When motivated by an issue, people will vote. This is a simple and true axiom that is put to test each voting cycle in States like California where ballot initiatives are put to the voters. The effect of Special Interest Group advertising could not have been more apparent than in the Governor Davis Recall election in the middle of his gubernatorial term. It required a desire to change. It required a common theme to inspire the electorate. It required funding and it required a strong message. When determining the best avenue of advertising for your cause, you need to first, actually have a cause. I remember in college during an era when global human rights was the big issue. I had a conversation with a fellow student in which we discussed issues. His passion was about shark nets for the minorities at local beaches. What? He had a visual that was lodged in his brain; he could see beaches in Central America without shark nets protecting the minority swimmers, but nets protecting the Caucasian swimmers. This was a grave violation to him. To me it was not. Everyone has a passion. Is the passion of your Special Interest Group a passion that can be sold to the general public? Second, have a test group affirm your cause. If you are about to invest time, energy and funds into a cause, due the proper research with a professional firm who can assess your probability of persuading the electorate. Finally, determine a name or slogan with a visual that sells. A title that is easy to remember. I always say the best test is in the website name. Make it a dot com (.com) name and easy to say on a radio commercial. These names should be tested when you do the research with the audience test. |
