Large Scale
Campaigns
vs.
Local Campaigns
A COMPARATIVE PRESENTATION
Presented by:
Doug Kaplan, President
Gravis Marketing
On behalf of:
How large and small campaigns
are similar
COMMON NEEDS
Candidate
Planning
Money
Time
Information
People
Targeting
The differences are in the
application
LARGE CAMPAIGNS
Money
Presidential race - >$100
million
U.S. Senate race - >$20 million
Congress - >$1 million
Media
Heavy on broadcast media
High-end digital
Direct Mail
SMALL CAMPAIGNS
Money
Legislative - <$100,000
County wide - <$100,000
Local - <$50,000
Media
Direct Mail
Digital
Reliance on grassroots
Difference 1: Audience
TARGETING
Large campaigns use broadcast and mass media because their audience spans
footprint of the media outlet.
Small campaigns are often only a segment of the broadcast outlet, so resources
are often wasted if spent on mass media.
Large campaigns can operate efficiently (dollar spent to voter
reached) often through mass media.
More local campaigns can achieve efficiency through targeted media
(dollar spent per voter reached).
Difference 2: Money
Large campaigns must raise
more money to reach a
larger audience, but large
campaign also have more
prospects.
Small campaigns have fewer
prospects, receive generally
less attention, but also have
a much smaller audience.
Should I hire a professional?
Consultants can:
Make detached decisions based more on strategy
than emotion
Professionals can be the difference between winning
and losing by virtue of their experience
Professionals can pay for themselves based on
making sound financial decisions for campaigns
Professionals have years of experience and know how
to PLAN!
Hiring a professional allows you to build a strategy
rather than relying on loose tactics
Strategies vs. Tactics
Which of these is a strategy?
A. Moving a chess piece on a chess board
B. Football play book
C. Placing yard signs in a community for a
campaign
D. Holding a press Conference
E. All of the above
F. None of the above
Answer: F. None of the above
Strategy n. (strat-uh-jee)
The discipline or art of evaluating a
situation and employing the methods
necessary to achieve a defined goal.
In politics, a strategy would be a campaign
plan.
Getting Started
You have decided to run
for office.
Before you do, there are a
few questions you should
ask yourself.
Why am I running
for office?
For what office am I
running, and what are its
qualifications and duties?
How much will I
spend, and how much
will I contribute?
OPPOSITION RESEARCH
A campaign MUST learn as much about
the opponent(s) as possible.
Leave no stone unturned. Everything is
important:
Where does the opponent get their money?
Criminal record
Voting Record
Family
Religion
Community Activities
Anything Accessible
AND a campaign MUST conduct the same
level of research on its own candidate.
Doing the Detective Work
Opposition Research
GET THE DATA!
Election voting history
Legislative voting history
Employment files
Campaign Finance Reports
Financial Disclosure Forms
Video/photos
Court records
Property records
Anything that public record
Video tracking
The Strengths vs. Weaknesses Matrix
SELF
Strengths
Young
No voting
record
Weaknesses
No legislative
experience
Catholic
First time on
ballot
Republican
Unmarried
Matched
opponent on
fundraising
Male vs.
female
Not as much
access to
money
OPPONENT
Strengths
Weaknesses
Female
Voting record
Incumbent with
experience
Support of
current Speaker
Catholic
Popular last
name
Other family
members in
politics
Will have union
money
Year favors
conservatives
Doing the Detective Work
Information About the District
Voter history in district
Look at similar elections
Look at similar years
Campaign finance reports of
others who ran for same office
List Communities in district
and leaders
Employers, civic orgs., etc.
GET THE DATA!
Numbers: Using Data to Win
People === Numbers
How likely are they to vote?
How likely are they to vote for your client?
Use History as a guide for the Future
How did previous candidates fare (by precinct)?
Calculate universes (Persuadables, Base, GOTV)
ALWAYS track data. Count votes per precinct so you know how
many you still have to get
Doing the Detective Work
Identify the Issues
Minutes or records of meetings
News stories and opinion-editorials
Polling
Door-to-door
Direct mail surveys
Kitchen Cabinet input
Social Media Buzz
Local News Web Sites
Talk Radio
GET THE DATA!
Finding the RIGHT Message
My Strengths
Issues voters
care about
Opponents
Weaknesses
The Holy Grail of
Message!
Building Databases
Target Universe
Donor Database
Volunteer Database
Sign Database
Supporter Database
Opponent Database
E-Mail Database
Social Media Database
Assembling Your Team
Kitchen Cabinet
Campaign Staff
Volunteers (you)
Financial Supporters
Letterhead Names
Coalitions
4 Finite Assets of Campaigns
Time
Information
Money
People
Timing Is Everything
You cant run a campaign that finishes after Election Day
Along with finding the right message, you have to know
how to use it (through the proper use of media) and
when.
Building a campaign timeline is essential for success!
Rules of Thumb for the Timeline
Start on Election Day and work backwards
Decide when you want something to happen,
and move backwards on calendar the needed
time to begin it
Most assets will be spent towards end of
campaign not the beginning
All major events should appear on timeline
(fundraisers, direct mail, television, door-todoor, phone calls, social media campaigns, emails etc.)
Putting It All Together
A campaign plan will generally have the following
components:
Budget
Timeline
Overview of district
Opposition research (self and opponent)
Issues research
Tactical Briefs (what media and grassroots efforts will be
executed)
Listing of assets, team members and databases
