Badnarik Sign #3

Thanks to Trevor for bringing this to our attention.

posted Apr 26th, 2006 by Stephen Gordon
  • http://www.enigmacurry.com Ryan

    When I first heard about the “Smile if you love liberty” campaign from Michael I thought it was a great idea.. and I still do!

    One thing that get’s me though is one might associate that big smiley face with the Personal Choice crowd. I don’t think they are too big in Texas though so it’s probably nothing to worry about..

  • DAP

    I love the thought, but is this billboard going to get Badnarik votes?

  • Rick Rajter

    Yeah, the footer line is too faint… least from the perspective of the video footage.

  • mikehorn

    If people like the quote (And, would you want the votes from the people who DIDN’T smile?) they’ll take a glance at the footer as they pass by… if anything, it will force them to focus and remember who paid for it. :)

  • DAP

    Anyone know the name of the song played in the background?

  • http://www.ilovephysics.com Chris Moore

    This is actually pretty smart marketing. This sign is probably the beginning of a “Who is John Galt?” style campaign. It’s a marketing ploy major advertisers use frequently, like eBay’s “What is IT” campaign a few months ago.

    From what I’ve read in the fundraising letters, they plan on having a “Smile Brigade” with hundreds of volunteers all over the district waving “Smile if you love Liberty signs” and handing out Badnarik literature.

    I’ll have to send more money :)

  • Stephen Gordon

    Mike — those are my thoughts. As I watched the sign being erected, I was waiting until I could see who sponsored the sign.

  • disinter

    Nothing on the Badnarik site about this… wonder why?

  • http://www.winliberty.com John P Slevin

    Excellent advertising. Makes you want to see more.

  • http://www.lpgeorgia.com Trevor Southerland

    Mike, try going to the blog.

    See, sometimes my constant checking the same 12 web sites every 15 minutes comes in handy. :-)

  • Tale Swapper

    Right. Now I need the bumpersticker… ;)

  • http://www.lpgeorgia.com Trevor Southerland

    Typically for a Libertarian campaign this would be stupid marketing.

    However; how many Libertarian campaigns do you know for Congress that have three billboards on April 26th?

    For the Badnarik Campaign; that has decent funding and time to actually make a campaign strategy… it’s pretty smart.

    Anyway, Michael and the campaign staff are proving they’re worthy of our donations.

  • disinter

    They really need a new web master.

  • http://www.auburn.edu/libertarian Jim Greenleaf

    DAP – the piece of music is Ludwig van Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9 in D Minor, Op. 125, “Chorale”, II. Molto vivace.

  • Sandra Kallander

    Last I heard, webmasters were being actively interviewed, ’cause they really need one.

  • disinter

    Sandra,

    I have been hearing that for months….

  • Stephen Gordon

    Jim,

    And they say Alabamians have no class…

  • mikehorn

    DAP – the piece of music is Ludwig van Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9 in D Minor, Op. 125, “Chorale”, II. Molto vivace.

    The opening is used on Keith Olberman’s “Countdown” show.

  • http://libertarianyouth.blogspot.com Nigel Watt

    Any data on the daily traffic for this sign?

  • http://articulatecampaigns.com Allen Hacker

    :-)

    Glad you guys like it.

    Traffic is estimated at 18,000-plus cars&trucks per day on average. SignAd just acquired this board and hasn’t finished clocking it yet. It’s on 290, the artery through the area between Austin and Houston, and the backbone of our district. Burton, where the board is located, is almost the exact center of the district. Everyone driving East into Burton (from Austin to Houston) gets this one right in front of them as they round into an extended S-curve, and see it right up front for over 100 yards of straightaway.

    Cost was $5250 for the duration. That’s about $0.0016 (a tad over 1/6th of a cent) per vehicular exposure over 6 months.

    Kudos, Travor, for spotting the advance showing of the video. Jon and I wondered if/who’d get there first.

    A larger showing via Google Video is now available via http://www.badnarik.org.

    -0-

  • http://articulatecampaigns.com Allen Hacker

    (Oops: “Travor” is dyslexical for Trevor.)

  • Mark

    I like it!

  • http://360.yahoo.com/pong_god Robert Mayer

    Nice work, Allen!

  • http://www.lpgeorgia.com Trevor Southerland

    Allen,

    Do I get a prize?

    Like “Guy who can’t sleep of the year”

  • http://libertarianyouth.blogspot.com Nigel Watt

    By the way, does anybody know what McCaul’s spending money on? Hasn’t he raised more than Badnarik?

  • George Whitfield

    I’m smiling, I’m loving it, and I’m sending another contribution to Michael Badnarik’s campaign!

  • http://www.lanuf.org/ Neal Conner

    The Beethoven piece is actually a synthesised version produced by Wendy Carlos for the movie “Clockwork Orange.” Thus, it and the sped up footage is a reference to scenes from the film.

  • http://articulatecampaigns.com Allen Hacker

    McCaul’s money numbers to the end of March, 2006:

    Net contributions: $679,626.84
    Net Expenditures: $392,939.79
    Cash on Hand: $206,352.54
    Debt: $413,614.82

    McCaul’s debt is leftover from last election ($602,814.30 as of Nov 11, 2004); contributions since then have been used to pay it down significantly to where it is now. As you can see, he’s still over $207,000.00 upside down.

    Further, if you examine last election’s numbers, you see that almost $1.5million of the approximately $2.25million he spent was his own (wife’s) money, something that won’t happen this time.

    By comparison, Badnarik’s numbers as of end of April 2006:

    Net contributions: $212,954.86
    Net Expenditures: $160117.16
    Cash on Hand: $52,837.70
    Debt: $30.00

    Note that through the fine work of Prez2004 management Geoff Neale and Fred & Barb Collins, Badnarik came into this cycle without debt.

    -0-

  • http://articulatecampaigns.com Allen Hacker

    Damn! That’s Badnarik through end of March 2006, same as the McCaul period.

    My apologies.

    -0-