Killer Campaigning » Political Campaign Signs

Yard Sign Design Rules: Democrats Blue, Republicans Red?

killercampaigning — Thu, 06 May 2010 17:54:57 +0000

Blue Hog Report posted an amusing critique today of political campaign yard sign designs used in local elections. You might not agree with the argument (Democrats should only be allowed to use blue yard signs, and Republicans red?), but it’s an entertaining read nonetheless.

I especially like BHR’s observations about the local library entrance on election day:

“Naturally, as a political junkie, I love soaking it all in. Volunteers from various campaigns are waving at me and being friendly, despite having no idea if I will actually vote for their candidate or if they’re even on my particular ballot for local positions; it’s early voting time, and if that one “connection” actually picks up a few votes for their candidate, it was a fruitful day.”

That’s some good writing. By the way, BHR encourages anyone who sees “a particularly stupid sign” to contact them so they can show it to their readers. Lord knows I’ve seen plenty of lawn signs over the years that would fit into that category.

Local Election Opponents Stealing Political Campaign Signs?

killercampaigning — Thu, 22 Apr 2010 01:42:57 +0000

Steven in Indiana has a question for Killer Campaigning about opponents stealing political campaign signs out of people’s yards:

“I love reading your articles and have gotten lots of tips from them. I work as the social media director for a state rep campaign. We have a problem. Our opponent is stealing our signs right out of yards. Not only stealing them but replacing them with his signs. One person told us that our opponent’s volunteers came to their door. Asked them who they were supporting (they had a sign out for us). They acted nice and told them goodbye. When our supporter went outside later that day our signs were gone and replaced with our opponent’s. How should our campaign respond? Our candidate says that he doesn’t want to divide the party by making a big deal of it.”

We’re glad you’ve gotten some good advice from Killer Campaigning, Steven! Here’s some more good advice: your boss is exactly right. Making a big deal out of opponents stealing your political campaign lawn signs is the worst thing you could possibly do.

I’m going to let you in on a little secret: most seasoned political consultants, campaign managers and candidates absolutely hate yard signs. Your preoccupation with with your candidate’s yard signs illustrates one of the reasons why: because supporters and volunteers waste way too much time and energy on them.

Yard signs, while a necessary part of any local election, are one of the least important aspect of a good campaign. Simply put: if your number one strategy is to put out as many lawn signs as you can, then you’re running a very poor, very lazy campaign.

And the problem you’re having with opponents stealing yard signs isn’t anything unique; there are thousands of local elections held across the country every year, and yard signs are stolen and vandalized in just about every one of them.

In all of the dozens of races I’ve been involved in, the candidates and volunteers have come up with conspiracy theories about the other side stealing or replacing their yard signs . . . and I guarantee you that their opponents did exactly the same thing.

Are your opponents really making a point of stealing your yard signs and replacing them with their own? Sure, they very well could be. But if they are, then it’s actually good news for your campaign. If the other side is wasting their precious campaigning time on stuff as trivial as yard signs, then you should hope they continue to do so.

In the meantime, you need to be out there doing things that actually earn votes: knocking on doors, raising money, making phone calls.

Of course, the really effective campaign strategies are also hard to do. Paying attention to something as superficial as yard signs is easy, and that’s why so many campaigns get caught up in it.

Take my advice: resist the temptation to waste your time worrying about yard signs. Your candidate will thank you for it when he wins on election day.

Polling Places & Minimum Distance for Political Campaign Signs, Candidates

killercampaigning — Sat, 10 Apr 2010 19:09:17 +0000

If you’ve never run as a candidate in a local election before, you might not know that many states have a law that doesn’t let you do any political campaigning whatsoever within a certain distance of polling places on election days.

If I remember correctly, that minimum distance is 50 feet here in Ohio. This means that a local election candidate cannot put up political campaign signs, hand out campaign literature, greet voters, or have any volunteers wearing political campaign shirts within 50 feet of the polling place.

The county boards of election are usually very strict about this rule, too. Even if you want to come inside the building where voting is being done to use the bathroom at some point during election day, you need to cover up all political campaign shirts, buttons and stickers that you might be wearing.

