Home Faculty and Staff Accomplishments Konfrst to present on presidential campaign strategies at PRSA regional conference

Konfrst to present on presidential campaign strategies at PRSA regional conference

Jennifer Glover Konfrst, assistant professor of public relations
Jennifer Glover Konfrst, assistant professor of public relations

Jennifer Glover Konfrst, assistant professor of public relations at Drake University, will explore the campaign strategies of presidential hopefuls during a presentation at the Midwest District Conference for the Public Relations Society of America.

Konfrst, who leads Drake’s new Strategic Political Communications program launching in fall 2015, will give a presentation titled, “Grassroots Messaging: What We Can Learn From The Campaign Strategies Of The First-in-the-Nation Iowa Caucuses.”

While big data and high-tech targeting rule the day in candidates’ national political messaging, Konfrst says campaigning during the caucuses demands plenty of one-on-one, face-to-face interaction with voters. She will discuss the importance of that strategy—and what organizations can learn from it—during her session, which will also focus on topics including:

  • How messaging strategies that involve one-on-one interactions are critically important in today’s online world.
  • What strategies have been tried – some with success, some without – in the presidential realm in Iowa, and what that can teach us in our organizations.
  •  How personalized messaging and “old-fashioned” strategies can make or break a brand.

The three-day conference will be held June 10-12 in St. Louis and features more than 20 professional education sessions, networking events and business development opportunities.