To help build buzz for its new “U-verse” IPTV service, AT&T has enlisted Matthew Dowd, one of the political strategists behind President George W. Bush's 2004 re-election campaign. According to the Wall Street Journal, Dowd has already set to work applying to U-verse a tactic the Bush team used to win Ohio's electoral votes. No, I'm not talking about gay marriage. Dowd's team is reaching deep into communities in Chicago and San Antonio, Texas, employing influential locals to spread the word.

Some are holding parties to demonstrate U-verse, reminiscent of Tupperware parties. Though AT&T will reimburse these “navigators” for their help, the company isn't saying how much. You could say the method smacks of “stealth marketing,” in which cool people are paid to be seen drinking a particular drink in a bar. But given Microsoft surveys that have suggested at least 13% of cable TV customers will switch to any competitor as soon as they have the opportunity, and another 7% will switch for the right IP features, one might wonder if IPTV parties are overkill.

However, the same force that repels people from their incumbent cable providers also repels them from their incumbent phone providers. A recent J.D. Power survey declared cable companies to have higher customer satisfaction rankings than Bell companies. Part of Dowd's effectiveness in campaigning was to focus not on swing voters but on rallying his party's existing base. He no doubt knows that AT&T needs an aggressive IPTV push just to keep its own telephony customers.