7 Common Pitfalls of First-time Candidates

As first-time candidates throughout the U.S. slog towards Primary and General elections this year, it's a good time to take a look at some pitfalls these candidates often encounter.

1. Trying to self-manage a campaign. Paraphrasing Mark Twain's observation about lawyers, if you serve as your own campaign manager, you're being managed by a fool. Why? Because you cannot objectively make decisions affecting yourself. For example, you cannot objectively tell yourself that your wardrobe is inappropriate, that you must tone down your favorite diatribe, or that you're speaking too long, or on the wrong topics. This is true for your spouse and other close family members, too. They cannot be totally objective. To run a winning campaign, it takes an outsider's clear view of the campaign and its upcoming challenges to make these kinds of decisions - objectively. Sometimes it's hard to hear that you're approaching a campaign from the wrong direction, and you may even be upset, but better you hear it from someone who WANTS you to win, rather than from voters on election day. (Note: For some races for smaller offices with smaller budgets, a strong campaign advisor - or a communications consultant - may be fine as a substitute for a full-fledged, full-time manager. But the advice holds - get outside help, and LISTEN TO THEIR ADVICE.)

2. Failing to raise and spend the right amount of money. Speaking of money, if you don't have the cash, you must raise it. First-time candidates often delude themselves into thinking money doesn't matter. It does. Without money, there isn't a campaign. And it must be not only raised, but spent, wisely. Even if you think you only need a small amount of money, media and voters will be watching to see if you have the ability to raise more than you need. The truth is, candidates need professionals to help them to raise money - or force them to, if necessary, because media and opponents watch "The money race," too.

3. Focusing on the wrong issues. You have 40 issues that you want to tackle in your campaign: abortion, the IRS, Federal defense spending, social security, etc., etc. But wait a minute, you're running for a seat in the state legislature! Much of this will be irrelevant to the office you're seeking. Spending time on issues you will have no control over if you're elected is a waste of time, and can unnecessarily give voters reasons to vote against you. A campaign must focus on a select few, relevant local issues, and not deviate from them.

4. Talking about the wrong issues ... to the wrong people. You should never lie or change your views to chase poll results in order to get votes. Voters can sniff out a phony. But it simply makes sense to speak to groups and individuals about things they care about. Making wildly irrelevant speeches to influential groups is a sure way of looking foolish - and irrelevant. Relying on speech writers, your manager and/or your communications consultant to direct your campaign's focus on issues through scripted speeches is a wise move. It will likely keep you from looking completely out of touch, and will give your campaign a polished look and feel, without compromising your principles.

5. Steering out of the Mainstream. Okay, so you believe in UFOs and aliens, you  think flying cars can solve traffic jams, and that JFK was shot five times by the CIA, Castro and the Mob working together. Keep it to yourself. While some of this may seem "folksy" coming from long-time politicians, remember this: nuts don't often get elected. And if they do slip into office, they frequently don't stay elected long. Say something off-the-wall and it by very well be the only thing voters remember about you, and the only thing the media will focus on, and can easily destroy your chances of victory. In short, keep irrelevant views to yourself. A speechwriter will be able to "filter out" items that you may not notice in a first draft, and keep you from saying things that will "ALIENate" voters.

6. Running to lose. Sometimes, the better part of valor is not running at all. If you don't have the financial resources, if you don't have the support of colleagues and family members, or if you don't have the willpower, health, time or effort to run an effective campaign, don't do it. (And if you can't keep your head above water in one of these areas at any point in the campaign, consider dropping out.) If you do run, however, you must run to win, not to make a point. People don't vote to make a point, they vote for winners. And voters sense when you're just riding a hobby horse, and don't really care about winning.

6. Being Unprofessional. Failing to present your campaign as professional is a sure sign you haven't hired professionals to design your campaign. For example, you had better use *Local* professional design and printing, because if you don't, you may be viewed as not credible as a candidate. Speaking of signs, having a lot of them up, often illegally on public property, won't win the election. Get permission to put them in the right locations. Independent candidates often get carried away with their message, filling a sign, website, or brochure with trite or off-topic slogans and LOADS of text, resulting in unreadable nonsense no one will actually read. This is the sure signal you're an amateur candidate - one who will not be  taken seriously. Keep it brief and keep it professional, and the best way to do this is to have it written by a campaign professional, who will report your spending to local clerks, the state, or FEC, and also ensure you have the right legal disclaimers on all signs, stickers and mailers.

A professional campaign consultant will help you to avoid these pitfalls, and many more, in the course of your campaign. Abbott Media Group offers a wide array of reputation building and campaign consulting services for current right-of-center candidates and future candidates in Florida, Texas, and throughout the US.

Stephen Abbott is a public relations consultant and political messaging specialist, and the principal of Abbott Media Group, specializing in helping political candidates, business leaders, groups and start-ups craft effective messages. Visit Abbott Media Group for more information.

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Choose A Human Writer, Not AI

AI, or Artificial Intelligence, is being touted by some as the answer to all our problems. 

But like past years' fads, like expensive NFT cartoons and graphics, AI has problems of its own, and rushing to ditch humans in favor of machines in all fields make no sense.  

