The prospectus for the two-year project, Speaking with American Men, was reviewed by the New York Times:
The prospectus for one new $20 million effort, obtained by The Times, aims to reverse the erosion of Democratic support among young men, especially online. It is code-named SAM — short for “Speaking with American Men: A Strategic Plan” — and promises investment to “study the syntax, language and content that gains attention and virality in these spaces.” It recommends buying advertisements in video games, among other things.
Cofounder of the project, Ilyse Hogue, talked about the importance of listening and using “language that young men are speaking.” From Politico:
Hogue said part of SAM’s mission “super charg[ing] social listening” and progressive influencers on Discord, Twitch and other platforms in their fundraising proposal. They’re urging Democratic candidates to use non-traditional digital advertising, especially on YouTube, in-game digital ads and sports and gaming podcasts.
“Democrats can’t win these folks over if they’re not speaking the language that young men are speaking,” Hogue said. “Most people I talked to, Democratic operatives, have never heard of Red Pill Fitness, which is just huge online.”
Language and advertising are important, for sure, but it’s hard to believe that these tactics alone would stem the tide.
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