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Messaging and Win Number(Making dreams come true!)
Bert Ralston
Vox Populi Communications, LLC
The Strategic Process
• Initial Assessment/Research• Strengths and Weaknesses• Assumptions• Strategic Hypothesis• Consensus• Strategic Statement• Strategic Grid• Unifying Message
Initial Assessment/Research• Maps and Geography• District History and General Narrative• Demographics• Election Data/Voter Turnout• District Economy• Centers of influence• Party Organization• Political History—Prior Elections• Community Profiles• District Media• State/National Environment
– Impact of special coalitional groups and organizations– Economic conditions– Key issues– Other uncontrollable issues
The Candidacies Strengths and Weaknesses
• “Campaigns are about maximizing your candidate’s strengths and neutralizing your weaknesses while neutralizing your opponent’s strengths and exploiting their weaknesses.”
Ed Goes—The Tarrance Group
Strengths and Weaknesses
• A strength can also be a weakness• Assessment must be done objectively• Areas to evaluate
– Personal– Business– As a candidate– Past campaigns– Promises made/kept– Resources/Finances
Key Assumptions
• Assumptions must address the following key points:– Voter turnout– Political environment– Issues Matrix– Fundraising Capabilities– Impact of other races– Opponent(s)’ strategy– Your base vote
Key Assumptions
• Campaign strategy is based on a series of assumptions—if your assumptions are wrong—so is your strategy, so…
take the time to write them down!
The Strategic Hypothesis
• At this point a strategic hypothesis should be starting to take shape from the initial assessment.
• Write this down—It is now time to draft a first cut strategy statement for both you and that of your opponent.
Opponent's Weaknesses +Candidate's Strengths
District History + Political Environment =Reason
What must strategy be capable of answering?
• Who could/should vote for you and Why• How do you prevent the opponent from
ultimately reaching 50% + 1• What image will you project of your
candidate—how do you want him/her to be perceived
• What image will you paint of your opponent—what image do you want to allow him/her to develop
The Strategic GridYou on Yourself Your Opponent on
you
You on your opponent
Your opponent on
Her/Himself
The unifying Message
• Now that you know who you are going to talk to, you must decide what you will say to the total universe of voters
• Campaigns are about contrast, whether positive or negative, your message must contrast at some point with what your opponent is saying
• Name ID is elemental, no one cares about what you are if they do not know who you are
• What sort of candidate image are you trying to develop?• Pick issues that help to portray that image• YOUR MESSAGE IS NOT BEING DELIVERED IN A VACUUM
Tactics
• You know who you want to talk to…• You know what you want to say…• Now, how do you get the message out?
– Paid Media—Television, Cable, Radio, Direct Mail, Print, New Media.
– Earned Media—Press Releases, Ed Boards, “Events”, Debates, Town meetings.
– Organizational Contact—Phone Banks, D2D, Yard signs, Lit drops, Special events, Coalition development.
Tactics(Key metrics)
• All tactics require resources—financial and personal
• Success must be defined per each tactic in advance
• Tactics must be measured on an ongoing basis• Tactics must reach selected target groups• Have the most effective tactics reached
saturation before new ones are added?• A great strategy, with poorly implemented
tactics, will lose.
• Establishing your win number– Turnout assessment based upon previous
elections– Ballot placement– Size of race– Number of candidates
Building the Campaign PlanFrom the Strategic Process
• Political Environment
• Strengths and Weaknesses
• Assumptions
• Strategic Grid
• Unifying Message
Building the Campaign PlanFrom the Planning Process
• Candidate's Schedule• Paid Media Plan• Earned Media Plan• Organization• Coalitions• Timetable• Fundraising• Budget• Volunteer Program• Vote Goals/Targeting• Voter ID Program• Absentee/Early Voting Plan• Election Day plan