Sales Strategy: Structural homes for political innovation
Advice on what types of organizations to target with new products.
Political campaigns have an incentive against innovation, which is that they work towards a single binary outcome with no second chances. If there's a path to victory with familiar tools, this one-time binary goal disincentivizes trying anything unproven (e.g. tools, techniques, or ideas).
Another obstacle to innovation in campaigns is that most are underfunded and overworked; but this is different only in degree from e.g. the corporate sector, where people are also cost-conscious and busy.
Entities structurally more open to unproven things
Permanent organizations
Organizations don’t face a one-time binary outcome and so tend to be more receptive to innovation (though they are still underfunded and busy).
Long-shot campaigns
Underdogs mostly can’t win unless they try being different. Also, fewer people are reaching out to offer assistance. So long-shot candidates and campaign staff tend to be more open when approached with new things.
Entities structurally less open to unproven things
Competitive (“frontline”) campaigns
As mentioned above, these have structural disincentive to trying new things (but of course some of them sometimes do).
Committees and party entities
Because they mostly serve frontline campaigns, these entities have similar characteristics. Also, they are large organizations and often bureaucratic.