How to Make the DNC Innovative? Get Curalate On Board

From left to right: Andrew Binns, DNCC Chief Innovation Officer; Kelli Klein, DNCC Digital Director; Apu Gupta, CEO and Co-Founder of Curalate; Mayor Jim Kenney | Photo by Fabiola Cineas.

This year’s DNC in Philadelphia will be the most innovative Democratic national convention to date, the host committee says, and that’s thanks in part to the popular, fast-growing Philadelphia-based startup Curalate.

The DNC host committee announced today that Curalate, the image monetization software company, is an official technology provider for the convention, joining other technology leaders like Microsoft, AT&T, and LG, also official technology providers.

In its fourth year of business, Curalate captures the visual content or images of its clients like Staples and Urban Outfitters on social media platforms like Instagram and connects the images to the products pictured within them. With Curalate’s technology, for example, a user on Pinterest can click on an image of a dinner table spread from Crate & Barrel (a client) and be linked to where they can find and purchase the items online.

With the DNC, the technology will work the same way, but instead of moving users to where they can find the pictured products, Curalate’s technology will connect users to information about what’s shown in a curated feed of DNC-related photos. The photos will be curated by the host committee under #demsinphilly on Instagram.

The #demsinphilly Instagram feed where users can access DNC photos and Curalate’s links.

“Today’s consumers increasingly discover the world around them through images and videos, said Apu Gupta, Curalate’s chief executive officer. “This isn’t a trend restricted to retail, but it’s also becoming true of how voters consume information about political parties and campaigns as visual social media platforms like Instagram and Snapchat gain in popularity.” He added: “What applies to products will apply to politics as well.”

At the convention, Curalate will “take a moment of engagement and turn it into education,” Gupta said, underscoring the idea that imagery allows people to take action.

The DNC host committee’s chief innovation officer, Andrew Binns, said that Curalate is setting the new standard to enhance public engagement for all conventions and providing the best tools possible.

“With Curalate’s technology, we are able to bring in a larger audience and highlight content across multiple platforms from partners, delegates, and influencers in real time,” Binns said, “which is important in terms of having engaging conversations, rather than just having one-sided content.”

One example that Binns said he could see playing out at the convention is a moment when a speaker’s words could translate into action on the part of a convention attendee.

A speaker at the convention like Cecile Richards, the president of Planned Parenthood, could be speaking, and then a convention goer would upload an action shot from the floor. That image can be linked to a petition on the Planned Parenthood website, and when a user clicks on that photo, they are immediately given access to tools to stand up for reproductive rights. “That kind of seamless experience is unprecedented in the political space and we want to use it to its fullest,” said Binns.

The full potential of Curalate’s deal can connect the DNC Instagram content to news and blog posts, information about activities and deals around the city, and overall deeper engagement from people inside and outside of the city.

Mayor Jim Kenney joined the group in announcing the news at Curalate’s headquarters in Center City and said, “Philadelphia is home to a burgeoning tech scene … and we are glad that the [host committee] is taking advantage of the great resources located here.”

“These partnerships allow both the DNC and the business community here in Philadelphia to grow and expand their reach,” Kenney said.

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