The numbers are staggering. Since 2007, mail volume in the United States has dropped by 43.1 billion pieces, post office visits are down by 200 million, and retail transactions have decreased at least $2 billion. The figures, worry some in the direct mail industry, could eventually lead the United States Postal Service to reduce delivery to three days a week.
This issue's Shoptalkers: Fred Davis, CEO of Strategic Perception; Eric Hogensen, president of HSG Campaigns; Douglas Herman, partner at The Strategy Group; and Vince Monaco, owner of the Monaco Group.
If you’re a first-time candidate, you’ll soon discover that a lot of people are going to give you their two cents about your campaign. The thing is, many of them have no idea what they’re talking about.
Here are five terrible pieces of advice that you are likely to hear, and the facts that you need to remember.
In 2019, HSG Campaigns created multiple mail pieces for United Teachers Los Angeles in support of Jackie Goldberg. This was a special election for an open seat on the Board of the Los Angeles United School District. After winning the primary, Jackie Goldberg moved on to the runoff election. Both candidates were Caucasian in a majority Latino district. We created a unique mail piece entitled: “We Support Jackie.”
For the front, we used pictures of Latino leaders Maria Elena Durazo, Dr. Cynthia Gonzalez, and Dolores Huerta. This was an extremely low turnout election, and it was critical to engage the high propensity Latino voters with direct mail. On the back of the piece, we featured quotes by all three figures, along with their Spanish translations.
Jackie Goldberg won the special election in a landslide, with 71.6% to 28.4%. Latinos were a key voting demographic and effective voter contact was central, and bilingual direct mail was necessary.
"We hired HSG Campaigns as subcontractors on a big project. They were fantastic to work with: thorough in their approach to the campaign; communicated well; and maintained a positive attitude throughout. We ended up increasing their role in the project. I look forward to the next time I will get to work with them."
- Rick Ridder, President and Co-Founder, RBI Strategies
This week Mike is recommending the book "What If" by Robert Cowley.
"Imagine if the Americans lost the Revolution, or if the Allies lost World War 2. Or if the outcome of major battles swung the other way or if important leaders died too early? “What If” is a fascinating collection of multiple essays that play out the game of history to see what could have happened. The book covers a wide range of time, from ancient history to the 20th century, and the essays differ in scope from amusing results to troubling outcomes. For any lover of history, “What If” is a great read for those who wonder if fate was just a bit different."
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