2008 Woodie Awards
Campaigns to help maximize exposure
Earl Parsons
Issue date: 11/7/07 Section: News
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Politicians at all levels of government, regardless of political affiliation, must campaign in the area they want to represent in order to be elected.
The primary objective in any political campaign is "to maximize (the candidate's) exposure," according to Bakersfield College political science professor Cornelio Rodriguez. "Name recognition is what's going to get a person elected into office."
There are three primary elements to every political campaign, which are "message," "money," and the "machine," according to campaignrhetoric.com.
The "message" is a statement that attempts to convince an electorate to choose the candidate. It usually revolves around an issue going on in the electoral area and is the most important aspect of the campaign. Modern Western media outlets have reverted the "message" to a "soundbite," or a brief excerpt from a speech or interview that attempts to sum up the theme of the presentation.
Every political campaign requires "money," given out by either large corporations or supportive citizens. The money is necessary to buy promotional materials for the politicians' campaign. Campaign finance is often equated to bribery, as some believe large corporate donors expect something in return.
A political staff, or "machine," works behind the scenes of the person campaigning to try and assure their success. Political analysts, speechwriters and campaign advertisers, as well as a campaign manager, depending on the size of the electorate, are necessary to ensure the political strategy is being followed through.
There are a number of techniques for effective campaign advertising, according to Wikipedia, including: personal appearances, television advertisements, direct mailing, "whistle-stop" tours and using the Internet.
Politicians will look for "unique opportunities" to make appearances at organizations that they feel either line up with their political beliefs, said Rodriguez. At these appearances, Rodriguez said, it's important that politicians maintain a consistent stance on the issues. "Those that end up waffling too much will come across that way," he said.
The primary objective in any political campaign is "to maximize (the candidate's) exposure," according to Bakersfield College political science professor Cornelio Rodriguez. "Name recognition is what's going to get a person elected into office."
There are three primary elements to every political campaign, which are "message," "money," and the "machine," according to campaignrhetoric.com.
The "message" is a statement that attempts to convince an electorate to choose the candidate. It usually revolves around an issue going on in the electoral area and is the most important aspect of the campaign. Modern Western media outlets have reverted the "message" to a "soundbite," or a brief excerpt from a speech or interview that attempts to sum up the theme of the presentation.
Every political campaign requires "money," given out by either large corporations or supportive citizens. The money is necessary to buy promotional materials for the politicians' campaign. Campaign finance is often equated to bribery, as some believe large corporate donors expect something in return.
A political staff, or "machine," works behind the scenes of the person campaigning to try and assure their success. Political analysts, speechwriters and campaign advertisers, as well as a campaign manager, depending on the size of the electorate, are necessary to ensure the political strategy is being followed through.
There are a number of techniques for effective campaign advertising, according to Wikipedia, including: personal appearances, television advertisements, direct mailing, "whistle-stop" tours and using the Internet.
Politicians will look for "unique opportunities" to make appearances at organizations that they feel either line up with their political beliefs, said Rodriguez. At these appearances, Rodriguez said, it's important that politicians maintain a consistent stance on the issues. "Those that end up waffling too much will come across that way," he said.
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