tacojones
07-24-2017, 11:46 PM
At the Libertarian party website, they sell these "World's Smallest Political Quiz" door hangers for 5 cents apiece:
https://lpstore.org/product/door-hanger-quiz/
On the surface, this seems like a pretty ideal way to advertise your cause. I can't think of a cheaper way to get a message in front of someone's face. All you need is the money to print up literature materials and the willingness to do the legwork of distributing them. You have lots of control over how much information is presented. One dedicated person can reach thousands of households, given enough time. As far as I know, in most parts of the country it's perfectly legal to distribute political literature.
I read a book recently called Get Out the Vote. The authors use statistical analysis to gauge the cost-effectiveness of different get-out-the-vote tactics.
https://www.amazon.com/Get-Out-Vote-Increase-Turnout/dp/0815732678/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1500960211&sr=8-2&keywords=get+out+the+vote
The results aren't too surprising - on a dollar-per-vote basis, personal contact is king. Door-to-door canvassing works best, followed by phone calls, preferably by the candidate himself.
Leafleting - the general act of leaving literature at people's households - doesn't score highly. The effect is not significantly greater than zero. This is actually comparable to other impersonal methods, such as TV, radio, and mail.
However, the book takes a very short-term approach to the question - what tactic is most cost-effective for encouraging a potential voter to vote a certain way in an upcoming election? I'm wondering if impersonal techniques like leafleting might serve the more long-term purpose of raising awareness for your cause, if they're done consistently.
Obviously, no single leaflet or TV ad is likely to change a person's entire system of beliefs. At some point, the person needs to take the initiative to learn more about your philosophy before they can come over to your side. But before they can even consider coming over to your side, they have to know you exist.
In that regard, I wonder if leafleting can be just as effective as other impersonal tactics, like TV and radio ads. If you're short on cash, can this be a good, cheap way of increasing recognition of your candidate/cause? Does it lend the same air of legitimacy that an expensive TV ad does? Imagine if, every year for ten years, liberty-themed literature like this were left on the door of every household in your neighborhood. Maybe it could have information on local activist groups, if any exist. Over time, would it help raise awareness of what a libertarian is? If you're already a liberty-lover, would you be encouraged by this? Or would everyone just get annoyed by the extra junk mail being left at their door?
https://lpstore.org/product/door-hanger-quiz/
On the surface, this seems like a pretty ideal way to advertise your cause. I can't think of a cheaper way to get a message in front of someone's face. All you need is the money to print up literature materials and the willingness to do the legwork of distributing them. You have lots of control over how much information is presented. One dedicated person can reach thousands of households, given enough time. As far as I know, in most parts of the country it's perfectly legal to distribute political literature.
I read a book recently called Get Out the Vote. The authors use statistical analysis to gauge the cost-effectiveness of different get-out-the-vote tactics.
https://www.amazon.com/Get-Out-Vote-Increase-Turnout/dp/0815732678/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1500960211&sr=8-2&keywords=get+out+the+vote
The results aren't too surprising - on a dollar-per-vote basis, personal contact is king. Door-to-door canvassing works best, followed by phone calls, preferably by the candidate himself.
Leafleting - the general act of leaving literature at people's households - doesn't score highly. The effect is not significantly greater than zero. This is actually comparable to other impersonal methods, such as TV, radio, and mail.
However, the book takes a very short-term approach to the question - what tactic is most cost-effective for encouraging a potential voter to vote a certain way in an upcoming election? I'm wondering if impersonal techniques like leafleting might serve the more long-term purpose of raising awareness for your cause, if they're done consistently.
Obviously, no single leaflet or TV ad is likely to change a person's entire system of beliefs. At some point, the person needs to take the initiative to learn more about your philosophy before they can come over to your side. But before they can even consider coming over to your side, they have to know you exist.
In that regard, I wonder if leafleting can be just as effective as other impersonal tactics, like TV and radio ads. If you're short on cash, can this be a good, cheap way of increasing recognition of your candidate/cause? Does it lend the same air of legitimacy that an expensive TV ad does? Imagine if, every year for ten years, liberty-themed literature like this were left on the door of every household in your neighborhood. Maybe it could have information on local activist groups, if any exist. Over time, would it help raise awareness of what a libertarian is? If you're already a liberty-lover, would you be encouraged by this? Or would everyone just get annoyed by the extra junk mail being left at their door?