We need to treat Ron Paul like a product and market him effectively

[Eric21ND]

Bottom line...we need to get those inspirational youtube videos created by the grassroots seen by the masses.

[specsaregood]

well, in that case he needs a top notch hollywood team.

[newyearsrevolution08]

Bottom line...we need to get those inspirational youtube videos created by the grassroots seen by the masses.

we tried that last time and I believe we saw those results. We can have 10 BILLION views but that doesn't turn out the vote.

door knocking does and that is the way it has worked for many elections. We however did some door knocking but mostly online this and that which LOOKED great but when it came time to % polls we tanked terribly.

[Eric21ND]

we tried that last time and I believe we saw those results. We can have 10 BILLION views but that doesn't turn out the vote.

door knocking does and that is the way it has worked for many elections. We however did some door knocking but mostly online this and that which LOOKED great but when it came time to % polls we tanked terribly.
No we didn't try that last time. They were only seen by internet political junkies and kids in their college dorm rooms. I know old media is a bad word around here, but being seen on tv gives a candidate legitimacy and voters don't view you as a long shot.

[newyearsrevolution08]

No we didn't try that last time. They were only seen by internet political junkies and kids in their college dorm rooms. I know old media is a bad word around here, but being seen on tv gives a candidate legitimacy and voters don't view you as a long shot.

well that isn't exactly what you wrote,

you simply said inspirations youtube videos...

who else do you see seeing those besides who you listed above?

that doesn't turn into main stream media in the least.

[Austin]

If the campaign was run properly, the campaign itself would handle the media and advertising, and the grassroots would be knocking on doors and making calls.

[Eric21ND]

And perhaps we could combined the two. Door knocking (which I did last year in -20 temps thank you very much) and handing out a professional quality DVD or information packet on Ron Paul.

I'm mostly speaking of the disconnect between what hooked us in as supporters (the emotional and dynamic grassroots videos) and not turning them loose on the masses of voters who don't cruise youtube or ronpaulforums. I'd venture to say 90% of Ron's support came from people seeing a grassroots video of him online in some forum or by word-of-mouth and either a friend or family member sitting you down to watch something about him.

[Eric21ND]

well that isn't exactly what you wrote,

you simply said inspirations youtube videos...

who else do you see seeing those besides who you listed above?

that doesn't turn into main stream media in the least.
Alright then, I clearified the point I was speaking to.

Well ideally I'd like older voters, who tend to actually go out and vote and rely on traditional media for their information to see them. I love Rand's healthcare video actually showing him as a practicing doctor, WHERE was Ron's healthcare ad? That still makes me livid to this day.

There are options. We can ads (30-60 sec) played on tv. We should also look into playing a long biography on tv as well. If we have to play it at 3:00am so be it. We could also advertise in movie theaters before a movie starts. And I also like the idea of professional quality dvds being given out. Maybe we could have a dvd on certain issues and we can tune into what cord really strikes with the particular voter. We could also have a general issue dvd that sums up all of Ron's positions and contains grassroots videos as extras or what have you.

[Elwar]

There were a lot of DVDs passed out in 2008. They would go to street corners with high traffic and give the DVDs to people in their cars. High volume, lots of DVDs given out.

There was one website that had a pretty decent setup of Ron Paul videos and good DVDs to download and burn.

Our power as grassroots is people...TV advertising is just about the money. A few commercials here and there could be funded by the grassroots. But getting people to the doors of the people is a great use of our resources.

[specsaregood]

There were a lot of DVDs passed out in 2008. They would go to street corners with high traffic and give the DVDs to people in their cars. High volume, lots of DVDs given out.


That stuff was fun, but arguably ineffective. As the majority of those people don't vote.

Edit: great for an educational campaign, not so great in a campaign to win.

[newyearsrevolution08]

There were a lot of DVDs passed out in 2008. They would go to street corners with high traffic and give the DVDs to people in their cars. High volume, lots of DVDs given out.

There was one website that had a pretty decent setup of Ron Paul videos and good DVDs to download and burn.

Our power as grassroots is people...TV advertising is just about the money. A few commercials here and there could be funded by the grassroots. But getting people to the doors of the people is a great use of our resources.

that is what I never understood

everyone dumped money into campaign parties, blimps and other b.s. that does ZERO for voter turn out

we had a ton of ron paul parties where just ron paul supporters came to, what the hell was the point of that?

I just didn't get the campaigns overall agenda last time around. Worried about this time around as well personally.


Money that we raised should have went into advertising and not paying ron pauls "team" a ton of damn money to run around the states having parties. I just didn't get why people donated towards "volunteers salaries"...

fuckin irritating to say the least.

the blimp for instance, the only people who knew what that means WERE ron paul supporters who were stoked to see that thing in the air, however a BLIMP only works when you are goodyear and everyone already knows you.