A New York lawyer last week was duped by ChatGPT and is now facing legal sanctions,  after he used  the AI model for research, insisting he didn’t realize it could lie. 

"New York aviation lawyer Steven Schwartz may face professional sanctions after a legal brief he submitted was discovered to be full of “bogus judicial decisions” and fake quotes authored by AI language model ChatGPT, according to court records published last week." Reports the BBC.

"Schwartz told the court in an affidavit on Thursday that he was using ChatGPT for legal research for the first time when he put it to work drafting the ten-page brief he hoped would convince Manhattan Federal Judge P. Kevin Castel not to dismiss a case he was advocating. He explained that he 'therefore was unaware of the possibility that its content could be false.'

It turned out that every case cited in the AI program-generated brief was fake, entirely made up by the program. 

AI-written pieces have come under scrutiny lately. But most articles about it have been glowing and optimistic about how AI and various Chat bots can help humanity. 

There are a few obvious ways In which it seems AI could be very useful. In space exploration,  over 5500 new exoplanets have been discovered in the past decades by large telescopes that have been put into orbit around the earth. Sifting Through all the data that they have collected may take decades, but using AI has greatly sped out the process. 

AI-run rockets making journeys of thousands of years may make more sense than humans, when it's time to visit another solar system.

When such superhuman tasks aren't required, however, we should keep humans employed. While more training in some fields,  like law, may be required, this attorney's experience is a lesson on overreliance on AI.

Putting millions of future attorneys and paralegals  out of work is not good for society or that profession. One can see an early backlash to relying on machines in the growing unease with "self check outs" at Walmarts and other retailers. Doctors that rely on AI and not  human experience can be envisioned making horrific mistakes in the future.

Doing away with article writers seems like a logical step to some,  but a recent Wall Street Journal article noted that while some AI articles presented to a publisher of a retirement magazine contain no grammatical mistakes, most devolved into gibberish and "nonsense," and were sifted out by the publisher. 

One suspects that news editors are doing the same thing. Professors also warn of this threat, but have sifted out plagiarism for decades.

By Stephen Abbott of Abbott Media Group

[AI was NOT used to write this article.]

When Parties Screw Up.. the Latest Example

Political parties,  just like candidates, need to always take care to use public events to build their images, and avoid negative stereotypes about them that could be used by opponents.  For Democrats,  the attack by the GOP that they, deep down, really HATE America, is one they need to be fighting, not reinforcing.  

But in Arizona,  the Pema County Dems this week advertised a July 4 rally in a city park  to protest the overturning of Unlimited Baby Abotions and Legalized Race discrimination in higher education by the US Supreme Court. But the wording of the flyer and name of the event,  "F**k the Fouth" said too much about their real feelings of America. 

The AZ Republican Party and even the AZ Democrats condemned the event poster, tho Dems said the event's orananizers' "anger" about the decisions was justified.

The unaltered tweet, shown below,  was deleted after it hit the media

Similarly, last year, Democrats trashed America in an Orlando, Florida city newsletter meant to discuss Fourth of July events.

New Roles For the Old News Release

 

Long gone are the days of your PR firm or your own organization simply sending out a press release to the local TV and print media, sitting back, and thinking that the job of promoting product, service, or individual has been completed.

That's because the news media are no longer the sole audience of the news release; and understanding this new truth is vital to keeping this communications tool fresh.

Stephen Abbott of Abbott Media Group is skilled in using tried and true tools and techniques such as the news release, but putting them to work in new ways.

AMG understands that news releases today can play several functions in the promotions process,. Releases sent to the media aren't necessarily to ensure immediate coverage. In fact, it's unrealistic to assume that everything sent will be published.

In Abbott's political campaigns, frequent releases have served the purpose of showing that a campaign is active, has hired staff, is raising money, is engaging with voters, and is seriously contesting the race. 

From these roles, it becomes clear that releases from political campaigns have several audiences. 

It's not just local news media, which may or may not be covering local politics, but also political leaders, local business leaders, elected officials, and of course, voters, especially those who are engaged in the process early on. 

Sometimes several releases, specifically targeted to these Publics, make more sense than a single, standard release.

Releases written for business can play a similar role by simply reminding local news media and others that the business is active in the community and open for business.

Releases sent to internal Publics - sush as repeat, regular clients - also have a reassuring effect, and can communicate best practices within a business organization, as well as communicating new policies and procedures to everyone, not just to a select few.

Effective internal Communications  like this can also build a sense of rapport and togetherness within organizations,  reduce gossip and misunderstandings, as well as lower employee turnover.

They can also be employed to convey the new or long-held mission and vision of a group or company. 

These reminders, written in news-worthy, fresh ways, help solidify the reputation of the group or company within a community, and help clarify the purposes towards which they're striving. They can also clear up misconceptions that could damage reputations or cloud the purpose of a company in the public's perception in the long term.

News releases, of course, continue to fill the traditional role of introducing new products and services to current and future clients and customers. 

They still must primarily be sharing something NEW, and be News Worthy in order to be considered for print and digital distribution. 

