From Dolphin Costumes to Deepfakes: 20 Years of Digital Campaigning
Campaigns still chase clicks, but now they also worry whether their ads will even run or whether AI spoofs will upend their strategy.
In 2004, a microsite called FlipperCam was built, featuring interns dressed in dolphin costumes chasing John Kerry, branding him a “flip-flopper”.
- The tools used: HTML, Windows Movie Maker and a $30,000-a-month streaming server.
- The mission: Upload videos to shape the public narrative of a presidential candidate.
The site went viral and a silly idea helped shape the public narrative of a presidential candidate.
Two decades later, the incentives remain the same: Grab attention, shape perception and win the story before someone else does.
However, powerful social media platforms are now turning into artificial intelligence companies, with higher stakes and more powerful tools available to campaigns.
Author's summary: Digital campaigning evolves with new tools and stakes.
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