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@emlas
Jun 20, 2018 • 148 tweets • 72 min read Twitter logo Read on Twitter
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Over the past few months I have collected 500+ Trump, Pence and RNC tracking URLs dating back to June 2016. I've shared bits & pieces of this (⏬) as I've been looking under the hood, in search of the truth behind Project Alamo/Trump marketing ops.

THREAD will be ongoing...
The 500+ links are tracking links. They contain custom variables team Trump/Pence/RNC attached to links so they could measure & analyze performance via Google Analytics.

These are UTM parameters: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/UTM_param…

I'll share full URL list once I'm done cleaning it up!
You can learn a lot about a marketing program by examining their tracking links. So here's the 1st nugget:

#1: Trump campaign used Facebook Messenger bots to communicate w/voters 1-on-1.

I haven't seen this reported anywhere. If you have, pls send a link!
I found 6 tracking links that listed "fbmessenger" as the medium/channel that drove people to Trump's fundraising website.

These links also contain dates, so we know this effort was live for at least a month (between Oct 6 to Nov 5, 2016).

This was news to me so I had to dig..
I found a blog post to further prove the existence of Trump 2016 Facebook Messenger campaign.

This convo's harmless but can't help wonder what other exchanges took place w/voters in 1-on-1 chat

Facebook is tracking political ads & has gallery but how can they regulate this?
Worth noting, FB Messenger was an effective tool for the Russians in 2016.

Notice the "boss" mentions how many Russian accounts used messenger but nothing about # of US voters they reached 🤔

recode.net/2017/10/18/164…
Very interesting to learn FB messenger was a part of Trump's marketing mix. Opens up lots of questions.

Quick background on the product 👇 but note the Trump bot featured was done my a cannabis marketer, not DJT lol

forbes.com/sites/debrabor…
Just think of the power of this 1-on-1 communication with voters via FB messenger.

Especially given the approach of narrowing down their audience pool to 14.4 million persuadable voters in key districts of swing states.

Nugget #2: these people are full of shit.

Everyone wanted to take credit for this magical data operation.
We'll see who wants credit once the truth comes to light.

For now I'll tackle this little exchange & Project Alamo claims that don't line up so well.
The 2016 R data game is as big of a scandal as Cambridge Analytica.

It's important to keep top of mind: The GOP doesn't win elections by gaining new votes. They win by suppression.

So it's a given, GOP data folks are bound to be shady.

👆👆👆Put a pin in that for now.

I almost forgot -- there's a little more re: FB messenger campaign.

The links shared with voters via FB messenger expose another channel's content -- namely 4 "unlisted" YouTube videos.
Oops - 3 videos..

The Trump fundraising pages shared via FB messenger featured embedded YouTube videos that are "unlisted" on YT.
"Unlisted" means that you must have the video page URL to reach the video. You can't find it on their channel or via search etc.

These 2 videos are hidden on the official DJT YT.

Who Is Donald J. Trump?:
Two Americas Economy:
But the 3rd is on a different YT channel - "Team Trump"

This means the campaign was using multiple YouTube accounts during the 2016 election. While this one doesn't look as official -- it's theirs...

'Change' -
Ok beauty sleep 💤 and I’ll break down the Project Alamo lies mañana xx
Back to #2 -- Project Alamo LIES.

Liar A - Brad Parscale

Parscale claims Cambridge Analytica did not provide raw data like contact information.
Either a lie or careful wording b/c we know Trump campaign used "CambridgeAudiences" to target FB ads.

They said they primarily used RNC voter file w/CA intelligence layered on. To align w/voter file they'd need contact info (FB ID/profile URL, email, or phone#)
Liar B - Matt Oczkowski (CA chief product officer in 2016, Data Propria founder)

Oczkowski was the "chief liaison" between Cambridge Analytica and the Trump campaign.

He worked closely with Parscale -- Parscale even left Oczkowski in charge of the San Antonio operation when he relocated to NYC in September 2016.

Yet Oczkowski claims the Trump campaign didn't "rely" on Cambridge Analytica data after July 2016.

Again, maybe some strategic wording saying "relied" instead "used"

Regardless, this is bullshit.

wired.com/story/what-did…
I found 15 unique Trump tracking links for Facebook Ads that included "Cambridge Audiences."

Here are the dates hard-coded into the tracking links:
How can the 2016 Trump campaign distance itself from Cambridge Analytica, which at the time was Matt Oczkowski's employer?

