Sapien Vision’s
Political Campaign Philosophy
Your campaign branding begins with a vision.
A vision is a simple yet foundational aspect of any campaign. Every aspect of a campaign flows from the vision, including why you are running for office and your platform: The Vision -> The Why -> The Platform
Sapien Vision works with candidates using the anthropological technique of ethnography and key action word brainstorming to manifest a unique vision for their campaign. Through speaking with the candidate over a few hours and becoming familiar with their background and personality, Sapien Vision formulates a vision uniquely reflective of the candidate and their ideas.
Most successful presidential campaigns follow this formula. President Trump’s vision was “Make America Great Again.” President Obama’s vision was “Hope and Change.” Do you remember what Hillary Clinton’s vision was? Mitt Romney’s? It was forgettable. A great vision resonates.
A vision doesn’t have to be a tagline per se; it can be centered on an interesting, unique idea. Presidential candidate Andrew Yang successfully accomplished this with his unique idea of Universal Basic Income. Longmont City Council At-Large Candidate and Sapien Vision client, Diane Crist, also successfully centered her campaign on the idea of the Hyperloop. Crist was successfully able to become known as the “Hyperloop girl.”
The pathway to ultimate success in marketing and branding takes time, some money, and a lot of consistency.
Success in branding and marketing isn’t an overnight success story. The best candidates realize this and are they are consistently “on-brand” throughout their campaign to slowly build awareness over time for lasting, memorable impact.
How is this done? Below are a few opportunities where a candidate can convey their vision and platform:
Debates and Town Halls: for local races, debates and town halls are the primary opportunity for candidates to convey their vision. A stellar debate performance where the candidate directly relates almost every answer back to their vision has far more influence than almost any other campaigning opportunity. Voters talk, and voters especially talk to their friends and family about a stand-out candidate after listening to a debate or town hall.
The Flyer: a good flyer is another opportunity to convey the candidate’s vision. Sapien Vision prefers flyer dropping over door knocking, and a good flyer will have a considerable impact on the voter without face-to-face communication with the candidate. The flyer should have the vision, the why, and the platform in an easy-to-read, visually-appealing presentation.
