Specialty media; Worker benefits; Actors in ads

ALSO: Should you de-dupe opponents from mailing lists?

We're in a nonpartisan election for county supervisor and are running a unity campaign. How do we do this and still appeal to the widest range of voters using what our media consultant calls specialty media?

First, recognize the increasing complexity of the electorate. According to a recent California poll, 84 percent of Hispanic, Asian-American and African-American respondents said they "get information through ethnic television, radio and publications." The survey for New California Media, a nonprofit San Francisco foundation, also found that 68 percent of its respondents "prefer ethnic TV stations over English channels for watching news" and that 40 percent "pay more attention to ethnic-language ads than ads in English media." All regions - not just California - are riding this wave of media diversification.

Second, deal with the complexity (don't run away from it). According to the Wall Street Journal, Bank of America spent $10 million on multicultural ads in 2001 and plans to spend $40 million this year. Campaigns, likewise, should be aggressive in multi-cultural communications.

And third, push the same message, all the time, in all venues. Conflicting or contradictory messages (even innocent ones) will lead to charges of hypocrisy, pandering and - worst of all - playing the race card.

How important is it to have a benefits plan for campaign workers?

Must: Treat campaign workers as employees, rather than vendors, since they are directly supervised by campaign staff (e.g., campaign manager), work onsite (e.g., headquarters), use campaign equipment (e.g., computers, phone lines, copy machines, etc.) and receive a majority of their income from the campaign (at least during election, if not entire calendar year). That means standard withholdings for Social security, income taxes, etc.

Should: Provide health-care benefits to employees, especially if the candidate is touting his or her plans to improve health care for seniors, working parents, children, etc. It would not be helpful to hold the private sector to a higher standard than the campaign.

Might: Offer winner's bonus (e.g., two weeks or one month s salary, etc.) as incentive to top staff. It's a practical inducement in the final days of an election, when campaign workers are exhausted, but every minute added to the work day might be the difference between winning and losing.

Are Web sites effective for a campaign?

Of course. And we thought the answer - by now - was obvious. But many campaigns remain Web amateurs.

Earlier this year, the firm 1871 Media (www. 1871media.com) itemized the "Top 7 Mistakes Made by U. S. Political Campaign Web Sites," noting that many candidates "have terrible Web presences" and don't give the Internet "enough respect." These "Top 7 Mistakes" included:

(1) Inadequate contact information, such as incomplete address, phone number and e-mail address. (2) Omission of background data, such as candidate photo and issues platform. (3) Failure to use easy-to-remember domain names or to purchase domains that opponents might use (e.g., SmithSucks.com, etc.). (4) Overly fancyWeb site designs, including difficult-to-load pages and sites requiring continuous maintenance. (5) No guidance for offline donations (e.g., check by mail or drop-off), despite easy instructions on contributing online via credit card. (6) No prominent box to collect e-mail addresses from supporters and reporters. (7) English-only text (98 percent of 500 surveyed sites), in an era when many voters are Spanish speakers.

Making one of these mistakes? Fix it - immediately.

Is it OK to use actors in TV and radio spots?

Busted in Hollywood: Last summer, ad executives for Columbia Pictures were disciplined for passing off studio workers as fans in "purported manon-the-street interviews with people who said they enjoyed the film." According to Reuters and Variety, competing studios called the ads "highly unusual" (i.e., they went negative).

Lessons for campaigns: No longer a good idea to use actors in speaking roles or testimonials (e.g., "I'm supporting Mayor Clegghorn because he cleaned up the police department," etc.), especially when voters demand more - not less - authenticity from candidates.

Maybe OK (in limited circumstances): Actors as nonspeaking extras (e.g., background, crowd).

Best-case stratagem for TV and radio ads: 100 percent real people, no actors, no money exchanged for glowing endorsements.

I know it's important to de-dupe mail and phone lists, but does it make sense to search our database for the names of opponents and their wellknown supporters?

Yes, total sense.

Not to equate political opponents with terrorists, but consider this blunder caused by an old mailing list: Nearly seven months after Sept. 11, the Federal Aviation Administration was sending newsletters and pilot correspondence to Ziad alJarrah, one of the hijackers who seized United Airlines Flight 93, which crashed in southwestern Pennsylvania.

[Author Affiliation]

Craig Varoga is CEO of Varoga Rice & Shalett. Fax questions to 713-522-0040, or e-mail to cvaroga@varogarice.com.