Luckily, in my county (Lorain County, Ohio), the Board of Elections does a good job of marking exactly where that 50 feet is by putting up small flags at the maximum distance the night before the election. Since many local election candidates put up political campaign signs around the polling places on the night before election day, this helps them stay outside of the “no-campaigning zone.”

So, is this a good rule or a bad one? Frankly, I don’t even think it’s worth discussing one way or another. It is what it is, and if you’re a political campaign candidate then you need to make sure that you and your volunteers are following it by staying the minimum distance from the polling places.

Besides, to tell you the truth, there are plenty of other things you should be doing on election day that don’t involve hanging out at the polls. The vast majority of people who are showing up to vote have already made up their minds, and seeing some guy standing there with your t-shirt on isn’t going to sway them one way or the other.

If you want my advice, be sure to put up some of your campaign signs around the polling places the night before election day, and don’t be afraid to spend a couple hours in the evening greeting voters as they come to the polls. But the majority of your time on election day should be spent contacting your likely voters and making sure they get out to the polls in the first place.

Anyway, make sure you check on your state’s laws regarding how close you are allowed to put up campaign signs and greet voters at the polling places. Getting too close to the polls with a campaign shirt on might not get you thrown in jail or anything, but it is pretty unprofessional and tacky.

Win Free Professional Campaign Signs from BuildASign.com!

killercampaigning — Sun, 28 Mar 2010 22:23:05 +0000

Hey Killer Campaigning fans: want to win some free, professionally-printed signs to use in your political campaign?

We’re excited to announce the launch of our first online contest today, and you’re going to have the opportunity to win some great political campaign signs, banners or bumper stickers to use in your local election!

Our contest is being sponsored by the custom sign printing site BuildASign.com, and they have generously offered to give the winner a choice of the following prizes:

50 custom 3″x10″ campaign bumper stickers
5 custom 18″x24″ corrugated plastic campaign signs
1 custom 3′x8′ vinyl campaign banner

In addition to those great prizes, everyone who enters the contest will get a 10% discount on all purchases made from BuildASign.com!

Entering the contest couldn’t be easier: all you have to do is sign up for the Killer Campaigning Newsletter by submitting your email address in our blog’s sidebar widget.

If you’re already signed up for our newsletter, then you’re automatically entered in the contest. It’s that easy! The contest will end on May 1, 2010, when we will draw a random winner . . . and send all of our newsletter subscribers their 10 percent discount coupon code.

So, what are you waiting for? Sign up for the Killer Campaigning Newsletter on our website today, and you could win a bunch of great free campaign stuff courtesy of BuildASign!

Political Campaign Logos for Local Election Candidates?

killercampaigning — Tue, 02 Mar 2010 00:50:10 +0000

Matt in Utah sends this week’s election question for Killer Campaigning:

When candidates in a local elections are designing yard signs, brochures, billboards and etcetera, should they create a unique political campaign logo that everyone will recognize? I am thinking of candidates for higher office, like presidential, senatorial and governors, who have their own campaign logos on materials. Thanks a bunch.

No problem, Matt. Here’s your short answer: no, you don’t need to design a unique political campaign logo if you are a candidate in a local campaign.

Now for the longer answer. I’m not quite sure what you mean specifically when you write “political campaign logo,” but I’m assuming you mean the artistic design, colors and images that are used on a candidate’s yard signs, ads, banners and etcetera.

I suppose, in that respect, that any local candidate who chooses a specific yard sign design–you know, one of the endless “stars and strips” type designs you see during election season–has their own “campaign logo.” That design is reproduced on hundreds of lawn signs and mailers, and sticking with the same look is a great way to brand your campaign and make your name more memorable.

I think the best successful example of a real “political campaign logo” would be the famous Barack Obama “O” logo that could be seen in so many places during the 2008 presidential election. This was really a professionally-designed logo in earnest, and was so popular that it became a part of contemporary culture. The Obama campaign, though, was an entire countrywide political movement in itself, so it sort of lent itself to having an official logo.

