opened offices in New York, Los Angeles, and London.[ citation needed ] Their portfolio of clients now included American Red Cross, [11] United Way, Carnegie Hall, [19] and Vogue Magazine. [20] By 2010, the company had offices in London. Washington, and Boston, [21] and on December 30, 2010, they announced that they were to be wholly acquired by the multinational public relations company WPP Digital. [22]

The European expansion of US Voter information companies (such a Nation builder, Change.org, and Blue State Digital) depended on the International Safe Harbor Privacy Principles. This agreement allowed the companies to avoid the complexity of Europe’s patchwork of privacy protections, [23] and allow them to provide detailed voter information (from social media habits to voting records) to the U.K.'s Labour Party, French President Francois Hollande, and Swedish Social Democratic Party. [24] In October 2015, this agreement was declared invalid by the European Court of Justice in October 2015. [25] The result was "Uncertainty over whether the talks can succeed has U.S. political tech firms scrambling to find ways to keep doing business in Europe." [26]


By 2019, the company had expanded into nonprofit fundraising, with United Kingdom clients United Nations Refugee Agency [27] as well as Tommy's (charity) which raises funds for the St Thomas' Hospital in London . [28]

In 2019, Blue State Digital was rebranded as Blue State, and BSD Tools was sold to Every Action. [29] In September 2020, Brooklyn office started the process of forming a union with CODE-CWA in September 2020, at a time when less than 5% of WPP employees (its parent company) are unionized, with the majority of them in Europe. [30] [31] [32]

Notable alumni

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Political campaign</span> Attempt to influence the decision making process within a specific group

A political campaign is an organized effort which seeks to influence the decision making progress within a specific group. In democracies, political campaigns often refer to electoral campaigns, by which representatives are chosen or referendums are decided. In modern politics, the most high-profile political campaigns are focused on general elections and candidates for head of state or head of government, often a president or prime minister.

WPP plc is a British multinational communications, advertising, public relations, technology, and commerce holding company headquartered in London, England. It is the world's largest advertising company, as of 2023. WPP plc owns many companies, which include advertising, public relations, media, and market research networks such as AKQA, BCW, CMI Media Group, Essence Global, Finsbury, Grey, Hill & Knowlton, Mindshare, Ogilvy, Wavemaker, and VML. It is one of the "Big Four" agency companies, alongside Publicis, The Interpublic Group of Companies, and Omnicom Group. WPP has a primary listing on the London Stock Exchange, and is a constituent of the FTSE 100 Index.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Daily Kos</span> Blog focused on left-wing American politics

Daily Kos is a group blog and internet forum focused on the U.S. Democratic Party and progressive liberal American politics. The site publishes blog posts, polls, election and campaign fundraising data, and is considered an example of "netroots" activism.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Martin Sorrell</span> British businessman

Sir Martin Stuart Sorrell is a British businessman and the founder of WPP plc, the world's largest advertising and PR group, both by revenue and the number of staff. Upon being ousted in April 2018 following an investigation by WPP's board into personal conduct and use of company money, Sorrell was the longest-serving chief executive of a FTSE 100 company.

Grey Group is a global advertising and marketing agency with headquarters in New York City, and 432 offices in 96 countries, operating in 154 cities. It is organized into four geographical units: North America; Europe, Middle East and Africa, Asia-Pacific, and Latin America.

ActBlue is a nonprofit American fundraising platform and political action committee (PAC) founded in 2004. ActBlue builds technology and infrastructure to be used by Democratic campaigns and has been described as “the center of a transformation in how political campaigns work.” It is focused on mobilizing small-dollar donors and, as of June 2024, has raised $13.7 billion for left-leaning and Democratic candidates and causes since it was established. ActBlue is organized as a PAC, but it serves as a conduit for processing individual contributions made through the platform. Under federal law, these contributions are made by individuals and are not considered PAC donations.

Kantar Group Ltd. is an international market research company based in London, England. It was founded in 1992, and has approximately 30,000 employees across over 90 countries working in various research disciplines, including brand guidance, brand strategy, social media monitoring, advertising effectiveness, consumer and shopper behaviour,design strategy and public opinion.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Barack Obama 2008 presidential campaign</span> Successful presidential campaign of then-U.S. Senator

Barack Obama, then junior United States senator from Illinois, announced his candidacy for president of the United States on February 10, 2007, in Springfield, Illinois. After winning a majority of delegates in the Democratic primaries of 2008, on August 23, leading up to the convention, the campaign announced that Senator Joe Biden of Delaware would be the vice presidential nominee. At the 2008 Democratic National Convention on August 27, Barack Obama was formally selected as the Democratic Party nominee for president of the United States in 2008. He was the first African American in history to be nominated on a major party ticket. On November 4, 2008, Obama defeated the Republican nominee, Senator John McCain of Arizona, making him the president-elect and the first African American elected president.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2012 United States presidential election</span>

