The freeway blogger shows how to make big signs that reach thousands and thousands of eyes over a span of a few hours. And then there’s the old-fashioned way: thousands of little signs reaching thousands of eyes every day, year after year.
I believe promoting the Democratic brand — touting the party’s values, achievements, and aspirations — is a key — not the only key, but one of them — to increasing the Democratic vote. It also helps remind Democratic politicians of what is expected of people who wear that label.
Now, this server is sometimes slow, so be prepared to think to yourself “Why is this taking so long?” Nowadays 5 seconds seems like a long time. But imagine how long it took to load Tom Paine’s blog in 1776!
STEP 2. Choose one or more messages:
There’s no markup (no profit for Rob!) at this shop, so you can get these messages on bumper stickers and T-shirts at CafePress’s base prices.
Magnetic or regular bumper stickers are just $3.49 each.
If you’re really into this, you can buy the regular ones in bulk for further discount.
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STEP 3. Wait for delivery.
This is the only kinda hard part — 5 seconds I can deal with, but 10 days? I’m impatient! But it’s worth the wait. When you get them, you’ll see they’re high-quality products.
STEP 4(a). Apply sticker to rear of car.
Note: some cars don’t have any rear components that magnets will stick to, but that’s OK — just buy the regular stickers instead of magnets. This type of sticker actually peels off easily, if you ever need to sell the car to your rightwing cousin Freddy. (Seriously, if you’re thinking of buying magnetic stickers and you aren’t sure if they’ll work on your car, test your car first with a refrigerator magnet.)
STEP 4(b). Insert body into garment.
STEP 5. Take your Democratic brand messages out for a spin.
(But don’t drive like my brother!)
Inside the brain of the observer
Most successful organizations and companies don’t get by on just having objectively better ideas and products — they also put a lot of effort into marketing their brand — proudly touting their values and achievements and aspirations. So that over time, more and more people develop — even unconsciously — a subjectively positive view of that brand.
When a reliable Democratic voter sees the message on your bumper or T-shirt, you can bet they’ll really appreciate it. If someone who leans Democratic sees it, the message will bolster their inclinations: your message reminds them of why they’re correct to lean that way, and you yourself are providing confirmation that they are not alone. And those totally on-the-fence people? Your message gives them a good, positive reason to think favorably of Democrats. Even if a person doesn’t consciously think about the message, they’ll be influenced by it at the subconscious level (because that’s what advertisements do). Now, if a person is a hardcore Republican, they may be somewhat nonplussed, somewhat frustrated, because you’re offering a positive message, you aren’t attacking them. You smile, they stew. It’s fun!