Irish Politics, Current Affairs and Magazine Archive - Politico.ie

In the early days of the presidential race, Pat Kenny held an illuminating interview on the value of social media in an election campaign. On September 5, he interviewed Ewan McIntosh, a social media strategist who co-directed a “digital election arms race” that helped the Scottish National Party (SNP) sweep to an historic majority in May of this year. The strategy involved a “daily cycle of news", which "enthused volunteers" and "allowed people to feel ownership of the party”. Party members co-ordinated efforts on Twitter and Facebook to spread party messages. Crucially, the campaign was timed to build a crescendo of support on polling day. By Malachy Browne.

[A version of this article was first published in the Irish Examiner, October 25.]