Think for a moment, though, how silly the voters would think a local candidate was if he had a special, unique campaign logo designed–in the mold of the Obama “O”–just for his candidacy. That would probably seem pretty arrogant and ridiculous.

So if you’re thinking about designing a unique political campaign logo for your local race, don’t do it. Stick with the tried-and-true “stars and stripes” type logos that you’re used to seeing. If you want to get really bold and original, you can try making your yard signs stand out a bit with an unusual or eye-catching design.

Remember: if you’re running for City Council, Mayor or County Commissioner you don’t need your own branded campaign logo. You might think you’re a pretty amazing candidate, but the voters won’ t be as impressed.

Candidate Website on Political Campaign Yard Signs?

killercampaigning — Tue, 23 Feb 2010 02:06:04 +0000

Here’s a quick question for Killer Campaigning from Sarah in Arizona:

I’m a local political candidate who is running a campaign for office in a medium-sized town in Arizona. I have a campaign website that I would like people to visit, do you think that I should put my website address on my lawn signs? Thank you!

The best answer to your question basically has to do with how much room you have on your sign, Sarah. I’ve said before that yard sign designs and colors don’t matter as much as how hard you campaign, but one unforgivable sin when it comes to lawn signs is jamming too much stuff into too small a space.

The best local political campaign yard sign is one that simply and effectively broadcasts your name and the office you are running for (although even the office isn’t entirely necessary). If including a website address in the mix makes your yard signs too busy and overwhelming for the average voter to take in while they are driving by in a car, then you might want to re-think your design.

Of course, a lot of this has to do with the length of your name and the length of your website address. If you are intent on including your campaign site on your signs, consider removing the “www” to shorten the address. Remember, most voters who glance at your sign will be driving by at high speeds and won’t be likely to even see the web address unless it’s large enough to notice.

I generally don’t recommend that candidates include their political campaign websites on yard signs, since it makes them too cluttered and almost never leads to more visits to the site. If you have a website that you are proud of, then I suggest that you mention it on your door-to-door literature or direct mail pieces, instead.

Billboards and Elections: Do They Win Political Campaigns?

killercampaigning — Thu, 11 Feb 2010 03:44:44 +0000

I’ll be honest with you: I’m not a huge fan of spending money on billboard space in local political campaigns (or campaigns for higher office, either). While I’ve seen them used effectively in a few campaigns, they are quite often nothing more than a very visible waste of money.

Here’s the problem: a lot of shoo-in candidates with no serious opposition–and unbeatable incumbents–like to spend their campaign cash on purchasing giant billboards to splash their face across their district during election season.

Since most of these candidates go on to win the election, a misconception develops in these districts that the billboards work, and pretty soon every candidate wants to spend all of their money on them, too.

In reality, the shoo-in candidates would have won their race without buying a single political billboard, anyway.

Working as a campaign manager for a novice candidate in these kinds of districts can be maddening; the candidate thinks he needs to get his name and face on as many expensive billboards as possible, and there’s not much you can do to convince him otherwise.

Remember what I often say about easy stuff not being very effective in political campaigning? Purchasing political billboards is easy, lazy campaigning, and wastes an incredible amount of money by putting your face in front of thousands of voters who will never even go to the polls on election day.

Billboards, though, make a candidate feel good. They make him think that he is getting his message and his name out there. They make him feel important, because his name and face are right there, fifty feet in the air, for everyone who drives by to see.

Now back to reality: forgoing the giant billboards and spending the same amount of money on a focused, well-researched, targeted direct mail campaign is many times more effective at getting your name in front of people who will actually have the opportunity to vote for you.

Here’s what your giant billboard is buying you: the opportunity to get your name in front of thousands of people. But out of those thousands of people, only a certain percentage actually live in your district. And out of those people, only a certain percentage are old enough to vote. And out of those people, only a certain percentage are registered to vote. Fewer still are likely voters, and fewer still are likely to respond to your campaign message.

So what do you end up with? You’ve spent thousands of dollars on slapping your face in front a huge number of people who will play absolutely no role in your election.

Will a lot of people recognize your name and face? Sure. And those same people will probably never know or care that you were a loser on election day.

