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When this column appears, it will be only a few days prior to the March 2nd primaries. Front yards and vacant lots will be swamped with candidates’ signs, which gives those of us interested in the art of marketing a vast classroom to determine what graphics and messages work and which don’t.
Most of the yard signs that you see are 18 inches by 24 inches and that 432 square inches of area can be very important to a political candidate.
One of the most important objectives of a good political sign is that it breaks out of the clutter of the other signs. When a politician’s sign simply blends in with all the rest of the signs around it, the person seeking office is throwing money away. To be effective, the sign must be memorable.
When a candidate orders 250 signs, the cost is approximately $3.50 per sign, which includes one standard color on a white background. The use of two or more colors, or a specialized color ink will cost more.
Although sign companies differ in fees for silk-screening custom colors or using more than one color, a generalized cost would be an additional $75 to use a customized color. For approximately $125 more, a second color can be added. If the cost of ordering 250 signs is roughly $875, it doesn’t make sense not to spend a little more to use a made-to-order color or add a second color.
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• Red is energy. It is a color of the matador’s cape and fast cars, both of which symbolize excitement.
• Blue is tranquil and associated with calming things in nature like the sky and the sea. In surveys, it is overwhelmingly people’s favorite color. It has a correlation with loyalty and dependability.
• Black is identified with power and strength. It is a somber color with images stretching from the cowboy in the black hat to the business professional in the black suit.
• Yellow is bright and fun, it gives us hope and is often considered the color of creativity.
• Green is the color of nature and money. The darker the green, the more conservative the image; the lighter the green, the more it speaks about peace and harmony.
• Brown is an earth tone and portrays a feeling of stability and of getting the job done. Maybe that is why UPS uses brown as a trademark.
• Orange represents hope. It draws attention and is considered the most flamboyant of colors.
As you can see, just the color that is chosen for political signs can convey a meaning all by itself. However, there are several other aspects of a good political sign that are important in making it effective. At the top of that list is the size of the candidate’s name and the office for which he or she is running.
Most people go to the polls to vote for a top-rung national or state office. They seldom know a lot about local candidates. That is why a smart candidate running for a county or local office will do everything possible to try to implant some sort of trigger mechanism for the voter to remember their name. Yard signs are essential to reach that top-of-mind awareness goal.
Most voters don’t take the time to study every candidate’s qualifications, however, studies show they will vote for a name they remember, no matter whether the candidate is the most qualified or not. Having a sign with typeface that is easy to read with the candidate’s name in letters as large, bold and easy to read as possible is one of the most important marketing objectives in creating a successful sign.
A sign with too much information seems cluttered and is a negative reflection on the candidate. A sign that uses several different typefaces appears to be disconnected, which also says something about the person running for office. Signs can be full of energy or be boring. They can use graphics to point your eye to the most important information on the sign (name and office sought) or have artwork that grabs the eye and pulls it away from the essential information.
Different colors grab attention. A bold typeface portrays a bold candidate that is proud of his or her name. Graphics that slant a certain way can subliminally force the viewer’s eyes to read the candidate’s name.
You still have a few days before the March 2nd primary election. Take a look at all the different signs and make a mental note about which ones successfully break out of the clutter and those that are dull and uninspiring. Don’t be surprised if the signs that you selected as being memorable are those of candidates that will win their election.