Presidential elections were held in the United States on November 6, 2012. Incumbent Democratic President Barack Obama and his running mate, incumbent Vice President Joe Biden, were elected to a second term. They defeated the Republican ticket of former Governor of Massachusetts Mitt Romney and U.S. Representative Paul Ryan of Wisconsin, who later became Speaker of the House of Representatives. As of 2024, this is the most recent presidential election in which an incumbent president was reelected.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2008 United States presidential election in New Jersey</span>

The 2008 United States presidential election in New Jersey took place on November 4, 2008, and was part of the 2008 United States presidential election. Voters chose 15 representatives, or electors to the Electoral College, who voted for president and vice president.

On April 4, 2011, Barack Obama, the 44th president of the United States, announced his candidacy for re-election as president. On September 5, 2012, he again became the nominee of the Democratic Party for the 2012 presidential election. Along with his running mate, Vice President Joe Biden, Obama was opposed in the general election by former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney, along with various minor candidates from other parties. The election took place on Tuesday, November 6, 2012.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Clay Johnson (technologist)</span> American computer programmer (born 1977)

Clay Johnson is a former Democratic technologist who played a role in prominent national campaigns.

NGP VAN, Inc. is an American privately owned voter database and web hosting service provider used by the Democratic Party, Democratic campaigns, and other non-profit organizations authorized by the Democratic Party. The platform or service is used by political and social campaigns for fundraising, campaign finance compliance, field organizing, and digital organizing. NGP VAN, Inc. was formerly known as Voter Activation Network, Inc. and changed its name to NGP VAN, Inc. in January 2011. The company was founded in 2001 and is based in Washington, D.C., with an additional location in Somerville, Massachusetts.

Social media and political communication in the United States refers to how political institutions, politicians, private entities, and the general public use social media platforms to communicate and interact in the United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2020 United States House of Representatives elections in Ohio</span>

The 2020 United States House of Representatives elections in Ohio were held on November 3, 2020, to elect the 16 U.S. representatives from the state of Ohio, one from each of the state's 16 congressional districts. The elections coincided with the 2020 U.S. presidential election, as well as other elections to the House of Representatives, elections to the United States Senate and various state and local elections. Primaries were held on April 28, 2020.

Ben Self is the former chairman of the Kentucky Democratic Party, having been elected in November 2017. He was a co-founder for digital strategy firm Blue State Digital and is co-founder of West Sixth Brewery in Lexington, Kentucky.

Jascha Franklin-Hodge is the chief of streets for the City of Boston, Massachusetts under Mayor Michelle Wu. He previously served as the chief information officer for the city under Mayor Marty Walsh, and co-founded digital consulting firm Blue State Digital. In his role as Chief of Streets, he oversees the Boston Transportation Department and Public Works Department.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tom Cochran (technologist)</span> American federal government official (born 1977)

Tom Cochran is a former Obama administration appointee, having served both in the White House and Department of State between 2011 and 2016. He is a partner and the Chief Growth Officer at 720 Strategies, as well as a keynote speaker, writer, and adjunct professor at American University.

Wunderman was a New York City-based global digital agency. It was part of Young & Rubicam Brands and a member of international advertising group WPP Group.

WinRed is an American fundraising platform for the Republican Party endorsed by the Republican National Committee (RNC). It was launched to compete with the Democratic Party's success in online grassroots fundraising with their platform ActBlue.