-Parscale right-hand man
-Ran San Antonio op when Parscale left in Sept
-Still collaborating w/Parscale who's now Trump's 2020 campaign mgr
Liar C: Republican National Committee

The 3rd presidential debate was a big night for Project Alamo -- perhaps the biggest.

wired.com/story/what-did…
Yet the RNC team was quick to deny Cambridge Analytica was involved in the advertising program during this period.
+Coby

Flat out denial here -- according to the RNC, Cambridge Analytica had "zero involvement" in this testing done via Facebook ads.

BUT..
They can't deny what is hard-coded into their own tracking links.

BOOM 💥
I've collected 4 tracking links that show their claims of CA having no involvement in the final debate efforts are LIES.

MSM journos - anyone want to ask the RNC for comment?
I trust @podehaye & believe it's possible Coby/RNC was in the dark on how Cambridge Analytica made the sausage

BUT I am very suspicious as to why he and Lansing denied their involvement when it's written in the fucking landing page URL!!!

Why lie?
With a supposedly sophisticated data operation & experts on hand, how could they be so stupid to:

(1) Spell everything out in the tracking links; AND
(2) Not implement some basic SEO (canonicalization) to keep these coded links from INDEXING on Google for us to find.
Team Trump deleted nearly all of his dark posts from his FB account (confirmed by Boz) to hide what?

Facebook can access everything so I assume this was so the public couldn't reach the posts. I saw the dark posts. They are boring, asking for $ or peddling merch.
So then what else do they not want us to see that led them to make their ads inaccessible post-election?

The only thing I can think of is the coded landing pages (of which I have many). Yet they didn't take down the pages.

Why are DJT's "the best people" always sloppy AF?
Now while we're talking RNC...

Nugget #3: The Joint Fundraising Committee (JFC) had some interesting naming conventions for their targets

JFC led 'separate' fundraising effort on "donate.donaldjtrump" (vs DJT campaign on "secure.donaldjtrump") -- also on Revv platform.
And what timing today as Michael Cohen has resigned from the same RNC.

What does it say about this org that they kept him on so long?

One word comes to mind: Complicit.

The Trump/RNC JFC was set up mid-May 2016.

politico.com/story/2016/05/…
I've collected 80 JFC tracking links. These are from July 2016 to March 2018 (all dates hard-coded)

How to tell the difference from JFC vs DT campaign?

The JFC fundraising destination is donate-dot-donaldjtrump-dot-com
So here is one of the JFC links. This is from a marketing Email on Aug 29, 2016.

Email accounts for 75 of the 80 links I found so this was key channel for JFC.

Take a look at this coding. What is DCCC-FWD?

Looking at other links, this part of the URL identifies targeting list
So I Google'd DCCC-FWD and learned the DCCC has been sending emails for years w/subject line: "DCCC - FWD This" - sent from dccc@dccc.org. Most other links like this had "DJT" within this parameter.

Why did they mention DCCC-FWD here?
This is the page you land on. See anything DCCC-relevant here?
Nope.

If anyone can find this RNC email sent 8/29/16 please ping me.

For now I can't help but speculate...
The same week that Donald Trump invited Russia to help find Hillary's emails, we learned that not just the DNC, but also the DCCC was hacked.

cbsnews.com/news/democrati…
Then on August 15, 2016, Guccifer 2.0 began posting stolen DCCC documents.

Docs that would be pretty useful to the RNC I'll bet.

politico.com/story/2016/08/…
August 29, 2016:

A Trump/RNC Joint Fundraising Committee email includes a hyperlink hard-coded with "DCCC-FWD" in the same place where targeting lists are in other similar links.

I only found one link like this. Was this a mistake? Oops
If Trump and the RNC had a DCCC email list in August 2016, could we really call it just a COINCIDENCE?

Given the timing & that we'd just learned DCCC was hacked, why would Trump/RNC even mention DCCC in their tracking links?

Fuck coincidence. This looks like collusion.
Back at it 🤓 - URL Project continues & I got more for ya

Quick refresh of research "nuggets" shared so far (⬆️)

#1 Trump used FB Msgr bots (1-on-1 mktg)
#2 Project Alamo lies - Parscale/RNC/CA conflicting accounts
#3 Trump/RNC joint cmte (JFC) sent an email to "DCCC" target
More URL Forensics.

