Political Campaign

When it comes to creating a brand consistency is key, so we established a cohesive visual identity by selecting a color palette, fonts, and a logo early in the process. Once these elements were finalized, they remained consistent throughout the campaign. Her brand and messaging needed to be readable on a street side billboard as well as a business card. This approach ensured Ellen’s brand became easily recognizable, and we reinforced it by prominently featuring her logo across all platforms and materials.

Creating a strong online presence was essential to the campaign, so we focused on building a professional website and establishing social media accounts. An online footprint is crucial for connecting with people where they are, and reaching audiences online was especially critical since Ellen started as an unknown. Through consistent effort and engaging content, Ellen quickly built a significant following—not just in New York, but across the United States and eventually worldwide.

www.Ellen4Assembly.com

I designed physical materials that played a crucial role in the campaign, including business cards, campaign buttons, palm cards, and lawn signs. Palm cards were particularly important, and we created several versions throughout the campaign. While most campaigns stuck to vertical designs, we took a bold approach and introduced a horizontal version, which turned out to be a huge success—so much so that other campaigns began adopting the idea. In addition to lawn signs, we produced larger signs for businesses and major roads, all of which stayed true to Ellen’s consistent and recognizable branding.

I created a weekly newsletter using MailChimp, keeping Ellen’s subscribers informed with campaign updates, key events, and calls to action. A separate link to the newsletter was also shared with local club members, who then distributed it within their groups, drastically expanding its reach and engagement.

The newsletter was all about consistency. Every Friday, subscribers received a brief recap of Ellen’s week, personal insights to make her more relatable, and a preview of upcoming events. It was a crucial tool because it delivered information directly to supporters, rather than relying on them to seek it out, keeping them engaged and connected.

For their campaigns, many candidates ran ads on Facebook and Instagram, hoping the right voters would see them. We took a smarter, more targeted approach using a platform that placed ads where people were already spending time online.

For Ellen’s campaign, I used voter data to create a profile of the kinds of people we wanted to reach—things like their location, age, and online habits. The platform then found those people across the internet and placed our ads in front of them on the websites they already visited. If a voter often read news articles, shopped online, or browsed specific blogs, our ads would appear in those spaces, making sure they saw Ellen’s message even if they weren’t searching for it.

A targeted ad platform like the one we used works by analyzing online behavior to place ads where people are most likely to see them. Instead of just running ads on one site and hoping the right people find them, this kind of service tracks what websites people visit, what topics they’re interested in, and even what types of content they engage with.

We also ran a weekly half-page ad in our area’s biggest newspaper—both online and in print—targeting only the neighborhoods where our voters lived. Instead of relying on people searching for Ellen, our strategy ensured they saw her message naturally, across multiple platforms, as many times as we wanted.

This approach was far more efficient than placing ads on just one social media platform. It allowed us to control how often someone saw an ad, adjust spending based on performance, and ensure fresh messaging reached the right voters rather than getting lost in the noise.

With over two decades of graphics experience, I was able to leverage my expertise to make Ellen’s campaign visually stand out. By creating eye-catching designs, colorful artwork, and modern, engaging content, I helped position her as a fresh, approachable candidate. This experience played a huge role in ensuring Ellen’s message was not only noticed but remembered, making her a modern and relatable candidate in the eyes of voters.

We produced social media content every day for six months and created multiple 30-second campaign videos to maximize engagement. With only seconds to grab attention, these videos were heavily used on social media and in our digital ad campaign. Since people are more likely to watch than read, consistent video content was a crucial part of our strategy.

Most videos featured Ellen speaking directly to the camera about daily news, campaign experiences, and her reasons for running—offering a personal, direct connection with voters. While consistency was key, we never sacrificed quality.