Tech branding is all over Tampa GOP fete

Walk through the Republican National Convention and it might start to feel as much like a technology trade show as political nominating party, thanks to the branding and lobbying efforts of dozens of tech companies like Google, Facebook, Twitter and AT&T. Google wants attendees to sip free lattes in a huge, colorfully designed rec room. Facebook invites attendees to snap pictures at photo booths that post the image direct to a user's wall. Twitter's giving out T-shirts. And AT&T's logo is on RNC signage throughout downtown Tampa, the perk of being the event's "official wireless carrier." The oversized show of force is a big change for many tech companies — from Apple to Yelp — that didn't used to pay much heed to politics or Washington D.C. Now they spend big to fete lawmakers and send representatives to work the rooms as other industries long have.