Whoops! Obama's VP text-messaging idea didn't work out so well
The Obama campaign promised us we'd be the first to know. Nearly a week later, we're still waiting.
(Credit: Declan McCullagh/CNET News)It sounded like a great idea at the time: Barack Obama announced that he'd announce his veep selection through text messaging.
A campaign e-mail message on August 12 promised: "Let me be very clear. You are the ones who built this campaign, and Barack wants you to be the first to know who will join him in leading our movement for change."
There were just two problems with that plan. First, the Obama campaign chose the traditional route of handing the news first to a favored reporter: Joe Biden's selection was first reported by CNN. Second, many messages never arrived (one of my colleagues is still waiting).
Keynote Systems on Thursday called it a "technical bellyflop."
Nearly 3 million people received the August 23 text message--sent out around 3 a.m. EDT--Nielsen reported earlier. However, Keynote estimates that 40 percent to 50 percent of people who signed up to receive the text either received it late or not at all. Keynote Systems measures and monitors e-business performance.
The estimate is based on 600 tests Keynote conducted across two major carrier networks on the Obama Campaign short code from August 13 to 22.
The late and failed texts demonstrate "the inadequacy of the SMS technical infrastructure to support large-scale marketing campaigns," said Shlomi Gian, director of mobile business development for Keynote.
Failing to deliver the text before the press announced it probably didn't help Obama's marketing campaign, either.
Stephanie Condon is a staff writer for CNET News focused on the intersection of technology and politics. She is based in Washington, D.C. E-mail Stephanie.
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The text messaging stunt today is the same. all style and no substance.
About 50% of those who signed up for text alerts did not receive the actual text message telling them about the VP nomination but did receive the introductory messages letting them know that they were signed up for the service....thus the only tests that should count are in the Aug22nd time frame after the announcement was made...
Their tests only prove that there was a problem. There are several factors that could account for a message not reaching a user's handset. The tests don't show where the problem lies in the SMS infrastructure - it doesn't account for late delivery of a MO message by a carrier/aggregator (middle man between content providers and the carrier) or late retrieval of a MO message by a content provider , or late delivery of a MT message by the content provider/aggregator/carrier.
If its the content provider's fault, it means the Obama camp should have simply used a different content provider not that the entire SMS industry is unreliable.....