Power of prediction available on-the-go with iPhone and BlackBerry apps
Calgary, AB, March 29, 2012 – Hill+Knowlton Strategies’ (H+K) interactive online election predictor has made a return for the upcoming Alberta provincial election.
Available online at predictor.hkstrategies.ca, the predictor allows politicos to become armchair campaign strategists and takes the guesswork out of the punditry game heading into the April 23 election day. As Kristen Lawson from H+K’s Alberta public affairs team comments, “With Alberta polls showing the Wildrose and Progressive Conservatives in a statistical dead heat, the H+K election predictor allows political observers to get right down to the riding level and see how shifting the numbers will impact each party.”
Digital technology and social media are changing Canadian politics by helping voters connect with the political process. With a downloadable iPhone (for devices running iOS3 or higher) or Blackberry app (for devices running OS5 and higher), the predictor makes it easy for political junkies of all stripes see how potential changes in popular support might translate into wins and losses on election night.
“Our predictor uses interactive technology to engage people and educate them about what’s happening in the election,” said Cassandra Richards of Hill+Knowlton Strategies’ digital communications practice. “Since launching the predictor franchise in 2004, it has predicted elections in Ontario, Quebec and many federal elections, with a strong record of accurate results. At the same time, no seat calculator will ever give a 100 per cent accurate prediction. Ours is first and foremost intended to be fun and engaging.”
Election results can be predicted right down to the riding level. The predictor uses a mathematical formula based on the concept of proportional shift to generate seat predictions. Proportional shift generates new seat counts by taking each party’s percentage of the 2008 popular vote and shifts those percentages based on current polling data. These new percentages are then compared to the 2008 election results and differences are allocated proportionally on a riding by riding basis.
Participants can weigh outcomes using split or swing predictions and share their predictions with friends via Twitter and Facebook.
The predictor will be available until Alberta Election Day, April 23, 2012. Follow @hk_canada on Twitter or on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/HKCanada for real-time results and updates.
About Hill+Knowlton Strategies Canada
With nine offices across the country, Hill+Knowlton Strategies (hkstrategies.ca) is a leader in both PR and public affairs. The company is the No. 1-rated strategic communications firm in Canada. It specializes in corporate communications, public affairs, marketing communications, crisis, energy, technology, health care, digital communications, financial communications and transactions. The only communications firm to have earned the Order of Excellence from Excellence Canada, it is also recognized as one of the 2011 Best Workplaces in Canada. Its parent company, Hill+Knowlton Strategies Inc., has 86 offices in 46 countries as well as an extensive associate network and is a member of WPP (NASDAQ: WPPGY) (www.wpp.com), one of the world’s largest communications services groups.