Stock images

Digital organizers often use stock images to illustrate a concept - for example, an email about a mayoral race might include a picture of town hall. However, it is difficult to use locally-resonant images at scale. If a statewide campaign wants to send an email with a picture of town hall to residents all over the state, it’s difficult to send each resident a picture which is locally-resonant (that is to say, of the town hall in each resident’s city of residence.) The result can be communications which are dissonant or which seem out-of-touch.

It would be possible to create a database of stock images of locally-resonant images - including civic buildings like town hall or the local high school, the state supreme court, natural landmarks, etc. - for use across a variety of email campaigns. These images could then be used to personalize emails, digital ads, and other content at scale. For example, if a national organization wishes to create digital ads about protecting national parks, it could design those ads in such a way that each user sees a recognizable picture of a national park in her vicinity.

Similarly, it would be useful to create a database of B roll for video ads. Casey Phillips discussed the idea of B roll footage in his Business of Politics podcast at the 25:34 mark.