But they also can demonstrate to clients that a business has the expertise in the field in which they operate, and that they are capable of bringing the latest technology and techniques to bear on their behalf.

Frequent news releases posted on a company or campaign website are an easy way to provide fresh content for visitors. Web content that is frequently changing and updated ranks higher in searches, and encourages future traffic to the site.

Finally, news releases can play a vital role in conveying to relevant Publics within the community that a business is engaging actively with it, playing a positive role by giving back through charitable giving and social involvement. 

This has the effect of building positive feelings towards the business, enhancing its reputation and making future business transactions with them more likely.

AMG and Stephen Abbott understand how to fully employ all the aspects of news releases, and use them to the fullest effect on behalf of clients. 

Contact AMG today for more information. 772-261-1173.

Objections to PR Spending Answered [Abbott Media Group]

 

"I can't afford public relations to build my company's reputation." Really? If you aren't building a reputation, customers won't view your company as reputable, and will visit your competitors. You are either losing or gaining a good reputation every single day. Guess what's happening to your business if you are ignoring it?

"Money is tight. There's a recession coming." Money will get even tighter if your customers stop using your products or services because they don't know how they will benefit from using them or they don't grow to like your company.

"PR isn't effective." it may seem that way in the very beginning, but even short-term PR campaigns can reap great benefits by changing perceptions of your company or the services that it offers. 

"the PR people on the internet promised to get my name in the paper a few times for a flat fee."  Public relations, when done right, isn't just an ad or mention placement service. Anyone with media contacts can get you into Dog Journal or a community shopper or other irrelevant media that won't drive sales, and PR is meant to be a long-term relationship in which the professional gets to know your business and its needs.

"We tried public relations once, but they charged too much and it wasn't effective." The fact that you overpaid, probably for people who were new to the profession, doesn't mean you should judge an entire field on one bad experience. Generally, you get what you pay for. But there are some people who price gouge in every field, whether it's your mechanic, a hospital, or a fancy restaurant. You wouldn't hopefully judge all mechanics, hospitals and restaurants based on those bad experiences. And it's hard to believe anyone would say,  "I tried a mechanic once, but they charged too much. I'm never going back to one."

Race Car Driver's Tweet illustrates Huge #PRFAIL

Oscar Piastri, a reserve driver with the Formula 1 team F1 Alpine, put out a statement on Twitter yesterday noting a substantial disagreement with the team's news release: "I understand that, without my agreement, Alpine F1 have put out a press release late this afternoon that I am driving for them next year. This is wrong and I have not signed a contract with Alpine for 2023. I will not be driving for Alpine next year." His tweet caused a bit of a storm on Twitter among the racing community.

It turns out that Piastri was hoping to sign with the McLaren racing team in 2023, although that, too, has not been finalized or formally announced. 

The episode shows a remarkable lack of communication in public relations finesse on the part of the team and the driver. 

And the News Release itself is an embarrassment to the team and a huge Public Relations FAIL. PR professionals must double and triple check all facts before placing them in print and releasing them to the media like this was done. 

The miscommunication here boggles the mind. How difficult would it have been to speak to the driver himself, and ask if negotiations had been completed and a deal has been signed for his continued participation on the team as the main driver next year?

TV Heart Attacks Give Peloton Heart Palpitations [Abbott Media Group Blog]

Two TV shows featuring regular characters having heart attacks while using a Peloton exercise bike are giving the bike company heart palpitations.

Viewers were shocked when, during the premiere of HBO’s Max’s Sex and the City reboot And Just Like That, series regular “Mr. Big” (Chris Noth) had a heart attack on his Peloton. Turns out, the company not only knew about the product placement, but actively participated in the show featuring it.

But in January, the company got an unexpected jolt when yet another show featured a heart attack, this time, Showtime’s hit, Billions, portrayed longtime character Mike Wagner (David Costabile) as having a heart attack while using the bike.

The company released a statement on twitter saying they had nothing to do with THIS placement and didn’t approve its name or product’s use in the show.

“We get TV shows want to include @onepeloton to get people talking, but to be clear, we did *not* agree for our brand or IP to be used on @SHO_Billions or provide any equipment, As the show itself points out, cardio-vascular exercise helps people lead long, happy lives.”

As a popular appliance and icon of the pandemic age, the Peloton bike is surely well known enough to merit use and even ridicule in popular American culture.

But this wasn’t the first time the brand has had a PR crisis on its hands.

Most of us first learned of the bike through its infamous 2019 TV ad in which a rather thin, attractive young woman receives a Peloton bike as a Christmas gift from her husband,  making a video for hi in which she had a pained look on her face. The ad prompted many to question whether such a “gift” from a man would be inappropriate or even insulting.  

The resulting near-endless analysis of the ad was a PR disaster for the company, who had hoped for a more painless and positive launch.

The recent features the product has received are not *positive* either, but also not entirely negative.
The company’s response was quick and appropriate, and most people will understand that the product doesn’t have this effect on ALL of its users. Still, one doesn’t ever want your exercise product attached to the concept of a heart attack, or any other medical emergency.

Unlike Mr. Big, the company will survive this.