TV & Radio

What are frequency and reach?
Frequency refers to the average number of times individuals are exposed to an advertising message. Reach, on the other hand, is what percentage of your target audience will be exposed to the message.

Television buys are usually talked about in terms of the number of gross ratings points, which is the frequency of the buy multiplied by its reach.

How many media markets are in Illinois?
Illinois has 10 media markets, although not infrequently some of the ‘fringe’ markets are omitted in statewide buys:  Chicago, Rockford, Davenport-Rock Island, Peoria-Bloomington, Quincy-Hannibal, Springfield-Champaign, Terre Haute, Evansville, Paducah, and St. Louis.

What is the ‘political window’?
Political candidates are entitled to the ‘lowest unit rate’ charge for advertising purchased 45 days before the primary election and 60 days before the general election. The lowest unit rate is the rate television station charges their non-political customers for advertising in the same day part and show.

While this can be a savings for campaigns, spots purchased at the lowest unit rate can be ‘pre-empted’ if commercial advertisers are willing to pay more than the lowest unit rate for a particular show. Sometimes, campaigns are forced to meet higher spot advertising costs just to maintain their advertising in a particular show.

What is Cost per Point?
Cost per point is what it costs to purchase one point of advertising in a particular market for a particular audience. CPP is calculated by dividing the cost of a 30-second commercial by the rating of the show during which the commercial is to appear.

Can you produce a TV spot without filming? 
It really depends on the goal of the spot and the resources that are available for production. Sometimes, effective spots can be produced using still photos and a professional voice over. Other times, spots can be shot using video, as opposed to film, a costlier alternative.

Direct Mail

How long does it take to get a piece of direct mail out the door?
Generally, it takes about 7 days from the time a piece of direct mail is conceived to the time it lands in a voter’s mailbox.

What kinds of delivery options are available?
The U.S. Post Office gives us three options for the delivery of political direct mail, assuming a mailing is carrier-route sorted.  The mailing can be dropped at the Bulk Mail Center, a Sectional Center Facility, or even at individual post offices themselves.

Postage assessments differ between these options, as well as the amount of processing time before the piece lands in a mail box. Decisions on what type of delivery to use, therefore, must take into consideration budgetary and timing constraints.

How is a typical piece of direct mail produced, from its conception to the mailbox?
There are many steps to the creation of a direct mail piece. First, after the concept and objective have been agreed upon, copy is written, a general layout is developed, and a universe is determined. A graphic artist is then enlisted to design the piece. Working with a voter file vendor, a mailing list is developed. After the piece is approved by the client, it goes to the print shop, where it is printed. The printed piece is shipped to a mail shop, which then affixes postage, ink-jets the outgoing address, and carrier-routes and bags the mailing. Finally, the mailing is taken to the post office. After it is processed by the post office, the mailing is distributed by carrier route, and taken by postal carriers to individual households.

Telemarketing

Which are more effective – automated calls or live callers?
In recent years, many political customers have opted to use automated calls instead of live callers. This is due in large part to the cost differential. But speed of delivery has also become an important consideration. An automated phone system – such as the one we use – can deliver up to 250,000 thirty-second calls per hour, something not possible with live callers.

While some clients still prefer the ‘human’ touch of live calls, many clients feel that automated calls have become more effective with the advent of new technologies. And it’s not hard to see why. Unlike live phone banks, you never have to worry about message degradation with automated calls. Nor do you have to be concerned about a somewhat-less-than-enthusiastic delivery. Automated calls – recorded using professional voice talent – are as fresh when they’ve called the 250,000th household as they are when they call the very first household.

How many calls can an automated dialing system deliver per hour?
The system we use can deliver up to 250,000 calls per hour. If you’ve got a big project, that has to be done fast, there’s no better alternative.

What kind of things can you do with automated calls?
Get-out-the-vote calls are the most basic use of automated calls: reminding people to vote on Election Day. But we have also used automated calls to advertise upcoming political events, alert voters to a candidate’s appearance in their community, provide third-person testimonials to niche constituencies, and in conjunction with direct mail, to remind people to use their absentee ballot. Another recent innovation is calling voters with an issue alert, and permitting live pickups to be transferred – toll free – to the office of their state representative, state senator, or alderman so they can make sure their voice is heard.

Yet another recent use of automated phones is data collection: after a message has been delivered, they system detects whether the call has been picked by an answering machine or an actual person. If a person has answered the call, listeners can use the telephone keypad to ask for more information or register an opinion.

How long does it take to do a phone canvass with live callers? 
Given enough set-up time, a phone canvass using live callers can usually be completed in 2-3 days, depending on the size of the area to be called. It can take longer, however, during peak call blocks.

Can messages be segmented and targeted?
Yes, different messages can be sent to Democrats, Republicans, and Independents, as well as people living in specific communities, townships, or precincts. We can also target senior citizens with special appeals.

What are ‘patch through’ calls, and how are they used?
Patch-through technology allows voters who receive a call (as opposed to an answering machine) to press a number on their telephone keypad and be transferred to another office. Usually used to generate grassroots support, patch through calls can identify your supporters in a particular jurisdiction, and literally mobilize hundreds of them in a matter of minutes.

E-campaigns

Can emails be targeted at registered voters?
Yes, we can bump a voter file up against various email lists to generate active emails for voters, broken down by party.

How are websites used?
Websites can be used as the electronic portal for a campaign, replicating much of the campaign itself: they can collect contributions, sign up volunteers, keep supporters informed, archive newly-taken photos, show campaign ads, and even detail issue positions.

Another way websites can be used is to collect ‘signatures’ for on-line petitions. Still others use issue-based websites to respond to attacks and get their side of the story out.

Should I have a staff person dedicated to running my website and e-campaign operations?
In a major campaign, it’s a good idea to dedicate one staffer to just running and maintaining the website and email campaign operations. Otherwise, when e-campaign responsibilities are vested with staff that have other campaign and political responsibilities, what tends to happen is that website updates and blast emails take a back seat to other important projects, and not infrequently, never get done.

Should I have a ‘blog’ on my website?
If a candidate can update their blog – with staff assistance – on a regular basis, having a blog is a great way to attract visitors and make people keep coming back for more. For many candidates, their blog is one of the most interesting features of their website.

Grassroots & Field

How much time does it take to set up a door-to-door canvass?
Depending on the size of the district being canvassed, it can easily take an entire month to organize a door-to-door canvass. And another month to actually get one executed. Door-to-door campaigning is one of the best ways to win votes, but campaigns should be realistic about how much time it will take to get a canvass going…and keep it going.

Are election-day get-out-the-vote drives effective?
Yes, especially in local races. Done properly, an Election Day push can generate four to five extra votes per precinct – which add up when the entire district is taken into account.

How many people does it take to get out the vote on Election Day?
At the most basic level, at least one person per precinct.  A more sophisticated Election Day plan can use as many as five to six people per precinct. Generally speaking, the more people you can recruit to help, the better off the campaign will be.