Ep. 145: Behind the scenes on the last days of a campaign
Apr 23, 2025
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Laura D'Angelo, a seasoned Liberal strategist, Melanie Paradis, former communications director for the Conservatives, and Cheryl Oates, ex-communications chief for Alberta's Rachel Notley, dive into the chaotic final days of a political campaign. They discuss the rush of creating impactful ads, balancing data with messaging, and the essential strategies for maximizing voter turnout. Personal stories reveal the tensions of election day logistics and the emotional stakes involved, underscoring the necessity of preparation for any outcome.
Quick production of high-quality advertisements is crucial for addressing gaps in messaging and targeting specific demographics during a campaign's final days.
The final week of a campaign requires meticulous planning for leader tours to maximize voter outreach in competitive ridings, emphasizing logistical challenges and strategic targeting.
Deep dives
Last-Minute Ad Production Process
Political parties often create last-minute ads based on internal polling and the need to address gaps in messaging to target specific demographics. For instance, the Conservative Party's recent ads created within 24 hours of filming highlight the importance of quick production capabilities and strategic targeting, particularly focusing on men over 60 who have historically supported them but are losing ground in current polls. During this phase, campaigns may tweak existing scripts but typically plan for last-minute advertisements as part of their overall strategy. However, the mere fact of producing high-quality ads rapidly still indicates a response to unexpected challenges within the campaign, suggesting a level of urgency or even panic setting in among campaign teams.
Strategic Tour Planning in the Final Days
The final week of a political campaign involves careful planning regarding where leaders travel to maximize their outreach and voter mobilization efforts. This involves assessing competitive ridings and targeting areas where the party has the best chance of winning or needs to solidify its position. Leaders like Mark Carney are seen engaging with specific regions such as the Maritimes and Quebec, while rivals like Pierre Polyev target populous areas like the GTA. The logistics of these tours are complex due to constraints like flight hours and campaign budgets, adding a layer of challenge to the already intense environment of the final campaign push.
Get Out the Vote Strategies
The process of getting out the vote involves identifying which voters are likely to support a party and ensuring they actually make it to the polls on election day. Campaigns utilize door-knocking, data entry via apps, and phone calling to record voter intentions and confirm whether individuals remain supportive as the campaign unfolds. By the election day, volunteers are dispatched to persistently reach out to identified supporters, ensuring they know their polling locations and have resources to vote. This method highlights the importance of tracking voter sentiment continuously, particularly in fluctuating political landscapes, where opinions may shift dramatically in the days leading up to the election.
The Importance of Final Campaign Messaging
In the final phase of a campaign, messaging dramatically shifts from policy-focused communications to more engaging, emotionally driven appeals aiming to motivate voters. Campaign teams focus on creating excitement around the leader's visits, often using visual opportunities to capture media attention, which can become pivotal for voter engagement. The challenge lies in crafting messages that resonate without relying heavily on new policy announcements at this late stage, encouraging attendance and enthusiasm instead. This art of last-minute messaging can significantly influence voter turnout, making it essential for campaigns to balance authentic engagement with strategic, timely communications.
The final days of a campaign can be hectic. The Conservatives had to pull together a couple of advertisements on short notice. Every party is sending their leader on a cross-country tour and volunteers on the ground are pulling out all the stops to ID their supporters in order to get them out to the polls on election day.
There’s a lot going on in this last week before election day. Ads, tour, get-out-the-vote. So, what’s the story on how parties actually get it done?
Throughout this election, three veteran party organizers have been joining me on The Writ Podcast to explain the ins and outs of campaigning — and they’re back one last time!
Laura D'Angelo has worked Tour Central for the Liberals in elections both federally and provincially, and was director of campaign operations for the Liberals in 2019. She is the vice-president, national strategy and public affairs at Enterprise Canada.
Melanie Paradis was director of communications for past Conservative Party leader Erin O'Toole and is president of Texture Communications.
Cheryl Oates was the executive director of communications and planning for former Alberta premier Rachel Notley. She’s principal at GT Executive Advisors and is the co-host of The Discourse podcast.
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