A new appreciation for “yard art”

When a politician’s thoughts turn to campaigning, the sign companies begin to salivate. Why? Because they know that soon any piece of turf considered even remotely strategic will be covered in “yard signs.”

Oh, if only these signs were truly restricted to the yards of those supporting the advertised candidates. Truth be told, however, find any modestly busy intersection during election season, and you’ll find an outbreak of yard signs so intense that it would remind you of the acne-challenged members of your high school class. Try as you might to ignore these signs while waiting for the stoplight to change, it’s impossible. Almost overnight (it seems), they’re everywhere.

And each candidate’s ardent supporters seem to have their own theories on what works best, in terms of positioning. Some prefer to place the same sign along a route at equidistant intervals – sort of like the Burma Shave approach, only without the storyline or the charm. Others “wallpaper” a spot by placing multiple signs next to each other. And, still others place their signs immediately adjacent to their competition in the hopes, perhaps, of reminding voters that they do have a choice.

While yard signs are somewhat akin to the flu season (eventually they will go away, like the losing candidates themselves), they do, curiously enough, provide some valuable lessons in communicating effectively...lessons that hold true no matter what the medium, the message or the audience.

• Keep your message focused. Yard signs stick to some pretty basic communications objectives – who (the candidate and his or her party), what (the office being sought), why (the slogan, perhaps) and the occasional verb like “elect.” That’s it. Why? Because there’s no need for anything else. If a yard sign helps build name recall, it’s done its job. As you plan your communications, ask yourself, “What job does each piece of the program need to do?” Answering this question first will keep you focused, and keep your presentation more precise.

• Differentiate. There’s not a lot of room for intricate graphics on a yard sign, so most candidates fall back on the basics. That’s why you see a lot of red, white and blue signs, adorned with the appropriate animal of the candidate’s party. Even with this affection for tried-and-true graphic approaches, the really good yard signs still have a memorable personality. If you find yourself using the same tactics over and over again (or using the same ones your competitors do), ask yourself, “Does this still stand out from the crowd?” If the answer is “no,” reinvigorate it, or find a new approach.

• Repeat. With current estimates at 3,000 advertising messages a day for the average consumer, audiences are hard-pressed to remember anything. Once you have a message that is focused, and a differentiated presentation, don’t leave anything to chance. Assume your audience didn’t hear you the first time, or the second, or the third. (If they did, one yard sign on every corner would be enough, right?) Repeat yourself. How much? While there’s no perfect formula, remember the rule of thumb quoted many times by advertising agencies to their clients, “When you start getting tired of it, your target audience is finally starting to hear you.”

To the point. Unique. And consistent. The mark of a good yard sign, and of any good communications program.