I Hate That Pause

One of the recent additions to the McAdams' campaign staff is our communications director, Ashley Sumner. She's a bright young woman with a degree in strategic communications and prior experience on the campaigns of Peter Caroon and Ralph Becker.

Ashley Sumner

Ashley's still settling into her new role, but she's a quick study and has already identified areas where she can make important contributions.

I was curious to know what a bright person with fresh eyes thought of our campaign, especially since she's now immersed in the very center of it. So late yesterday I asked her for her thoughts.

My first question was,  "What is the most important thing this campaign needs to do right now?"

Her answer came without hesitation, "Achieve greater name recognition for Ben."

Actually, I think she's right. It's also true that this fact is often a blind spot for political campaigns. The people who are involved in these efforts spend months focused on a single political candidate, and it's easy to begin feeling that this familiarity is shared by the rest of the world. But it isn't.

Around the office I can say "Ben," or among active Democrats in Salt Lake I can say, "Ben McAdams," and everyone knows who I mean. But when I call an independent or Republican voter in Taylorsville and say "Ben McAdams," there can be a very long pause.

I hate that pause.

Like it or not, there are a huge number of voters who cast their ballot for someone simply because they've heard of them. Beyond any appreciation for a candidate's history, opinions or qualifications, it's simple human nature to want to feel comfortable with the people we elect to office. And without familiarity, that sense of comfort is impossible

So, what does it take to establish a minimum level of familiarity? Most political experts say that a candidate's name must be seen at least six to twelve times.

That's it, no brochure, no press conference, no debate, just have your name seen six to twelve times.

Once that happens, then you can begin to diffentiate and define a candidate's various qualities and objectives. But only once that happens.

And for a large part of Salt Lake County we're not there yet.

Obviously, there are many things that Ashley, and even Ben himself, can do to get us there. But what can we, as Ben's supporters, do to get name recognition crossed off the to-do list?

It's prosaic and commonplace, but that's where yard signs, buttons and tee shirts come in. Put on a Ben McAdams button and walk past ten people, then each of those ten people have seen his name one more time. Put up a yard sign and five cars drive by, then each of those drivers have seen his name one more time.

It's simple, redundant math. But it couldn't be more important to Ben's success.