Strategy
Messaging and Visuals
Stephen is not your average politician. He wanted to work with the community to solve the issues most affecting the Westside. To show this in messaging, the campaign used collective language (“We deserve better,” “I am fighting alongside you,” “Our tax money should be spent helping the people, not enriching billionaires”). When asked policy questions, the campaign’s responses were detailed and thorough, and we always answered follow-up questions.
Voters are tired of generic, talking-point politicians, and this brand’s use of bright colors, gradients, nostalgic typography, and fun illustrations showcased that Stephen was unconventional. The fight was for important issues — affordability, housing, tax allocation — but that doesn’t require the visuals to be safe. It was bold for a newcomer to challenge an incumbent with wealthy supporters, and I crafted a visual story to match.
Direct Voter Contact
The expected turnout was around 1-in-4 registered voters, and only 1-in-3 residents of the district were registered. With so few people likely to participate in the election, I built the campaign’s strategy to ensure every likely voter had at least two contacts at their doors (conversations when they answered the door and literature drops when they didn’t), with the candidate personally making half of those visits. I also had the candidate attend more than 30 events — from festivals to protests to volunteer activities — to get him out in the community.
Digital Voter Contact
To increase the campaign’s outreach, I built a digital communications plan to contact lower-propensity voters. This involved engaging with Salt Lakers through existing digital channels that they already frequent, sharing videos and answering every question asked of the candidate. These posts had excellent engagement, with a video of him calling out the city council’s funding priorities receiving 88,000 views, 983 likes, and 132 comments. (While I don’t want to publish the full details of that plan publicly, I am happy to talk in more detail. Please reach out at the email address in the footer of this website.)
In addition, I built a website to serve as the main hub for the campaign. This included a comparison of the candidates, detailed policy positions (over 5,000 words, compared to our opponent’s 200 words), and endorsements from everyday community members. To view the archived pages, please click the buttons below:
