With the 2012 presidential campaign rapidly approaching, Americans must endure all of the mud-slinging, party bashing and pointed fingers to find messages that really matter. Unfortunately, this year seems to be even worse.
Apparently, the Obama and Romney campaigns find it extremely important to brutally bash each other via multi-million dollar commercials on national TV. Last week, the Obama campaign released a TV commercial mocking Mitt Romney singing “America the Beautiful” while showing footage of foreign countries and displaying the text, “As governor, Romney outsourced jobs to India”.
The Romney campaign followed up with a counter punch. His campaign released a web video mocking the president singing Al Green’s “Let’s Stay Together”. It juxtaposed Obama serenading “I’m so in love with you” with headlines of him rewarding lobbyist and campaign donors.
At this point, you might be wondering who is coming out ahead in this race. Well, no one is. And what’s even more unsettling, it’s the electorate who’s losing.
We can learn what an effective campaign should look like by NOT following their lead.
Things to remember for an effective campaign:
- First, choose a tactful campaign message that will lead to accomplishing your ultimate end goal. A strategically smart campaign has a laser-beam focus.
- Know your target audience and tailor your message accordingly. It’s unrealistic to think one message will fit all, so craft messages that are relevant to your target audience.
- Engage your audience rather than just talking at them. Using messages with meaningful feedback will show your audience they can affect your decisions or have input on a situation.
- Utilize the internet. It has become one of the most effective platforms for sharing information. The internet will allow your campaign message to instantly reach large audiences at a low costs through your website, blog and social media.
- Most importantly, be authentic. Share personal things about you or your organization with your audience. In doing so, they will feel a genuine connection with you.
Keeping these tips in mind will help the success of any campaign.
As for the presidential election race, the public needs well-crafted messages from each candidate in order to make an informed decision come voting time. Let’s hope this message gets through.