Nugget #4: Trump campaign SMS/Text msg efforts throughout 2016 cycle were handled by another shady GOP player

We don't talk much about this GOP vendor, but they've been on @RighteousBabe4's radar for a while

THE PROSPER GROUP 📲

Not 1st nor last time I'll say this

⏬ by @kenvogel & @dsamuelsohn = most important piece of reporting on Trump 2016 data ops (IMHO). Free of the later Project Alamo hype🌩️

If you're in mood to dig this piece offers many routes
cc @RighteousBabe4

politico.com/story/2016/06/…
In late June 2016, the Trump marketing trifecta came together 🖇️

Look at all that happened in a matter of 2 weeks' time (tops):

📎 Cambridge Analytica
📎 Revv
📎 The Prosper Group

politico.com/story/2016/06/…
So The Prosper Group ("TPG") came on at same time as key players including Cambridge Analytica.

TPG worked w/Trump on SMS & are quite proud of their work.

prospergroupcorp.com/posts/blog/pro…
The Prosper Group gets around in GOP circles.

Here's the 2016 Vendor/Recipient roster (in 2 parts b/c the list is too long for clean screenshot).

📜

opensecrets.org/expends/vendor…
And TPG is still at it this year.

Here's The Prosper Group roster for 2018 (thus far):

📜

opensecrets.org/expends/vendor…
OK so..The Prosper Group was wayyyy hot in the 2014 cycle. Lots of important recipients here

Remember 2014?

When Cambridge Analytica arrived in US w/a magical platform called RIPON, named for the Wisconsin town where the GOP was founded??

Timing⌚️

opensecrets.org/expends/vendor…
But The Prosper Group goes back slightly further w/the GOP -- TPG been around for at least 1 more cycle than Cambridge Analytica (2012)

📜

So as you can see, TPG is a key GOP vendor for congressional candidates.

But it doesn't stop here.

opensecrets.org/expends/vendor…
There are a few ways GOP groups name "The Prosper Group" in 2016 FEC filings.

Under "The Prosper Group Corporation" you can find some additional 2016 cycle action. I see Chris Christie & some late-in-the-game congressional GOP action..
Speaking of action... under "Prosper Group Corp" we find a little more 2016 $$ and
AMERICAN ACTION NETWORK
What's up Paul Ryan

Shall we remind everyone about that dark money vault you swim in Scrooge McDuck-style in between filming those cheesy videos?

And how AAN ties back to the later days of Cambridge Analytica?

We had questions when we learned NYU Langone was 2017 Cambridge Analytica client.

The well was already poisoned. What were big companies thinking?

But that same week we made a clear connection:

📌Langone sits on AAN board
📌Langone runs NYU Langone board
📌Single anon donor gave $24.6mm to AAN in period ending June 2017, same month NYU Langone says they began working with Cambridge Analytica.

I believe Mercer was that anon donor, but whether/not this is true, this all illustrates the circular dark money flow + how easy it is to link GOP vendors to the darkest dollars

The Prosper Group is not just linked but ROOTED in darkest of all places...

President of the Prosper Group has an interesting background

Before founding TPG led digital strategy for PENCE

📌Mike Pence campaign *birthed* GOP marketing vendor that runs deeper in GOP than Cambridge Analytica & all the others out there--combined.

And don't forget about the other Indiana-based, Pence-linked GOP marketing ops in 2016... another one that ties back to Mercer (+ pre-2016).

cc @JamesFourM @dark_wisdom_
What makes IN Pence vendors so attractive to GOP & Mercer-backed groups?

Fuck, I seriously can't wait til full Pence narrative is out. Will MSM even know what to do w/it? @JamesFourM @dark_wisdom_

For now, let's see what the URL coding tells us bout Pence's friends at TPG.
Didn't mean to go on such a tangent but its important to lay out connections & origins of GOP vendors to understand how this swamp operates.

Equally important to identify patterns/parallels. Pence knows all the good digital vendors? & I expected to see more Koch in his game
Not all of the Trump SMS (text msg) tracking links I found were marked "TPG"

But TPG instances span the earliest dated link - June 22, 2016 - and beyond 2016 election day

ps - i have put a lot of work into decoding a lot of acronyms 🤓
The dates line up perfectly with Trump campaign FEC filings.

The earliest tracking link I found with TPG instance is dated 6/22/16.

Trump campaign 1st payment to The Prosper Group was 6/24/16.
Trump was #1 client of The Prosper Group in the 2016 election cycle.

