Local Election Campaign Strategy Tips

So, you've decided to run for a local office in 2020. You are probably asking yourself How do I campaign during this COVID-19 pandemic?

Recently, Electable Advertising conducted an online survey of current and potential candidates to ask about their 2020 campaign strategies. The focus was twofold;

· Determine how Covid-19 would affect how they planned to allocate their campaign budget?

· Understand what they felt was the best use of their available campaign activities or time?

The results pointed to a major pivot away from previously “tried & true” local campaigning tactics, to more of a “virtual campaigning strategy”.

Budget Allocations

• Yard signs down 40%

• Political mail down 63%

• Social media down 38%

• Internet advertising up 68%

In terms of Time Allocation candidates expected to spend their campaign time as follows;

• Canvassing and knocking on doors reduced from 82% to 5%

• Making endorsement calls from 50% raised to 61%

• Phone calls to voters more than doubled from 36% to 75%

• Establishing digital campaigns went from 22% up to 84%.

Their stated reasons for such a dramatic shift was due to many factors. Overwhelmingly was the fact that in our current pandemic, voters are staying home to work, shop and shelter in place. They acknowledged a voter reluctance to open their doors to strangers or read & bring political mail inside. Many questioned if yard signs would be as visible as they have been previously and voiced concerns over social media which has recently become a hotbed of controversy. Also discussed they anticipated most voters would use mail in ballots and therefore the poll activity would be less then in previous elections.

Candidates did say while their method to get elected must change, to get elected they still must build their name ID/recognition, create awareness around their campaign and how they would address voters’ issues and concerns. To do this, the “virtual campaign” has grown exponentially faster for municipal candidates and they have pivoted quickly.

For more information and to be connected to one of our Political Representatives in your area, please contact us.

Are You Electable?

The Local Political landscape has rapidly changed. What was once a ten year horizon looks more like six months.

If we look back two years ago, most local politicians would have said that digital would play a role in getting elected in 2020. If you spoke to political consultants and politicians two years ago, most would have said mail in ballots will be important but the polls will still make the difference and that isn't going to change any time soon. Well, I hate to break it to you but Digital Advertising is a must and mail in ballots are looking like the new normal. To get elected in 2020 you must have an aggressive digital presence and be pushing your campaign strategy to reach the mail in voters.

This is true whether you are a local politician running for city council, school board, mayor or if you are running for the US Senate. The board has changed that we are all playing on. What was once about getting your name ID to the local voting community via yard signs and other outdoor media has all but gone away. Look no further than MAGNA's Research released last month (June 2020). MAGNA monitors the landscape of the smartest and brightest minds in advertising. Political and local always trail brand intelligence and national advertising.

• OOH is expected to decrease over -15%.

• Newspapers (which died may years ago, even locally) are down another -26%

• Direct Mail down -12.3%

Now let's look on the other side of the equation - where did your voters go?

• Online Digital Video + 10.8%

• Social Media +8.1%

• Mobile +8.6%

It's not hard to see, the world has moved to digital, big brands have embraced it and so have national political races, time for local to get on board in 2020. We usually see local trail national, whether that's brand advertising, or politics, by roughly 8-10 years. Given the shelter in place directives, looks like this is no longer the case.

If you are a local politician now is the time to understand the digital landscape. Now is the time to build a vote by mail strategy. Look to the past to understand your messaging but look to the future to figure out the media your voters now access. Your plan to get out the vote must be led by digital, traditional media, much like yard signs, buttons, and direct mail, should fall to the bottom of the list in 2020.

At Electable we work exclusively in the "Rest of the Internet". We work with political consultants. We work with Facebook professionals. We work for our candidates to get their name ID in their local voting market.

To learn more - contact us info@electableadvertising.com

List of National Brands Leaving Facebook Ads... So Far

Major brands and household names like Verizon, Levis and Coca-Cola, have all given up on Facebook Ads. This is a clear sign, they disagree with the firestorm Facebook has created, allowing radical speech (both Left & Right) across the platform.

Do local candidates want to be next to hate speech and in the center of irrational conversations?

The running list of brands publicly leaving facebook Ads.

• Honda

• Arc’teryx

• Beam Suntory

• Ben & Jerry’s

• Birchbox

• Coca-ColaDenny’s

• Diageo (Jonnie Walker, Smirnoff, Guinness and over 100 other liquor/ Beer brands)

• Eddie Bauer

• Habitat for Humanity

• JanSport

• Levi Strauss & Co.

• Lululemon

• Magnolia Pictures

• Patagonia

• Patreon

• Rakuten

• REI

• Starbucks

• The Hershey Company

• The North Face

• Unilever (Breyers, Dove and many other household names)

• Upwork

• Verizon