FDP municipal election campaign

Mayoral candidate Murat Kalmis

Comprehensive support for the election campaign of FDP mayoral candidate Murat Kalmis. Find out in detail about the successful campaign planning here.

Daumen Hoch Murat Kalmis

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Starting position

A mayoral election in Delmenhorst involves much more than just the term “election campaign”, which is always understood objectively. In this case study, we take a look at the entire election campaign and consider the beginnings and the final results.

Background information on an intensive campaign

Delmenhorst & its structure

Delmenhorst is a working-class town, which is also reflected in the elections. For some time now, the SPD has been the top vote-getter in all elections, including the city’s mayor, Mr. Axel Jahnz, at the beginning of the election campaign. A city with a socially left-wing character, does that go hand in hand with the interests and policies of the FDP? Politically, the starting position is therefore not ideal for making a fundamental start. Delmenhorst is also not a lucrative business location (unemployment rate 11% – as of January 20211), which can often go hand in hand with FDP interests. Nevertheless, we are very confident that we can achieve very good results together.

The candidate – Murat Kalmis

Mr. Kalmis is a well-known political face in the Delmestadt. He has been a member of the city council since 2001 and therefore has a great deal of experience in the local political landscape.Long before the election campaign and his decision to stand as a candidate, Mr. Kalmis was also one of the most hard-working politicians in the city. Solution-oriented, citizen-oriented and meticulous, Murat Kalmis has been working in the interests of the citizens since 1994 and has already created and initiated many projects in the city.

The FDP in Delmenhorst

As of January 2021, the FDP has 3 seats2 in the city council and, together with Bündnis 90/Grüne, is the fourth strongest force in Delmenhorst, after the SPD, CDU and AfD.

Impressions

Get an insight of the extensive implementation in print, online, advertising media and advertising technology.

The election campaign

1

Warm-Up | January to July

The “spectacle” began in January. We used social media posts to prepare a number of topics that we were able to communicate in February. These were about Mr. Kalmis’ characteristics as well as important topics relevant to the city.
We started at a moderate pace so as not to overdo it.We always provided Mr. Kalmis with graphics and also provided textual support on some points. By the end of May, we had reached a good level of intensity, but this had to be leveled off again so as not to pre-empt the main election campaign. While Mr. Kalmis was bursting with energy at all times and was extremely committed to his election campaign, we were always on hand to provide advice and to help with some points. As a result, the intensity decreased a little by the end of June.

2

The hot phase | July, August & September

We jointly defined a focus period of just under three months.These were therefore July, August and September (until the election).We had to fill this time with content and make the best possible use of it.From city information stands to stickers on vehicles and online interviews, we covered the entire spectrum.

The election campaign clearly overshadowed the appearance of other candidates in some areas. At times, it was like a 24/7 job to conduct the election campaign passionately and efficiently.

Intensitätskurve FDP Wahlkampfumsetzung

The intensity of the campaign was specifically controlled and maximized in the focus period.

3

Online media

  • Social media
  • General and topic-related post graphics
  • Cover & profile pictures (also of the city council candidates)
  • Election appeals in various languages
  • Series of articles explaining the postal vote
  • GIFs & Stickers A total of 2 GIF creation rounds, which were / are available globally afterwards. Click here to view the results of the GIFs. A total of 89 GIFs and stickers and 1.8 million GIF views (as of November 26, 2021)

4

Advertising media

Scented trees
To refresh the smell of the car and to generate multiple contacts with potential voters. With the free scent tree we reached various drivers several times a day. (5000 pieces)
Apple spritzer cans
Give-away cans to hand out at information stands. True to the motto: advertising that tastes good and reaches the person. This results in a high trust value.
Doughnuts imprint
Creation of doughnuts imprint which was printed directly by the confectionery. The doughnuts were distributed at the city information stands.
Ballpoint pens
Classic give-aways.
Mugs
Creation of the print pattern for some printed cups as give-aways.

5

Advertising technology

Folding pavilion
Neutral FDP folding pavilion as a canopy for stands, promotions and more.
Mobile counters
Mobile counters with neutral FDP imprint.Exhibition wall
Murat Kalmis covered back wall with folding elements and top fabric.
Vehicle lettering
Lettering on: 2 Mercedes Vito, 1 Toyota ProAce, 1 VW Tiguan & 4 trucks with clear message.
Window lettering
Lettering of a vacant space in the city center with core content of the project as mayor.
Mobile flags
Mobile flags with attractive Murat Kalmis advertising space in 80 x 300 cm visible area. This was used in the city center to address people from afar.

6

Print

Candidate presentation
Creation of a presentation for introduction to the press and local business representatives.
Autograph card
DIN A6 autograph card as a personally signed gift.
Party program magazine
The short party program consists of 12 pages in 210 x 210 mm and contains the entire election program of the FDP-Delmenhorst. The focus here was on the appealing design of the content and the final print. It was printed on high-quality offset natural paper, which gives the whole thing a tangible quality.
Candidate flyer
Each city council candidate had the opportunity to have their own flyers printed, all of which had a unique appearance. The back of each was covered with the promotion for the Lord Mayor candidate.
Insert folder
DIN A4 folders for inserting sheets, brochures and more. These folders were used, among other things, for the candidate presentation, whereby the folders contained the project development program.
Large posters
We were also responsible for creating and printing the large-format posters. A total of 15 billboards were fitted with the motifs throughout Delmenhorst.
Coin stickers®
We also provided our own popular coin stickers. Mr. Kalmis and his claim adorned several coins, which were quickly distributed. Advertising in the wallet.
Newspaper advertisements
Our task included both neutral ad templates for post-processing by the publishing houses and finalized ads.
Election posters / street lamp posters
Who hasn’t seen them, the election posters hung on what feels like every street lamp. We took care of the design and printing of 1000 double-sided posters and thus made 2000 advertising spaces possible.
Project development brochures
We developed these brochures as 6-page DIN A4 leaflets, mainly for use in candidate presentations to local businesses.
Project development distribution brochure
20000 copies of this edited brochure were sent to almost three quarters of all Delmenhorst households via the City Post. Both brochures contained the development approaches that have already been discussed with investors on the following topics: Area of the former inner-city hospital, Hertie building, Auvera residential building and hotel meadow. With this direct marketing, we effectively delivered content directly to the table of the voting citizens.
Concert handover cheque
As ARTKURAT, we sponsored a concert by the Delmenhorst Shanty Choir for a senior citizens’ residence on the occasion of a visit by Mr. Kalmis and Mr. Christian Dürr (Member of the German Bundestag), which was presented to the residence management by the aforementioned persons.
Bread roll bags
30,000 bread rolls, all of which are to be distributed on the weekend before the election weekend. This includes the procurement of 7,000 paper bags and the design and printing of the same number of stickers with advertising stickers by Murat Kalmis.

7

Results

All in all, we are very proud to have actively managed a large part of this election campaign.

The 2016 result of 3 seats now stands at 5 seats3, which corresponds to an increase of 60 %. The position also improved by one absolute point, to 3rd place. This result can be strongly linked to Mr Kalmis’ election campaign, which automatically applies to the party as a whole. The result can therefore be considered a complete success for the FDP Delmenhorst.

The election campaign had one very big plus point for Mr. Kalmis: he gained immense recognition and popularity. This should be used more in the future to sustainably increase his popularity and support.

To simplify matters, we mainly use the masculine form of language, but include all groups of people (m, f, d) equally.