#3 was the Joint Fundraising Cmte ("JFC") formed by Trump + RNC

⬆️⬆️
Loop back up-thread to research nugget #3 for more on JFC (more to come 2)
Trump Make America Great Again Cmte's (the JFC) engagement w/Prosper Group was for Email, while Trump campaign used mostly for SMS

The earliest JFC tracking link I found w/TPG instance dated 8/3/16

JFC's 1st payment to The Prosper Group was 9/7/16

So they shared this vendor.
Quick snapshot of TPG instances in Trump tracking links:

🔺~85 out of 400+ DJT campaign links I found from Aug 2015 to May 2018
🔺At least 70 the TPG marked links were for SMS mktg
🔺5 links were via the fundraising mobile app
🔺14 TPG links were Email blasts

...cont'd
🔺1 TPG URL I found is from 10/20/16 (3rd debate--see nugget #2 ⬆️) for tracking link posted in an "Organic Twitter" post using the social media management tool Crowdfire.

Anyone seen Crowdfire identified as a DJT/Parscale/Project Alamo vendor? LMK
🔺I found 1 other Organic Twitter/Crowdfire URL, from 10/10/16 but not marked TPG. This timing raises questions for me:

1) How big was the scope of The Prosper Group w/DJT campaign in 2016?

**2) HOW MUCH OF PROJECT ALAMO WAS OUTSOURCED TO THE USUAL GOP VENDORS?**
As for The Proper Group evidence in the Trump/RNC JFC links:

🔺I have 80+ JFC links
🔺75 of these are EMAIL tracking links (vs. only 23 links for DJT)
🔺Of the 75 Email links, only 8 mention TPG (⏬** w/dates)

**Note - email links have person info, which I have blocked out.
Re: EMAIL🤓

NOTE: This channel is likely underrepresented in my collections; b/c those links contain personal ID info (name/email/etc) so each unique link gets activity from 1 user vs FB ad getting lots of clicks.

Less likely for ppl to share (& for Google to index) the former
2nd Email note:

For me to find Email tracking links w/personal information, the Trump email recipient would have to have SHARED their personal link somewhere others can access it.

Tip: Check links you get from emails for your personal info BEFORE you share them...
Is this you @JohnLeguizamo? Don't worry, I won't share your email address 🤐

If this is you, do you still have the original email from Feb 6, 2017?

Did you sign up for the Trump/RNC Joint Fundraising Committee email list? If not, help me figure out how you got in.
JFC, the fucking JFC and Trump campaign were sharing vendors.

Vendors who took their money and put it directly into channels that multiplied said money by generating small dollar donations.

Digital media is RIPE for Money Laundering.

See where I am going with this? 💰
Look for overlap. Which groups use same vendors?

Using vendor as pass-through/middleman= plausible way to wash💰via digital fundraising ads- can fly under radar of platforms like Facebook/Twitter/etc.

cc @ThomasS4217 @Stephaniefishm4 @RighteousBabe4 @ninaandtito @LouiseBagshawe
In 4 most recent election cycles, Pence's friends at The Prosper Group worked w/GOP grps & avg~60 candidates per

Why are GOP mktg efforts so centralized w/this 1 Indiana vendor?

Why so many individual campaigns/orgs paying TPG directly vs. consolidating under RNC/RSC/NRCC⁉️
I found 75 email tracking links from JFC "Trump Make Amer Great Again Cmte"

8 had TPG marker & framework. In September the JFC paid TPG $92k.

Add that to the earnings across their client roster & you got a lot of $ flowing into TPG & flowing back to the campaigns as donations
Vendor as middleman.

I see a pattern & can't overlook the trifecta of GOP vendors that signed in within a matter of 2 weeks tops late June 2016.
You have Cambridge Analytica for which Robert Mercer is BOTH donor & vendor (WTF FEC?) when you look at Make America #1 PAC. This PAC was the central voter suppression effort in 2016.

What did Facebook know & when did they know it?


cc @WendySiegelman
There's no turning back for Trump -- from the personnel to the URLs, we have the receipts 📜

And the same goes for the RNC.

I wonder if they've reached a consensus on what to tell Mueller & the powers that be.

"CambridgeAudiences" just crept into their tracking links on their own.... riiiiiight.

The RNC is fucked.
Lots of dark shit here w/The Prosper Group. That Pence staffer who went on to found TPG -- this is not your typical marketer.

Put simply-- if Alex Jones were to set up a marketing agency, it would look A LOT like The Prosper Group...

thedailybeast.com/seth-rich-murd…
Why are so many GOP candidates/orgs working with SCAM ARTISTS peddling conspiracy theories?

The Prosper Group is looking more & more like a homegrown Cambridge Analytica w/interesting origins (Pence).

