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Elections = Copywriting

by shawnlebrun
5 replies
Opening up the Sunday paper in my hometown this weekend, I noticed 2 full page ads that were put out by the 2 mayoral candidates.

The first ad mentioned all of the previous accomplishments that this candidate had.

How he served in Vietnam, how he was vice-president of a club here in town, how he was an ex police chief, etc...

The ad was all about his accomplishments.

The second candidate's ad simply had a huge headline at the top and talked about how the readers' tax dollars would be used to better the city and not be used based on decisions that were politically correct.

The ad went on to talk about what this candidate has done for the city and what he will continue to do for the city. He talked about helping landlords get better tenants, and helping to crack down on welfare fraud, etc...

Didn't list any of his personal achievements. Just the results he's produced for the city.

I turned to my wife and told her this second candidate would crush the first.

Results came in today and sure enough... the second candidate won in a landslide... more than double the votes of the first.

Now, I get that you can't base an entire election on just ads...

But it never ceases to amaze me... when someone is trying to sell themselves to others... how they use that space to talk about THEMSELVES and not what they can do for the other person(s).
#copywriting #elections
  • Profile picture of the author James Clouser
    Wonder if he had some help, or if it was a happy accident.

    I came across a township trustee ad that had a USP like that, but it was buried in a huge block of unreadable copy.

    Followed by accomplishments. And, of course, his name as a headline.
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    • Profile picture of the author Alex Cohen
      A certain amount of talking about yourself is necessary.

      It answers the question, why should the reader buy from you instead of someone else?

      Alex
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      • Profile picture of the author ewenmack
        The last Presidency election campaign was data driven from the Obama camp.

        They got on Social Media sites and listened to what women wanted,
        surveyed them and compiled 3,000 data points.

        This gave them the right messages to be sent out.

        If the Republican's don't do the same thing, only better,
        then they'll be left out in the cold.

        Their methodology takes the risk out of a high stakes battle.

        Seems simple, listen to what your market wants and give it to them

        Best,
        Ewen
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      • Profile picture of the author Chriswrighto
        Originally Posted by Alex Cohen View Post

        A certain amount of talking about yourself is necessary.

        It answers the question, why should the reader buy from you instead of someone else?

        Alex

        I agree with this. The second candidate did talk about his results, which answers the above question. Although if I had to vote for someone based on what they will do vs. what they have done (which isn't directly related), I would vote for the first.

        Chris
        Signature

        Wealthcopywriter.com :)

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  • Profile picture of the author chrisnos
    Originally Posted by shawnlebrun View Post

    Opening up the Sunday paper in my hometown this weekend, I noticed 2 full page ads that were put out by the 2 mayoral candidates.

    The first ad mentioned all of the previous accomplishments that this candidate had.

    How he served in Vietnam, how he was vice-president of a club here in town, how he was an ex police chief, etc...

    The ad was all about his accomplishments.

    The second candidate's ad simply had a huge headline at the top and talked about how the readers' tax dollars would be used to better the city and not be used based on decisions that were politically correct.

    The ad went on to talk about what this candidate has done for the city and what he will continue to do for the city. He talked about helping landlords get better tenants, and helping to crack down on welfare fraud, etc...

    Didn't list any of his personal achievements. Just the results he's produced for the city.

    I turned to my wife and told her this second candidate would crush the first.

    Results came in today and sure enough... the second candidate won in a landslide... more than double the votes of the first.

    Now, I get that you can't base an entire election on just ads...

    But it never ceases to amaze me... when someone is trying to sell themselves to others... how they use that space to talk about THEMSELVES and not what they can do for the other person(s).
    People have a tendency to over analyze marketing, but the reality is it all comes down to how much a person trust you. Basically great marketing is all about what you're sub communicating. looking at a person or businesses marketing is basically a glimpse into what's going on in their mind, and what their focus is

    The first candidate was sub communicating that he wanted to be elected, which was why he was bragging about all his accomplishments and other things, because that was his sole focus, was convincing you that he was good enough so he could win the election without actually having to put in any effort or do any work to be competent at his job.

    The second candidate was building trust, and using evidence of his past history to make you believe that he was telling the truth and being honest in the present. What he was doing is just basically what all humans doing regular relationships to build trust and get people to believe them.

    It's not really about whether you're selling yourself or talking about what you can do for another person, that's only what happens on the surface level, but at the core what really determines whether this technique is effective or ineffective is whether or not it is hating in making the person trust you further.
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