References

  1. ↑ Smits, Malte, ed. (2022). Information for a Better World: Shaping the Global Future. Lecture Notes in Computer Science. Vol. 13192. doi:10.1007/978-3-030-96957-8. ISBN   978-3-030-96956-1. ISSN   0302-9743. S2CID   247014018.
  2. ↑ "Inside The Correspondent's $2.5m crowdfunding drive to be the 'antidote to breaking news'". The Drum. Retrieved 2022-10-01.
  3. ↑ "Employees at Creative Agency Blue State Secure First Collective Bargaining Agreement". Communications Workers of America. 20 September 2021. Archived from the original on 2022-10-01. Retrieved 2022-10-01.
  4. ↑ Stewart, Emily (8 June 2016). "Google and Facebook will dominate the $1 billion digital ad spend for election 2016". TheStreet. Retrieved 2022-10-01.
  5. ↑ "Meet Our Leadership | Blue State Digital". Archived from the original on 2014-03-11. Retrieved 2014-03-11.
  6. ↑ Jascha Franklin-Hodge. "Jascha Franklin-Hodge". LinkedIn. Archived from the original on 2010-10-06. Retrieved 2014-08-08.
  7. 1 2 Rao, Leena (December 30, 2010). "WPP Buys Obama's Campaign Agency Blue State Digital". TechCrunch. Retrieved 2019-11-08.
  8. ↑ "WPP Digital acquires Blue State Digital, LLC". Archived from the original on 2018-05-01. Retrieved 2018-04-30.
  9. ↑ "The technology that powers the 2020 campaigns, explained". MIT Technology Review. Archived from the original on 2022-10-01. Retrieved 2022-10-01.
  10. ↑ Wood, Colin (2017-12-19). "Boston CIO Jascha Franklin-Hodge moves on". StateScoop. Retrieved 2024-03-19.
  11. 1 2 "Blue State Digital Takes Over the World". TechPresident. 6 November 2020. Archived from the original on 12 May 2012. Retrieved 9 May 2012.
  12. ↑ "WPP Adds Blue State Digital to Media Empire". MediaDailyNews. Archived from the original on 2016-03-03. Retrieved 2012-05-09.
  13. ↑ "Salesforce: trouble for Blue State Digital? Don't bank on it". Jarret House North. 19 April 2007.
  14. ↑ "Obama's Secret Weapon". Bloomberg Business Week. Archived from the original on 2008-06-28.
  15. ↑ Rolfe, Mark (17 May 2019). "GetUp's brand of in-your-face activism is winning elections – and making enemies". The Conversation. Retrieved 2019-11-08.
  16. ↑ "View Features | BSD Tools". Archived from the original on 2012-05-27. Retrieved 2012-05-14.
  17. ↑ Talbot, David (8 January 2009). "The Geeks Behind Obama's Web Strategy". Boston.com.
  18. ↑ Learmonth, Michael. "How Obama Won The Internet: Blue State Digital". Business Insider. Retrieved 2022-10-01.
  19. ↑ "Web fundraiser that aided Obama acquired". Crain's New York. 30 December 2010.
  20. ↑ Adams, Russell (23 November 2009). "Wall Street Journal: Vogue Sees Web Lessons in Obama's Campaign". Wall Street Journal.
  21. ↑ Thiel, Simon (30 December 2010). "WPP Buys Obama Campaign Agency Blue State Digital". Bloomberg. Retrieved 2024-03-19.
  22. ↑ "WPP Digital Acquires Blue State Digital, LLC". Archived from the original on 2012-12-28. Retrieved 2017-11-25.
  23. ↑ Bennett, Colin J. (2016-12-10). "Voter databases, micro-targeting, and data protection law: can political parties campaign in Europe as they do in North America?". International Data Privacy Law. 6 (4): 261–275. doi:10.1093/idpl/ipw021. ISSN   2044-3994. Archived from the original on 2022-09-01. Retrieved 2022-10-01.
  24. ↑ Scola, Nancy (20 January 2016). "U.S. political tech firms hit European turbulence". Politico. Archived from the original on 6 October 2022. Retrieved 19 March 2024.
  25. ↑ "What does the end of Safe Harbour mean for you?". Wired UK. ISSN   1357-0978. Archived from the original on 2022-10-01. Retrieved 2022-09-30.
  26. ↑ "U.S. political tech firms hit European turbulence". POLITICO. 20 January 2016. Archived from the original on 2022-10-01. Retrieved 2022-10-01.
  27. ↑ Watson, Imogen (September 16, 2019). "The UN Refugee Agency appoints Blue State to catalyse digital fundraising efforts". The Drum. Archived from the original on 2019-09-20. Retrieved 2019-11-08.
  28. ↑ Johnson, Mark (2019-06-17). "Tommy's appoints Blue State Digital for fundraising campaign". Prolific London. Archived from the original on 2019-11-08. Retrieved 2019-11-08.
  29. ↑ Dorbian, Iris (2019-06-24). "EveryAction buys Blue State Digital's BSD tools unit". PE Hub. Archived from the original on 2022-10-01. Retrieved 2022-09-29.
  30. ↑ "In What Would Be A First For The Ad Industry, WPP-Owned Blue State Said It Was Forming A Union". Portside. 22 September 2020. Archived from the original on 2020-10-30. Retrieved 2020-12-31.
  31. ↑ Coffee, Patrick. "WPP-owned ad firm Blue State is forming a union in a first for the industry". Business Insider. Archived from the original on 2020-10-05. Retrieved 2020-12-31.
  32. ↑ Miller, Sean (October 21, 2020). "Employees At Democratic Firm Blue State Unionized By CODE-CWA". Campaigns and Elections . Archived from the original on 2018-05-15. Retrieved 2020-12-31.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.