Must-read: thedailybeast.com/seth-rich-murd…
Now this explains why The Prosper Group is so popular in GOP circles -- DATA. It appears their core offering is list rentals. I'd love to know more about how they build these lists GOP candidates buy into.

h/t @RighteousBabe4
This Seth Rich/skincare situation is super twisted but it sheds light on the type of vendors GOP candidates choose.

So the email was sent to an email list "Lifelong Conservative" run by Mustard Seed Interactive. Pence's friends were not so forthcoming about their ties to MSI.
Prosper Group founder said he had no ownership interest in Mustard Seed Interactive. At best that was a careful/narrow statement, but no matter how you break it down, this GOP vendor is doing shady shit & lying about it.

These are the people GOP candidates associate w/.
We are the company we keep.

GOP vendors are right wing ACTIVISTS who are happy to push conspiracy theory and lies to advance their agenda.

Like Cambridge Analytica, Prosper isn't a mktg agency. Marketing is their FRONT. GOP loves them mob tactics🤔 @LincolnsBible @ninaandtito
& make no mistake -- THIS is the company Mike Pence keeps.

rawstory.com/2017/07/gop-co…
The Prosper Group goes way deep in Republican politics.

If you've ever looked at FEC filings, you've seen "Conservative Connector" quite a bit I'm sure.

Guess what? TPG & CC are the same agency 🤯

This is just like RW media & PACs, just diff names for same dark ppl and $$
Like Cambridge Analytica, Conservative Connector dug in deep in 2014.

More Conservative Connector connections via @ThomasS4217

Back to the RNC...

Look at that 2016 roster. Conservative Connector's top 2 clients were the Trump/RNC JFC and the RNC. Same "team" was taking in cash from DJT campaign & the JFC under The Prosper Group name.

This is the money to follow. This tangled web conceals a digital mktg laundromat.
The GOP vendor pool is shallow. Everyone connects.

This Indiana marketing (collective?) that scored big $$ in 2016 easily ties to Mercer world via Pence campaign for IN gov where Luidhardt & Jayson Manship worked on digital.

IMO-- worth exploring Luidhardts' Seth Rich/skincare campaign further.

The Prosper Group duo were on the Seth Rich crazy train at the same time as this guy ⏬

Shortly after Butowsky's Mercer connections had been...let's say "acid washed"?

Overall, while I don't see overlap between "CambridgeAudiences" and The Prosper Group in the tracking links I've found, there are plenty of paths & parallels to connect this vendor w/Mercers.

TPG is big in list rental- think about value of lists when married up to CA FB data📌
So the RNC is both directly & indirectly tied to CA. They are so beyond fucked.

MSM is obsessed w/Michael Cohen flipping on Trump, but what will he say about the RNC where he served in a FINANCE position until very recently?

Any loyalty for Ronna ROMNEY McDaniel? Nah.
Another huge vendor where DJT and the Joint Cmte w/RNC intersect, not to mention some key RNC staff...

Nugget #5: 100% of DJT/JFC fundraising was on REVV platform.

buzzfeed.com/jsvine/rnc-off…
Fun fact: Diamond & Silk do their thing on Revv too

diamond-and-silk.revv.co/donate
Like POTUS & the JFC, Revv continues to be Diamond & Silk's fundraising platform. Most recently asking for $ in their bogus fight against Facebook. I can't..

Revv was co-founded by Gerritt Lansing, top RNC digital strategist who upon Trump's inauguration joined the WH as Chief Digital Officer.

politico.com/story/2017/04/…
After the late June 2016 pow-wow in San Antonio, all Trump campaign (& Trump/RNC Joint Cmte) digital marketing pointed to Revv fundraising pages.

This was the destination and central focus of the campaign. They built a small dollar donation machine w/Revv as processor.
This was a new arrangement likely born out of the May 2016 meetings where Trump and the RNC formally joined forces and set up the joint fundraising apparatus.

Lansing was also CDO at the RNC. Snapshot of his resume via @RighteousBabe4:

Revv, like every GOP digital vendor, is shady as hell.
Revv is built on top of Stripe. Revv is absent from most filings, unlike Stripe fees which raises ?s about the arrangement. Why pay Stripe direct if its fees come out of Revv's 4%?

Any FEC guidelines re: reporting revenue sharing?
politico.com/story/2017/04/…
While Trump & JFC continue using Revv to this day, Gerrit Lansing is no longer at the White House.

