Election Season: Lessons in Art and Marketing

It’s election season and it’s everywhere… on bus benches and vehicles; on TV and radio; in newspapers and all over the web. I think the phrase, pandemic marketing, could apply to the political rhetoric bombarding all of us. And with the recent Supreme Court decision to allow PACs (Political Action Committee) to advertise and promote at will and without restriction, this election season seems to be far worse than previous ones.

Are you as sick of it as I am – wishing it was over already?  But wait…  I’m an artist…  where is the artistry in the goings-on and what can I learn from all of this political marketing?

Focal Points and Color Schemes

Looking at marketing for issues presents a more diverse collection than the marketing for candidates.  The issues/ballot measures, being all different, all have an art basis for selling the theme to the voters, which carries through regardless of the means of delivery.  It could be a consistent color scheme or an icon or a catch-phrase.  But whatever it is, it’s always there.

Our shops don’t necessarily have themes, but we’re certainly selling something!  It’s all a matter of continuity.  There’s a wide variety of visual ‘lessons’ available right now for us to consume at no charge.

Advertising and Marketing in General

We are witnessing who-knows-how-many dollars being spent to sell candidates and ideas.  It’s a broad spectrum palette and a fabulous example of what works and what doesn’t.  Here’s a tremendous opportunity to take a variety of promos for the same thing or person and compare them side by side.  Which one do you like?  Which one do you hate?  Why… what’s thedifference?  What is it about your favorite that makes it your favorite and then how can you apply those attributes to your own business/items?

This is really not that much of a leap when you get right down to it.  After all – you are an artist, and we tend to see things differently than most everyone else.  So for the moment, ignore what is being sold and sit back and enjoy this free education on how to advertise.

Think Before You Speak

Once you put it out there in public, it’s incredibly hard to take it back.  I realize that no one reading this article receives the coverage of a political candidate or issue.  But, we all still have some reach and our goals are to extend that reach.  The next time you are writing a blog post, composing a description, commenting on a social networking site, or whatever, bear in mind that the Internet is forever.  Next week, or next year, it’s horrible when something comes back to haunt you.

Photographic Marketing

No matter what level of office, there are pictures of candidates everywhere.  In every one of them, the candidate stands out.  None of them resemble a page from Where’s Waldo.  How has the photographer managed to accomplish this?  No matter what the props are in the shot (including crowds of other people), your eye is immediately drawn to the candidate.

Studying the photos that are out there right now can give you all kinds of insight in staging and lighting product pictures to achieve similar results.

****

I think we all have a tremendous opportunity right now to learn something about selling ourselves.  Don’t miss out!

Written By iKnitQuiltSew

 

Tags: advertising, artisans, Handmade, Handmade Artists, handmade marketing, photography, promotion business, self promotion

Posted in Handmade, Handmade Artisans, Information, Selling Tips, Tutorials