Legendary direct marketer Gary Halbert used to run this test on business owners.
He’d say, pick any advantage you want for a new restaurant. Secret sauce. Celebrity chef. National brand. I’ll beat every one of you with just one thing.
A starving crowd.
Marketing guru Dan Kennedy tells this story to make a point that applies just as much to campaigns as it does to burger joints.
The greasiest food truck in a factory parking lot outsells a fancy restaurant every single day at noon, because the workers are starving, the break is short, and there’s nowhere else to go.
Here’s what that means for you.
The best slogan in the world, aimed at the wrong voters, does nothing. The worst mail piece ever written, aimed at the right voters, still pulls votes.
Too many campaigns spend all their time polishing the pitch and none of their time figuring out who’s actually hungry for what they’re selling.
Here’s how that plays out in a race.
Fundraising: Stop tweaking your ask letter for the hundredth time and start asking who’s actually starving to give.
Angry primary voters. Retired veterans. Parents furious about their kids’ school board. Find that crowd first. The letter practically writes itself after that.
Votes: Don’t waste door-knocking hours on voters who don’t care. Find the precincts full of people already fed up, already looking for someone to vote for, and go there first.
Volunteers: The best volunteer recruiting message in the world falls flat on people with no stake in the race. Find the folks already mad enough to show up. They’ll bring the friends.
Beating your opponent: While he’s endlessly rewriting his mailer hoping the perfect words save him, you’re finding the exact voters who were already looking for someone like you.
The takeaway: A mediocre message to a starving crowd beats a brilliant message to the wrong one…every…single…time. Find your crowd before you write a word.
Dr. Chuck Muth, PsD
Professor of Psephology*
(homeschooled)
* Psephology (see-follow-gee): The study of campaigns and elections