If it were to work, the ron paul campaign would need to fund itself and the grassroots can fund itself and its door knocking efforts. The main campaign should have done ad campaigns on tv, I never saw a SINGLE advert of ron paul the entire election cycle BUT how much money did we raise?

got to keep that damn blimp in the air LOL.

[Elwar]

I never saw a SINGLE advert of ron paul the entire election cycle BUT how much money did we raise?


Were you in New Hampshire in 2008? I know they ran ads there.

The parties and get togethers were a good way of getting people out of their homes and out to where actual activities were being planned.

The fact that Ron Paul lost in 2008 doesn't discredit every single thing that was done in 2008. The other campaigns would have killed for the level of organization by our Meetup groups.

We went through thousands of slim jims and small cards with information on Ron Paul.

It's useless to discuss what the campaign should be doing. We need to figure out what we'll be doing over the next year and a half. That's all we have control over.

[Romulus]

The campaign needs a strong central brand and identity so the grassroots can seed it everywhere.

Obama 08 clearly had that, it at worked to their advantage. Their branding was very strong, professional and executed well. Supporters branded the hell out of everything.

We need to do the same. Branding/Advertising works. When you engage folks on a personal level, they are already familiar with a candidate from seeing his/her brand everywhere, so it makes them open and active to supporting that brand.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brand

[Elwar]

The campaign needs a strong central brand and identity so the grassroots can seed it everywhere.


How's this for a brand?

http://karenswhimsy.com/public-domain-images/masonic-symbols/masonic-symbols-6.jpg

[jake]

That stuff was fun, but arguably ineffective. As the majority of those people don't vote.

Edit: great for an educational campaign, not so great in a campaign to win.

can't hurt .. UNLESS the people doing it could be doing something more effective with their time.

[jake]

the Ron Paul Brand.

I'd buy that for a dollar.

[acptulsa]

Well, I have two concerns. One is, we won't maintain momentum by trying to redo the 2008 campaign and fix all the mistakes. 2012 won't be 2008 and if you don't believe me, just look at the mainstream media desperately and laughingly trying to convince swing voters that the candidates who want to make the Republican Party something other than the party of Dubya, Cheney, Rove and The Criminals are not to be trusted because we're too extreme. Nothing like discovering that being a Constitutionalist is radical. God forbid we work to preserve, protect and defend the law of the land.

No, we're like pioneer farmers who have already gotten our first crop in. May not have been much of a crop, but now that we've struggled through the first season the ground is broken. No need to bust virgin sod any more. Now we're just re-cultivating.

I'd rather not see us re-fight the old battle when the powers that be are all too willing to throw new threats at us just as quickly as they can dream them up. It seems to me the battle for hearts and minds is like football--there's little percentage in running sideways and none at all in retreat.

The other concern is that everyone is right, and we need Ron Paul as a standard bearer, or as a 'brand' if you will. But we have to be careful with it, as we are risking damaging the 'brand' just by treating it as a 'brand'. For, to my mind, Dubya and Gingrich and Armey have all been 'brands', especially Gingrich, and Palin is nothing if not a 'brand' right now. Ron Paul is refreshing and different and gets attention by being a man--a genuine, intelligent, honest man of conscience. And I think he's working for us because we were sick of brands, and I think we're getting things done because we aren't the only ones sick of brands.

[Romulus]

When I say brand, I am speaking in terms of a visual identity.

Everything else should be user driven, creative and free form. That's what makes this all worthwhile. We are the most creative, passionate, driven ones out there.

[specsaregood]

can't hurt .. UNLESS the people doing it could be doing something more effective with their time.

Yes, well the comment I replied to was talking about handing dvds out on street corners. Instead of that they could have been specifically targetting registered republican voters or just all voters in open primary states.

[Tinnuhana]

Until Dr. Paul actually declares he's running, we should be educating. This would be non-partisan discussion of economics, non-intervention, etc. Get that out there and then when the time comes, we can easily connect the educational dots to the man.
I also think the more Peter Schiff can get air time setting the stage of economic understanding, the more "Aha! moments" will occur when people hear Ron debating.

[Gaius1981]

The reaction I heard the most was "I like Ron Paul, but I HATE his supporters." You need to make yourselves look more presentable when you are campaigning for him, you need to act more dignified and argue with logic while keeping your emotions in check, and you need to avoid controversial topics such as anarchy, atheism, and 9/11 conspiracy. You also need to recognize when to use moral arguments, and when to use utilitarian arguments, as many people are ambivalent to one of them. When you encounter someone whom you fail to persuade, don't get angry and call them evil neocons, fascists, etc., but thank them for their time and say goodbye. Courtesy, respect and dignity are key.

[Mahkato]

DVDs do not work. The type of person who would actually watch a political DVD they received from a stranger is the type of person who has already watched the same content online. EVERYONE ELSE THROWS THEM AWAY.

