Spongecell offers election information alerts

By Giselle Abramovich

January 29, 2008

The 2008 Campaign Calendar gives voters and political bloggers up-to-the-minute data about the election

In response to the seriousness of this year’s presidential election, Spongecell has launched a bipartisan election calendar, along with mobile alerts to keep people updated.

The 2008 Campaign Calendar gives voters and political bloggers up-to-the-minute data about candidate interviews, appearances and speeches via mobile phone, personal Web sites, blogs, MySpace and Facebook pages. 

“The strategy is to broadcast our functionality through what we consider to be the hottest topic for the next several months,” said Ben Kartzman, president of Spongecell, San Francisco. “People get to use and feel our platform on a national level. They can pull relevant information through our widgets and express themselves around the things most relevant to them.” 

The calendar is updated in real-time, no matter where it’s published.   

Spongecell is a Web-based software application that creates direct engagement between brands and consumers. The Spongecell platform lets users indicate how they prefer to receive these messages and reminders.  

Almost 25 percent of Americans look to the Internet for campaign news. Forty-two percent of them are ages 18-29 and use the Internet for election information, up from 20 percent during the 2004 campaign, according to a Pew Research Center survey conducted in December 2007. 

“This service is geared towards anyone with an interest in the election,” Mr. Kartzman said. “It’s all about reaching people where they are and where they want to be reached. We know people are communicating this way.”