Winning Local Election Design: Igniting change through social media

It is an uphill climb to defeat qualified opponents in local elections. In suburban Jericho, NY, Christopher Foresto, decided to run for Jericho School Board of Education because he had a compelling story and community based values. With voting day close on the horizon, he needed to make a gripping connection with local voters in a short amount of time in order to succeed.  To accomplish this, we designed a targeted social media and print ad campaign with compelling copy and appealing imagery to help him promote his family-friendly messaging and snag the local seat.

We had 3 main goals:

  • Tell Chris’ story as a father, volunteer firefighter, doctor, and community leader, and how these experiences equipped him to be the best choice for a seat on the School Board.
  • Create messaging that defined Chris’s values and illustrated the volunteerism path that led him to run for the Board seat – putting major local concerns such as teachers and community equality first as the key focus.
  • Share information with voters about how they could meet Chris, ask questions, and ultimately place a vote for him on the ballot.

THE CHALLENGE

We knew winning a close local race for a seat on the Jericho School board would be tough. With a slew of qualified candidates, there were several challenges to tackle:

  • Jericho School district has a large diverse population. With a large Chinese voting population and a candidate from the same background, Foresto had to outperform to win the larger community vote.
  • The current school community vocalized a strong sense of split among the board, with public references to “a fractured board of education.” Foresto’s campaign needed to identify the issues and craft messaging that spoke to change.
  • To win the vote, public confidence needed to be gained with regard to strong fiscal and budgeting plans.
  • The district showed an overwhelming desire to provide an “exceptional academic and co-curricular program, maintain a safe and healthy learning environment and support student social/emotional health, while also addressing the needs of the facilities throughout the district” according to the Syosset Central School District announcement.
  • As a part of Chris’s stance, it needed to be demonstrated that he was sharp, involved, and had academics and a safe learning environment first and foremost, and could design a budget that afforded it.

THE SOLUTION

We leveraged a multi-faceted marketing approach backed by our team’s unique expertise to develop relevant messaging and reach voters where they were — targeting platforms ranging from digital and print ads to developing store signage for local businesses.

We also drafted an engaging social media messaging plan that focused on accomplishing results for local families and bringing unity to the school community.

THE RESULT

Chris Foresto won a tough race. The personalized, visual, made-for-digital content produced high engagement rates and helped Chris convey his value to the community. Chris Foresto was elected by a healthy margin to fill the vacant trustee seat.

Are you a candidate looking for a winning campaign? Give us a shout! We provide a free consultation. Email us at info@lughstudio.com or call us at (718) 855-1919!

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