In a local election year, there are many candidates running for city mayor, council, and other positions who face a certain challenge with signs: What do you do with a yard sign when there isn’t a yard?
First, it’s a bit of a misnomer that there aren’t yards in urban districts. Most cities have some neighborhoods with front lawns and often, there’s enough grass in and around sidewalks to make a campaign sign work. On the other hand, central business districts and large apartment and high-rise buildings aren’t conducive to posting signs.
If your supporter lives on the 10th floor of a high-rise, putting a campaign sign in their window won’t do any good. On first floor residences and any other home with a strategically placed window, it’s common to see signs in the window. Urban campaign should keep this in mind and order fewer stakes and consider corrugated plastic or cardboard signs, which are easier to post in a window than a plastic bag sign. Campaigns could also order fewer yard signs more generally and opt for a small order of rally signs.
Where there’s a will, however, there’s a way, so you shouldn’t be surprised to see how supporters in urban areas make yard signs work. An industrious voter can make do with the cracks between bricks or a flower pot to post his candidate’s sign.
Candidates in an urban environment don’t have as easy of a time as suburban and rural candidates with the physical placement of signs, but with a little bit of creativity campaigns can increase candidate name recognition with yard signs.
Ben Donahower writes about campaigns signs from a political operative’s perspective at Campaign Trail Yard Signs. Some campaigns get advice about signs from a printer, but Ben makes campaign yard sign recommendations to candidates rooted in political principles. You can connect with Ben on most social networks including LinkedIn and @iapprovethismsg on Twitter.