So now that our campaign has officially kicked off, we are beginning one of my favorite phases of a campaign cycle, which I call the “roll out”.
Few moments in a campaign bring more joy and affirmation than the roll-out phase, for it is the first time the general public gets a taste of the activity and strategy that the campaign has been planning and laying out for months. This past week, the roll-out began rolling out, and it starts with the simple act of shipping materials to everyone in our county chairman organization.
In reality, this is just the beginning of the roll-out – as it is implemented in waves. Already we see all over social media – our chairs receiving their goodie boxes and snapping photos and sharing on FB, Twitter, and Instagram. These posts are fun and affirming, but they are just the beginning of a wave of activity that is very strategic and powerful. Over the next few weeks, additional materials will be shipped to our people on the ground in all 100 counties. At that point, they get to work and start sharing the Dan Forest brand at events all over the place – all the time. It has already started as our Team Forest teams are popping up at festivals and parades from one side of the state to the other.
A lot of candidates scoff at the idea of a county by county driven campaign, choosing instead to run centralized media-driven campaigns. What a mistake. It deprives people, who want to help, the opportunity to plug themselves into something bigger than themselves. The Dan Forest campaign really is not a campaign, but a movement. Over the next few weeks, you will see for yourselves as that movement comes to life.
Back in the day, this type of campaign was called a machine. Not so today, as it’s a true organic movement that moves differently in each county, but shares the same heartbeat… and that beat is going to get faster and stronger with each passing day. Like I said earlier, I love this stage of the campaign. Other than election night, it is my favorite time of a campaign.