⏱️He lasted approx 2 Scaramucci's⏱️

politico.com/blogs/donald-t…
Gerrit Lansing, Revv co-founder, couldn't pass FBI background check b/c of "investments"

But RNC & Trump still trust Lansing to process all campaign donations.

ALL THE BEST PEOPLE.
Then Daily Caller gets an exclusive🤣; White House seemed to PANIC.

The Trump small dollar donation machine is built on a platform owned by a guy who couldn't pass FBI bckgrd check -- and WH really doesn't want us to know this.

dailycaller.com/2017/02/22/exc…
Aug 2016, when Trump small $ donations surged, we learned the Revv platform made it almost impossible to stop monthly recurring credit card donations!

How was Revv a qualified vendor?!

mic.com/articles/15064…

cc @mirror4truth @JamesFourM @ninaandtito
Revv needs further investigation. What makes Revv so special? This answer is key to #FollowTheMoney

➖Preferred pymnts processor of RNC & Trump campaign
➖Takes 4% rev share they say includes Stripe, yet FEC shows direct pymnts
➖Can't pass FBI background check
Moving on to Trump's paid advertising via Twitter. Trump's Promoted Tweets are still accessible (b/c of RT's & replies).

Research nugget #5: Trump targeted "Bernie Supporters" via Twitter in Aug 2016 💥

Bernie fans-targeted Promoted Tweet 1(of 4)
Unlike most other Trump destination URLs, the Bernie landing page is dead

Since these are identified as "lead gen" it's a safe bet this was a sign-up pg but who knows what content it displayed

I guess they really didn't want us to see that content (& source code)
Here are all 3 (not 4-ugh) tweets Trump targeted to a "Bernie Supporters" audience. All launched Aug 5 2016 & appear to have ran thru end of month.



Where you now see a link in the Promoted Tweets, there was a "lead gen card" during the period this ad campaign was live.

This ad format allowed Trump to request the names, Twitter handles & email addresses of these "Bernie Supporters"
Twitter did away with the lead gen ad format in December 2016 🤔

"The spokesperson did not respond to questions asking why Twitter has decided to eliminate the ad format and what, if any, alternatives Twitter offers for brands that had used it."

Hmmm.

marketingland.com/twitter-elimin…
Here's an example of a Trump lead generation ad to give better sense of what ads targeted to "Bernie Supporters" looked like when live in Aug 2016

Very interesting Twitter eliminated this format that allowed advertisers to request personal info just a month after election day
Based on details in tracking links, August 2016 was all about testing audience segments in Trump promoted tweets 📈

+Bernie Supporters

Male High Income
Evangelicals
Regional
Pro-Trump keywords
Anti-HRC keywords
GOP account followers
"Bernie Supporters" interest me most since this group was heavily targeted by Russian accounts on Facebook & hacked email contents distributed by Wikileaks.

I've combed through replies & tried my best to identify users who saw these targeted Promoted Tweets in their TLs.
Some Trump Bernie targets:









Sorry to put on blast. Trying to understand Trump targeting- were you 2016 Bernie supporter? Know if you interacted w/Russian accts on FB?

.@51PercentofUS @auerswald @drewellsworth @ItsIntuition @ItsNotMeDotard @LittleAngus @Meekodev @missmichkah @RoaneZone @tallbaby21
Here's a link to Facebook help section where you can check if you interacted w/Russian accounts/pages ran by the Internet Research Agency like "Born Liberal"

A crowdsourcing experiment to gauge just how sophisticated Trump targeting is/was.

facebook.com/help/817246628…
.@51PercentofUS @auerswald @drewellsworth @ItsIntuition @ItsNotMeDotard @LittleAngus @Meekodev @missmichkah @RoaneZone @tallbaby21

Opening up my Messages for next 24 hours if you prefer to respond via DM. Appreciate any feedback on ways you may have been ID'd by Trump campaign
More on Trump Twitter Ads.

This is the earliest Promoted Tweet I found in my research. From 2/9/16.
Most Trump Promoted Tweets during primaries were pretty basic. They had no hyperlink to his fundraising site, which was the focus of their digital efforts in the general.

This reflects the campaign's slow start
& the amateur hour that was a solo Brad Parscale.
Trump's digital wiz kid Parscale knew enough to use a URL shortener like bitly, but not enough to code links for Google Analytics tracking.