With direct mail, however, you can guarantee that every dollar you spend will put your name and message in front of likely voters in your district.

So take my word for it: don’t waste your campaign money on giant political billboards if you are starting at a deficit in your race. Splashing your name and face on billboards across your district will do two things for you: make you feel very important, and make you lose on election day.

Stakes & Wickets for Political Campaign Yard Signs

killercampaigning — Tue, 26 Jan 2010 03:05:15 +0000

Political campaign yard signs are the cornerstone of many local elections for office, and candidates often devote a large chunk of their campaign budgets toward purchasing them. Although Killer Campaigning has cautioned in the past against relying to much on yard signs, they are a resource that every candidate needs to have in some degree in order to run an effective campaign.

We’ve discussed political campaign yard sign design in past articles, but haven’t devoted much time to an equally important element: yard sign wickets (or stakes, depending on what you call them). Without stakes and wickets, political campaign yard signs become pretty useless, as they can’t be placed in any yards at all.

First, let’s recap the two different types of campaign yard signs and the benefits and shortcomings of both. The first type of yard signs are constructed of corrugated plastic, or Coroplast. These are, by far, my favorite type of yard signs to purchase. They hold up to the wind and rain, look better, and last longer.

The downside is that corrugated plastic yard signs they are slightly more expensive to purchase. In the long run, though, I personally think they save you money, since there will be more left to pick up and use for the next election after your race for office is over.

The second type of yard signs are made of folded cardboard, poster board or plastic bags. They cost much less to purchase in bulk, but look a lot cheaper and get destroyed and ripped easily in the wind and rain. Many political candidates still use these types of yard signs because of the affordability factor, but I’m not fond of them.

The type of stakes or wickets you use depends upon what type of yard signs you purchase. Corrugated plastic (or Coroplast) yard signs are usually supported by wire H-Frame stakes that insert directly into the sign and allow you to use a horizontal cross-bar to step on and push the wire directly into the ground more easily.

Another new type of metal stake for use with corrugated plastic yard signs simple single metal stakes that are purportedly even more resilient and strong than H-Frame wickets. (A company called CampaignPros has developed a variation of the single stake called The Beefy Stake that they claim is the most effective yard sign stake on the market).

If you decide to go with cardboard, poster board or plastic bag yard signs (which I don’t suggest), the you will have to buy U-Frame stakes to support them. The U-Frame wickets allow you to simply slip your cardboard sign over the frame and push it into the ground, but I have found that they bend and get uprooted much more easily.

Remember: if you run a good political campaign, they type of yard signs you use will have little to do with whether you win or lose. You can run a winning campaign regardless of what kind of yard signs, stakes and wickets you use, but you’ll quickly discover the positives and negatives of different designs.

Presidential Political Campaign Sign Designs: 1964

killercampaigning — Mon, 25 Jan 2010 00:52:37 +0000

This week on Killer Campaigning, we’re going to take a quick look at some of the political campaign sign designs and advertising materials from the 1964 presidential election. Candidates included Lyndon B. Johnson, Hubert Humphrey, Barry Goldwater, William E. Miller, and Nelson Rockefeller.

Every week, Killer Campaigning posts campaign signs from past presidential political campaigns. Next week, we’ll take a look at signs from the 1968 race.

Presidential Political Campaign Sign Designs: 1960

killercampaigning — Sun, 17 Jan 2010 17:01:19 +0000

Political campaign yard sign designs are one of our favorite topics here on Killer Campaigning. Although you’ve heard us question the usefulness of campaign signs in local campaigns, presidential campaign signs make for fun collectibles and trivia for political campaign junkies, and it can be amusing to look back at how sign designs have evolved from one election cycle to the next.

This week, we’re going to take a look at presidential political campaign sign designs from the 1960 U.S. presidential election, featuring candidates John F. Kennedy, Lyndon Baines Johnson, Hubert Humphrey, Henry Cabot Lodge and Richard Nixon.

Have fun checking out these campaign sign designs from a time before the Internet, cable television and 24-hour news cycles! Killer Campaigning will be featuring more campaign sign designs from other presidential candidate tickets each week, so make sure to check back for more.