Former Bush aide launches digital ad network

LONDON - A group of American political strategists have taken their skills online and launched an advertising network to deliver hypertargeted public affairs campaigns.

Called Resonate Networks, founded by Sara Taylor, a former political affairs director for George W Bush, the company plans to target web users through their political leanings.

The company has raised $2m in funding from heavyweight political figures in the US, including Harold Ickes, the deputy chief of staff under Bill Clinton and Alexander Gage, who was crucial in Bush's 2004 re-election campaign.

The company plans to gather 4,000 survey takers every quarter and ask their opinions on a wide range of social issues, while noting their political allegiance and level of involvement.

Additional data is attached to each survey taker, from voting and campaign contribution history to demographic information, totalling about 1,100 pieces of data for each panellist.

In return for a small fee, survey takers then allow Resonate to track which web pages they visit, at what time of day and for how long, for a total of four months, which is used to connect advertisers to relevant publishers.

The company has yet to sign a corporate client but has been operating for five months, earning more than $1m in revenue.

Online digital campaigning was in the spotlight during Barrack Obama's 2008 presidential election campaign, which was handled online by Blue State Digital.

The agency has since made in-roads in the UK and earlier this year was appointed by a group fighting the British National Party's attempt to win seats in the European parliament elections this June.

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