Direct Mail
The majority of the Moorman Campaign was conducted by a massive direct mail effort. After discovering the key publics, and the issues important to those publics, the campaign was finally ready to launch its communication efforts. Letters were produced on my own laser printer, a Brother HL-1240. At twelve pages per minute, I was able to quickly produce mailings using a database merge.
Many factors were considered regarding the overall appearance of the mailings. At the beginning of the mail campaign we were using envelops with the campaign logo as the return address. After the first mailing (the announcement letter), I decided a better method would be to use window envelops without an identifying return address. Mailing addresses were printed directly on the letter, visible through the envelop window. I reasoned that curiosity would cause the recipient to open the letter, rather than discard it as junk-mail. Every letter was mailed using a first-class, 33 cent stamp. I instructed campaign volunteers to place the stamps slightly crooked to give the impression that the mail was not generated by a machine. Letters to senior citizens were constructed with a 13 point, prestige-elite font, for clarity and to appear typewritten. Stark white typing paper was used on mail we wanted to appear professional. When the campaign needed to portray itself as a grass-roots movement, we used paper of poorer quality. Every letter was personally signed. As a matter of fact, I became quite adept at Bernie's distinctive signature, and by the end of the campaign I had signed nearly 7,000 letters.
Timing the letters was an issue that occupied much of our discussions during campaign committee meetings. The dilemma was between communicating our ideas early and exposing them to criticism, or waiting too long and encountering voters who had already made a commitment to another candidate. Of course, letters attacking the performance of the incumbents were mailed five days prior to election day. The announcement letter was mailed in March, and smaller correspondences were mailed throughout March and April. However, it was decided the majority of letters, though prepared well in advance, should not mailed until the final two weeks of the campaign. This was done to prevent an effective response and/or criticism from the opponents. Another reason was to keep Bernie's name fresh in the minds of voters.
As you will see, though all the letters were different, common themes ran throughout each: ignoring the needs of residents; the strength of a community is measured by the vitality of its neighborhoods; we need to strike a balance; open the doors of City Hall; closed door politics; your support is very important to the future of Covington.
Using our database of registered voters in Covington, I extracted republicans, senior citizens, residents of retirement homes, democrats, and residents near the Hands Pike neighborhood who would be likely to vote in this primary election. The result was that many people received several letters, or "touches" from the campaign. Follow the link below to see the letters, and in the case of Hands Pike and retirement homes, the fliers sent to those key publics.
Continue to Outreach to Republican Voters
