Colin Delany: You Can Microtarget Yourself to Death

Campaigns keep pouring money into broadcast TV while their voters are on YouTube, and targeting people too narrowly can backfire. Digital strategist Colin Delany has watched every new political technology arrive since the mid-1990s, and he explains which ones actually changed how campaigns win.  Colin is the founder of Epolitics.com and the author of How to Use the Internet to Change the World. We cover the three shifts that mattered most (online video, data-driven field and targeted advertising), why "you can microtarget yourself to death," what AI really changes, why trusted messengers beat disinformation, and how to convince donors to fund infrastructure a year out instead of at the last minute.  CHAPTERS 00:00 Cold open: why the money still goes to TV  02:19 Which technologies actually changed campaigns  07:04 You can microtarget yourself to death  11:11 What Obama's field operation knew that 2016 forgot  17:37 Inertia plus incentive: the broadcast TV problem  21:03 What AI really changes (and what's overhyped)  26:40 Trusted messengers and relational organizing  34:57 Funders like to fund shiny things  41:29 Reward people for giving you time  49:08 Making the case for infrastructure  54:35 What political pros still misunderstand  58:20 Advice for people starting out  LINKS  Show notes and video: https://thecampaignstrategist.substack.com/p/colin-delany-microtarget-yourself-to-death  Epolitics.com: https://www.epolitics.com  The Campaign Strategist on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@TheCampaignStrategist  The Campaign Strategist features conversations with the people shaping advocacy and electoral strategy.  Subscribe free at https://thecampaignstrategist.substack.com, and if the show is useful to you, a rating or review on Apple Podcasts helps other strategists find it.  **Find and subscribe:** Substack and your favorite platforms. Contact: Contact@PrismaticStrategiesLLC.com Find us on LinkedIn and Bluesky