The campaign season is in full swing. Hillary Clinton is
out, Barack Obama is in, and John McCain has been in the running for a while
already. Those are candidates that receive most of their exposure via the
electronic media. Television, radio, internet. Not every politician who is
running for office has that advantage, though.
You Don't Need to Break the Bank
Local folks running for office receive little or no 'face
time' on TV and their campaigns are not often broadcast during the radio news.
Campaigns can become very expensive if you elect (pun intended) to buy airtime
on the TV or radio. There is an alternative that won't break the bank. Try some
good ol' political posters.
The First Political Poster?
Political posters have been around since the beginning. In
fact, archeologists uncovered what may have been the first political poster.
During a tunnel excavation, workers found a large flat rock with a crude
picture of a caveman kissing a baby scratched onto the smooth surface. There
were some simple letters of some sort as well, which archeologists translated
into "Vote For Ork."
True?
OK. I lied through my teeth about the first political
poster, but they really have been a part of most political campaigns for
hundreds of years. There is more to them than meets the eye. The idea behind
them (or any other similar political promotional product) is to create the
feeling within the viewers that they know the candidate. This works by putting
the photograph of the candidate on the poster, along with a catchy phrase, and
his name. The posters are put in public places, in the work place, and anywhere
they can be stuck to a wall. As people see the face and name regularly, they
become more comfortable with that person even though they have never met him.
It is human nature.
Why They Work So Well
Think about it. If you had to pick between two equal
candidates, but one of them had saturated the town with posters showing his
smiling face, while the other one was just a name, whom would you pick? Again,
assuming the candidates had little difference between them, you would pull the
lever for the one whose face was known to you. Like I said...it's human nature.
Political posters are inexpensive, especially compared to
purchasing time on the radio or TV. Strategically placed posters may reach more
potential voters than the electronic media. They are one of the best campaign
products for the money.
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