Election 2010 Direct-Mail Analysis, Part 2
[Editor's note: This is part 2 of a two-part analysis. View part 1 here.]
If the 2008 election was about hope and change, the 2010 midterm campaign, judging by its direct mail, was mostly focused on anger. That's the most obvious takeaway based on a review of the fundraising appeals and campaign fliers we saw during the year. Whether directed at President Obama, or at congressional leaders Harry Reid and Nancy Pelosi, this emotional touchpoint dominated political mail like it hasn't since the days of Bill Clinton.
The biggest story out of the election season was the success of some Republican candidates in riding the wave of "Tea Party" anger toward government. "America literally cannot survive if we stay on this road," cautioned Delaware Senate nominee Christine O'Donnell (Who's Mailing What Archive code #608-718210-1010). And although Tea Party candidates met with mixed success at the polls, the mainstream GOP "stole smart" in using some of that same red-meat rhetoric in its mailings.
A leaflet from Connecticut Senate candidate Linda McMahon targets the disaffection with the economy and federal government: "Connecticut families are hurting. DOES WASHINGTON CARE?" (Who's Mailing What Archive code #608-718137-1009B). Another flier, this from the Republican Party of Pennsylvania, targets the Democratic Senate candidate: "Joe Sestak has bailed out everyone but us" (Who's Mailing What Archive code 608-718213-1010A).
The Democrats, understandably, acknowledged the public's frustration with the bad economy. "I wish I could tell you … that the economy is going to get back to full strength right away," the president says in one letter. But, he reminds supporters, "it was Republicans who drove the car into the ditch" (Who's Mailing What Archive code #608-173651-1009C). Casting the election as a choice between "the party of NO" and "lasting party of progress" was a common theme of Democratic efforts to keep control of both houses of Congress.
The success of the Tea Party candidates in the GOP primaries also provided fodder for Democratic efforts, led by former campaign guru James Carville. "Sarah Palin's summer of lies road trip is in full swing," he warned in a letter for the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee. An insert highlighting the positions of some Tea Party supporters further cemented the ties to the former GOP VP candidate (Who's Mailing What Archive code #608-171855-1008C).
The targeting of Obama did not go unnoticed by the NAACP National Voter Fund, which sent out a last-minute, 8.5-inch-by-11-inch self-mailer with a photo of protesters with the caption: "OUR PRESIDENT IS UNDER ATTACK" (Who's Mailing What Archive code #608-171853-1010A).
A word about social media
For all of the attention social media get these days, it was very surprising to see how little any of it was promoted in campaigners' direct mail. Indeed, I was hard-pressed to find mailings that point prospects to anything more technologically involving than a simple website address. Meg Whitman, the GOP candidate for California governor, was one of the few exceptions. In her 48-page booklet (yes, 48 pages!), she included a bind-in postcard to cover most of the bases. She called on citizens to "help build A New California" by following her on the campaign website, Twitter, Flickr, YouTube, Facebook and Scribd, or to respond by text message (Who's Mailing What Archive code #608-718047-1004).
The scarcity of social-media promotion is a huge missed opportunity for candidates and parties. They're passing up a chance to further connect with voters for the immediate task at hand (winning an election), as well as to build and nourish a community. After all, just two weeks after the voting ended, campaigning for the next election cycle had already started. It makes sense to use every tool available.
Paul Bobnak is the director of the Who's Mailing What! Archive, the world's most complete library of direct mail, and research director of DirectMarketingIQ.
This article was originally published in the Nov. 18 edition of Inside Direct Mail Weekly.