[Eric21ND]

DVDs do not work. The type of person who would actually watch a political DVD they received from a stranger is the type of person who has already watched the same content online. EVERYONE ELSE THROWS THEM AWAY.
So then we're back to getting ads on tv then.

[DFF]

Billboards. Big Ones That Get Your Attention In every major city. In high visibility locations.

[randolphfuller]

exactly. Have done this many time myself.

[wormyguy]

My pet idea is to run an ad where movie trailers are usually run. Run it before one or more of the big summer blockbusters in 2011 - The Hangover 2 and Transformers 3 being two examples. That'll run a couple hundred thousand dollars, if it's full length, but should be cheaper if it's a minute or less.

Unending wars. Unending spending. Unending debt. No change; no solution; no end. One man. Ron Paul. Google "Ron Paul."

[libertybrewcity]

We need people talking to every single Republican in the country. We need people getting the college kids out to vote and we will be fine. We have a team that the other candidates only dream of.

[libertybrewcity]

we need to perfect microtargeting. That is individualizing literature and message to fit the group or person. For example, if you go to a tea party rally you don't talk about drug legalization, you talk about ending the irs, auditing the fed, cutting spending, etc.

If you go to a college campus, you don't talk about repealing health care and ending the DoE, you talk about drug legalization and some other issues..

[DFF]

My pet idea is to run an ad where movie trailers are usually run. Run it before one or more of the big summer blockbusters in 2011 - The Hangover 2 and Transformers 3 being two examples. That'll run a couple hundred thousand dollars, if it's full length, but should be cheaper if it's a minute or less.

Unending wars. Unending spending. Unending debt. No change; no solution; no end. One man. Ron Paul. Google "Ron Paul."

That's a damn good idea.

[outspoken]

Need I remind you all that Ron Paul is a Christian and not an atheist and he doesn't smoke pot. So when this is the front you are promoting then you not only don't stand for Ron Paul but you scare off the vast majority of americans who believe in a higher power and advocate for family values. I am a doctor and Christian and a huge Ron Paul fan. It does make you question if America is ready for the freedom that Ron Paul advocates for when the vast majority of his supporters are anarcho-hippy looking freaks. There are many untapped avenues to pursue. Look for certain groups. A lot of the gay community when you get down to it are conservatives and just wish to be free to live their lives. They often support the dems because of the neo-con Christian stance against them. Ron Paul supports marriage to be determined by the church not the state. I also encourage all to volunteer through private organizations that help the needy. Ron Paul does not believe that we shouldn't help each other as citizens, just that it shouldn't be done through the state. We have to show the country we are the party of compassion and freedom; not power, corruption, taxation, etc. If you main reason for supporting Ron Paul is so you can smoke your joint without the police tackling you then you've missed the whole point of his message.

[phill4paul]

Need I remind you all that Ron Paul is a Christian and not an atheist and he doesn't smoke pot. So when this is the front you are promoting then you not only don't stand for Ron Paul but you scare off the vast majority of americans who believe in a higher power and advocate for family values. I am a doctor and Christian and a huge Ron Paul fan. It does make you question if America is ready for the freedom that Ron Paul advocates for when the vast majority of his supporters are anarcho-hippy looking freaks. There are many untapped avenues to pursue. Look for certain groups. A lot of the gay community when you get down to it are conservatives and just wish to be free to live their lives. They often support the dems because of the neo-con Christian stance against them. Ron Paul supports marriage to be determined by the church not the state. I also encourage all to volunteer through private organizations that help the needy. Ron Paul does not believe that we shouldn't help each other as citizens, just that it shouldn't be done through the state. We have to show the country we are the party of compassion and freedom; not power, corruption, taxation, etc. If you main reason for supporting Ron Paul is so you can smoke your joint without the police tackling you then you've missed the whole point of his message.



I don't think any here have missed the point of Ron Pauls message. That message is freedom to do as one chooses without the federal governments interference. This includes those that smoke pot. This includes those that do not believe in a God. Even those that are "anarcho-hippy looking freaks." These are also voters and contributors. And since you suggest, very wrongly I might add, that these are the ones that make up the "majority" of his supporters then perhaps you are the one that should adjust your approach.

[JVParkour]

Maybe this is something that no one wants to hear, but maybe we should not use the Ron Paul Revolution slogan...

I dunno... it didn't work last year, whats to say it wont do the same?

[jake]

I think it's time to drop the 'revolution' .. but, we would need something as powerful in it's place.. suggestions?

[anaconda]

The OP is just about the smartest thing ever said on the forum. I was making this case a long time ago. Paul needs to be marketed by the slickest of advertising hot shots. He needs his talking points slickened up a bit for maximum and widespread impact. And to appeal to the lesser thinking voters or those that don't have the time or interest to study the issues heavily. We will need all of their votes, too...

[DFF]

And, Anaconda, I would add a speech coach to that list.