4. Get out the old photo albums and find fun childhood photos. I’m a fan of old photos such as a candidate as a kid dressed in a cowboy outfit, riding a stick horse. What better way to convey a message of “fighting crime” or “from an early age (candidate) was committed to protecting our com- munity.” It’s funny, interesting, unique and, again, relatable. It makes the can- didate seem more human.
think candidates are normal people. The images a candidate uses in their communica- tion need to make a candidate look as “normal” as possible. A good case study is Joel Burns who ran for the
H
city council in Fort Worth, Texas. Joel is openly gay in a city that had never elected an openly gay candidate. His campaign communication needed an even greater emphasis on showing him as relatable with the same values, concerns and needs as his neighbors and community. Our first piece had a photo of Joel at the age of 12 with his mother and father and younger sister. Not only is it a typical 1970’s family photo, the same kind we all endured, but Joel’s Dad, Butch, is wearing a cowboy hat. As a native Texan, I can tell you nothing says “normal” in Texas like a man named Butch in a cowboy hat. And by using that photo, we portrayed Joel as someone “just like the rest of us” instead of a typical politician or the “gay” candidate who is not to be trusted. A good example of a photo doing “your dirty work” for
you is the piece “black eye” produced for the Re-elect Del- egate Chuck Caputo (Va.) campaign. This piece focused on domestic violence. It needed an image that was powerful and relatable without being too extreme. It would have been easy to pick a harsher photo to really drive the point home, but then you run the risk of turning voters off, especially women. We needed a photo that was genuine. We are proud to have won the 2009 Reed Award for Toughest Direct Mail Piece with the image we chose. The lesson here is don’t skimp on the art. Often times, a
GROWING UP COMMUNITY TAU
I was born in District 9 at the maternity hospital of the Gladney Center for Adoption, five blocks from where I now live. I grew up on the O.C. Armstrong Ranch in southwest Fort Worth. For decades, the Armstrong family helped fund Texas Wesleyan University, where I would later attend. I have built my life here. This is my home and I could never imagine living anywhere else.
piece of direct mail may be the only time a candidate “enters” someone’s home. So it needs to show a candidate as someone they may want to invite in. This begins and ends with well- planned, creative photography.
Liz Chadderdon is the president of The Chadderdon Group, a Democratic direct mail firm based in Virginia.
Now is a pivotal time for Fort Worth and I am prepared to give back to the city that has given me so much. We must provide quality of life for all families and manage our city resources responsibly for generations to come. That’s why I am running for City Council. I want to bring people together and help Fort Worth build a strong economy, preserve its history and make its mark on the future. Join me and together, we can protect what makes Fort Worth great.
— JOEL BURNS FOR CITY COUNCIL Joel Burns at age 8, with his father Butch, his mother J HOME TOWN V June 2010 | Campaigns & Elections 73
umanizing the candidate is key. Unfortunately, most voters don’t
ase or
Fort Worth City Council District 9 Campaign, Brandy O’Quinn, Treasurer.
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