Not until July 2016 do we start to see more uniform strategy, content, & tracking parameters appended to the links.
The Republican Nat'l Convention kicked off with better content but no tracking URLs at first.
Nugget #6: Parscale (and likely Cambridge Analytica) knew little to nothing about executing digital marketing campaigns. The Trump campaign was clueless so the RNC stepped in & took the reins

Re: Twitter ads - this change happened on July 20, 2016
Trump's digital game got more sophisticated w/RNC in charge -- but it was far from perfect.

This little Promoted Tweet OOPSY was live from Sept 20th to at least Oct 14th (see below). And it appears they never deleted it 🤣

This ran as an ad on Twitter for at least 3 weeks before anyone noticed.

MSM, tell me again how Trump's campaign was sooooooo social media savvy...
The RNC appears to have streamlined the digital plan but Trump never runs a very tight ship. There are plenty of examples floating around..

Another (draft?) Trump Promoted Tweet that ran for over a month & was never deleted🤦‍♂️

Further proof of RNC central role in Trump digital mktg: GOTV. These ads drove to VOTE[.]GOP w/same format of tracking links as his other Twitter ads.

Florida: &

Ohio:

Wisconsin (fail) ⏬
From 7/20/16, Trump campaign mtkg via Twitter had more structure & consistency thanks to the RNC which had brokered a deal w/Twitter (which is not unusual for large advertisers).

via Gary Coby (RNC)
GOP loves to scream about tech platforms' showing "conservative bias" & no surprise, they were crying wolf yet again.

You can read more here but...

medium.com/@garycoby/twit…
They are dumb.
Coby & Parscale weren't the only ones crying about Twitter bias towards Trump.

Back in April 2016, Breitbart claimed Twitter had "shadow banned" Trump. They even reference an algorithm change 😂

This is fake news.

breitbart.com/tech/2016/04/2…
User replies quickly pointed out to Breitbart that this was just a Promoted Tweet, which doesn't show up in the advertiser's TL! No "shadow ban".

Yet the article is still up on Breitbart to this day (w/no correction).

breitbart.com/tech/2016/04/2…
In case that isn't enough proof for the MAGAs, you can find the tweet STILL LIVE right here 😘

⏬⏬⏬

Trump's Twitter program underwent a few enhancements during the election. The 1st 7/20/16 when RNC took over, & a 2nd on 9/26/16 when the tracking link format changed. Enter Sprinklr.
The Bloomberg piece (IMO Trump PR op) said Sprinklr was a vendor embedded w/the team in San Antonio

2 burning ?'s here:

Was Parscale around enough to know what was going on in SA?
&
Did Sprinklr really compete "Apprentice-style" like Parscale said?

bloomberg.com/news/articles/…
Well Parscale has no idea what he's talking about & as for Sprinklr, I doubt they had to compete Apprentice-style

Sprinklr was already RNC vendor. A key platform for GOP data ops in 2014 cycle on. Parscale's team didn't vet-- they inherited Sprinklr.

adage.com/article/datadr…
The Sprinklr/RNC story takes on new light as we know Cambridge Analytica came on the GOP scene in 2014 midterms. Sounds like some micro-targeting around the issues here..

As I'm sure you remember, CA worked with Tom Cotton in 2014.
There are no "CambridgeAudiences" instances in Trump tracking links for Twitter ads -- but as you know, there are plenty in Trump FB ads (below).

Was Trump's 2016 campaign the 1st client Sprinklr & CA shared?
Or did they test the waters w/Sen Tom Cotton in 2014?

🤔
And if you're like me & wanna know more about the mystery ~100 contractors Parscale hired, you should know:

Sprinklr is a very robust solution. You don't need a big team for Paid Social marketing when you have a fancy management tool like this

businessinsider.com/sprinklr-acqui…
Parscale at the very least exaggerated re: "Apprentice-style" vendor face-off in TX

But I believe it's possible there was 1 face-off, in which Sprinklr (RNC vendor) beat out Kenshoo.

dailykos.com/stories/2017/1…
Data breach hunter @VickerySec had some questions for Kenshoo just this week. This one warrants further digging @velvetblade @soychicka

**full disclosure: I used Kenshoo platform when I was on the agency side but have not been a client since 2012.

Trump campaign tech platform partners confirmed via LinkedIn pg of Preston Cone, a Digital Project Manager (working for Brad Parscale, Glorified Project Manager).

I looked at many campaign staffers, but this one was most intriguing.
I won't go on a long tangent w/this one but someone probably should..

Preston Cone worked at Facebook through July 2016

He also started working at Giles-Parscale in June 2016

Like all things Trump -- this is SLOPPY at best.
So we know they were working w/Sprinklr & continue to use this platform to this day. This is a platform that allows for automation & enabled the testing the Trump campaign & RNC couldn't stop bragging about.
Sprinklr may automate A/B testing but I'm not buying the numbers here.

