Blackrock Associates wins three Golden Dot Awards from Institute for Politics, Democracy & the Internet

03/21/2007

Berkeley, CA -- Blackrock Associates, LLC, (http://www.blackrockonline.com) the leading online marketing consulting firm for progressive candidate and initiative campaigns, was recently awarded with three "Golden Dot Awards" -- more than any other firm -- for excellence in online campaigning presented by the Institute for Politics, Democracy & the Internet (IPDI) at its annual Politics Online Conference. Coming on the heels of four "Pollie Awards" from the American Association of Political Consultants, these awards underscore Blackrock Associates' expertise in political online marketing.

Together with GMMB and Jim Webb for Senate staffers S.R. Sidarth, Joe Stanley, Kevin Druff, and Lowell Feld, Blackrock Associates won the People's Choice Award for Technology Impact Moment for the rapid viral online dissemination of the infamous video of Sen. George Allen referring to Webb for Senate volunteer S.R. Sidarth as "Macaca" at a campaign event in Virginia. Many political experts believe that this video was single-handedly responsible for changing the dynamic in this race and opening the door for Webb's eventual victory, and the impact this video had in the race is a testament to the growing power of online campaigning in national politics.

"In winning the People's Choice Award for Technology Impact Moment, Blackrock Associates showed that they have their finger on the pulse of the growing power of politics online," said Julie Germany, Deputy Director of IPDI. "There is no question that the 'Macaca' video had a major impact on the race, something that would have been unthinkable for a web-only video just a few short years ago."

The "Macaca" video also won the Golden Dot Award for Best Online Viral Campaign. After being uploaded, this video was viewed nearly 1 million times on YouTube alone. By encouraging supporters, bloggers, and other activists to share this video using YouTube, the video took on a life of its own and spread with a minimal expenditure of resources on the part of the campaign. Ultimately, the stir it created generated earned media coverage that would have cost millions to replicate.

Finally, Blackrock Associates, together with Flash designer Max Hancock, won the Golden Dot for Best Animation or Mashup for the Flash-based DeLay's Dollars game on behalf of Nick Lampson for Congress. This game took advantage of former House Majority Leader Tom DeLay's high profile among Democrats to bring activists from across the country into Nick Lampson's campaign. The viral nature of the game generated thousands of new email list sign-ups from this single project.

Together with the four "Pollies" that Blackrock Associates won last month, these three Golden Dot Awards underscore Blackrock's experience and versatility in the field of online campaigning.

View the winning entries:

"Macaca" Video: www.youtube.com/watch?v=9G7gq7GQ71c
DeLay's Dollars: www.delaysdollars.com

Blackrock Associates, LLC, is the leading online marketing consulting firm for progressive candidate and initiative campaigns. Blackrock's two principals, Brent Blackaby and Larry Huynh, offer many years of experience in online marketing, online fundraising, supporter acquisition, and grassroots engagement from work in both the political and business worlds. Among other political and non-profit clients, Blackrock Associates is currently serving General Wesley Clark, Senator Barbara Boxer, Senator Dick Durbin, Senator Mary Landrieu, Senator Patrick Leahy, Senator Carl Levin, Senator Jim Webb, Congressman Nick Lampson, and Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa.

During the 2006 political cycle, Blackrock went 7-for-7: helping elect Senator Jim Webb (VA), Senator Amy Klobuchar (MN), Congressman Nick Lampson (TX-22), Secretary of State Debra Bowen (CA), State Controller John Chiang (CA), as well as defeating Measure 43, a parental notification initiative in Oregon and helping pass Proposition 84, the clean water infrastructure bond in California. In particular, for Senator Webb's campaign, Blackrock helped coordinate and achieve the viralization of the infamous "Macaca" video and raised $4 million online, more than 50% of the total funds raised by the campaign.

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