I know I don't have all the tracking URLs but last year I saw all of Trump's FB dark posts. When I couple these, I don't buy that there were thousands of ad variations in a day. And I'll elaborate..
Was Trump's 2016 digital team really running tens of thousands of variations per day?

Lucky us, they were very specific/granular in labeling things.

Nugget #7: Trump's tracking links took on much more complexity once "SPRINKLR" showed up.

In fact, every detail was *numbered*
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More from @emlas

em Profile picture
Sep 26, 2018
FYI, the 2 most common examples of process (behavioral) addictions are pathological gambling & sexual addiction.

Compulsive lying is another.

#StopKavanaugh
“Have you ever sought treatment for a gambling addiction?”

salon.com/2018/09/13/doe…
1998, Kavanaugh shares ?s he wrote for Bill Clinton.

Asks aides “IS IT TOO GRAPHIC?” “SHOULD IT BE MORE GRAPHIC (kidding)?”

Kinda impressive for a guy who says he lost his virginity "many yrs after high school" (Fox News, 9/24/18)

politico.com/story/2018/08/…
Read 9 tweets
em Profile picture
Sep 24, 2018
The dark web of Leonard Leo, Kavanaugh & GOP legal cesspool. Been working w/@JamesFourM on all things LL. This wk brings new context, exposing GOP conspiracy behind this SCOTUS nom

I'll lay out domestic front & soon Jay's gonna drop the international heat 🔥🔥🔥

[THREAD]
July 9, 2018: Trump Announces Brett Kavanaugh as SCOTUS Nominee

Trump began his speech noting key attendees in the East Room that evening, including Scalia's widow, Maureen. A similar intro to the one he gave during the Gorsuch announcement in 2017.
At the beginning of Trump's speech there was a 2nd shoutout that got little to no attention

nytimes.com/2018/07/09/us/…
Read 52 tweets
em Profile picture
Sep 7, 2018
At least 6 Pro-Kavanaugh witnesses are Federalist Society "contributors."

Why is this private organization so embedded in every stage of the judicial nomination process?

Who the fuck elected the Federalist Society? Not me.
fedsoc.org/contributors/a…
fedsoc.org/contributors/p…
Read 11 tweets
em Profile picture
Aug 27, 2018
The GOP is ready, willing, able & actively engaged in covering up Trump crimes & corruption. We question their motives all the time. The base? Kompromat?

How about their ongoing joint DATA collection/usage?

Some thoughts via URL forensics.

[THREAD]
A list like this should inspire articles of impeachment
But has it inspired even 1 change of heart among GOP leaders?

Mind-boggling to watch them stand by their man w/this resume/rap sheet given risk this strategy poses to the future of their party..

axios.com/newsletters/ax…
They've assessed the situation -- "risk" is better than "(certain) doom"

The RNC & loyal Trump R's known that exposing Trump will result in the latter⏫

B/c the entire Republican party apparatus is tied to the Trump Train-- & tied deepest through DATA.

nymag.com/daily/intellig…
Read 33 tweets
em Profile picture
Aug 16, 2018
This story further exposes the corruption of not just GOP politicians & dark money groups, but also media vendors. h/t @RighteousBabe4
"None of the campaigns popping up on BLP’s email list have reported paying Mustard Seed Media, BLP’s owner, or any other firm associated with the site. "

Have they forgotten about The Prosper Group?

elink.thedailybeast.com/view/5a5e85382…
The Prosper Group (TPG) is a very popular vendor across GOP campaigns and orgs

2018 clients (& more receipts down-thread)

Read 8 tweets
em Profile picture
Aug 15, 2018
URL Project [UPDATE]: The collection has expanded.

I now have 450+ tracking links just for Trump/Pence Facebook Ads. I'll add some details on my findings and theories (i.e. what is MIH?) soon but for now, feel free to take a peek 👀

Spreadsheet👇

docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d…
Soon I'll be adding in the tracking links for other marketing channels (Twitter, Email, SMS, FB Messenger, Banners, Breitbart & more).

Further details on these tracking links in this long & winding thread 🤓

Note: The count's gone up for URLs with Cambridge Analytica mentions. On June 20th when I started this thread, I had 15..

Today I have 38 🤗

Trump & RNC can't deny what is hard-coded into their own tracking links.

Read 4 tweets

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