Category: Interviews

Campaign Trail Yard Signs Acquired by Clubflyers.com Printing Company

Posted on by wes

After 7 years of serving the political campaign printing sector, we have just announced our acquisition by Clubflyers, a Miami based printing company. Campaign season after campaign season, we’ve been the top printing company that specializes in printing for political candidates, servicing them along their campaign trail. Our specialization and familiarity with industry standards for political campaign printing, such as corrugated signs, cardboard signs, bag signs and more was a main factor in the buyout.

Campaign Trail Yards Signs has established itself as the go-to source for political printing. We’ve helped many candidates get the word out about their platforms and eventually go on to win, thanks, in major part, to the exposure that their printing gave them and the name recognition it creates. We’ve helped a wide range of political ranks, from governors to congressional candidates and more by servicing them with a well established network of union manufacturers so we can match them up to the best, most cost effective printing options for their specific campaign.

Our CEO Ben Donahower and Clubflyers COO, Mark Quetgles handled the recent acquisition and are excited for the new merge. While Campaign Trail Yard Signs has cornered the political market in South Florida for the past 7 years, Clubflyers has done the same with every other industry that has printing needs as well. Their diverse service offerings has allowed them to print everything from vinyl banners, business cards, promotional flyers and event tickets to table tents, stickers and much more. The clientele and their in-house capabilities has been massively diverse thanks to their state of the art tech such as Heidelberg 5 and 6 color Speedmasters with in-line UV coating and direct-to-plate systems, among other things. Clubflyers has worked in a number of industries over the years, from the entertainment, events and music industry to the small business sector to corporate to the non-profit organizations and more.

The acquisition is simply a smart move for both entities, coupling the best in general printing services with the best in political printing. Clubflyers identified a need for specialized printing service to meet upcoming political candidates’ needs in during the 2018 political campaign election. The acquisition means candidates will have the best printing resources all in one place at their disposal as the upcoming political campaign season approaches. Mid-term elections in Florida have already seen a headstart and created plenty of buzz, with volunteers for the candidates already knocking on doors, making calls and campaigning starting late last year.

Campaign Trail Yard Signs will continue to operate under its current entity as a division of Clubflyers, giving Clubflyers.com a specialized, dedicated entity that will handle any political printing needs for political candidates.

CEO of Campaign Trail Yard Signs, Ben Donahower, said of the acquisition: “It’s exciting when the best printing companies in South Florida come together to better serve the community in a more efficient, intelligent way. This was a strategic move for Clubflyers.com and a highly beneficial one for us as well. We look forward to servicing the candidates with more resources and a bigger team behind us so we can be a printing powerhouse during the upcoming elections and beyond.”

A politico and Realtor talks yard signs

Posted on by wes
Abe Haupt
Abe Haupt, Realtor and Politico

Thanks again Abe for answering a few questions about your experience with yard signs! 

First, explain a little bit about your political background. What campaigns have you been involved with and in what role?

I first got politically involved in college as an intern for Bob Yorczyk who was the Democratic Congressional Candidate running against Joe Pitts in 2000. Ironically, current State Rep. Duane Milne who is a Republican was my advisor. Although we lost I recieved an “A”.

I then finished college and worked as a staffer and GOTV director for the campaign of Andrew Hohns who ran for State Rep in the PA 182nd Democratic primary in 2004 against State Representitive Babette Josephs. We broke a record in that we raised more funds than any candidate had ever raised in a State Rep race but lost by 400 votes in a hard fought battle. I made many great friends on that campaign who Im still close with today, most notably Abe Dyk, Tony Heyl, and Tarik Peat.

I then went to Law School and when I left Law School in 2006, got involved with the PA Young Democrats and got my Real Estate License and got elected Recording Secretary on the exec board In January 07. I then founded the Montgomery County Young Democrats and in June of 2009 got elected Treasurer of the PAYD. Under my leadership, we have raised over 25 thousand dollars whereas the person who was treasurer before me raised 190 dollars his whole term. I also brought Anthony Youngblood onto the board and your friend Jenn Frownfelter as well who just replaced me as Treasurer last month as I decided to resign (on good terms) to focus my civic efforts on raising money for Occular Melanoma which my girlfriend Melissa was diagnosed with in Janauary as well as to spend more time on my rapidly growing real estate practice. I am still a member of the PAYD board and still serve as Executive Vice Chair of the Jewish Caucus of National YDA. Wow that was alot! I have no desire to brag and I dont want to bore you further so I’ll go onto the next question.

Not only are you involved in politics, you’re also a Realtor. You just can’t get away from yard signs. What are the differences between how Realtors use signs and how political campaigns do?

Realtors use signs to promote themselves and their clients interests. Political signs promote a cause. While it is true that signs promote the name recognition of the candidate and are undoubtedly helpful to them in making their name known regardless of whether they win or lose, the presumed basis of political signs is the expression of a set of ideals in the public interest. Real Estate signs are obviously more purely shamelessly devoted to self promotion and there is no presumed cause other than to sell the listing and to attract buyers.

What are the differences in the signs themselves (e.g. aluminum frames versus fold over/corrugated plastic/bag signs)?

Real Estate signs are meant to last for months, even possibly years while the property is on the market so naturally they are far sturdier and more expensive and designed for reuse. Political signs are designed for single use, and designed for quick and rapid deployment in many locations simultaniously. Also most realtors dont steal each others signs like political parties sometimes do.

Have signs helped you professionally as a Realtor and as a political activist? How?

Not really. To be truthful, I always thought candidates and realtors alike put too much faith in signs. Signs ‘vote and signs don’t make offers on listings. They do get your name out there but in the world of 21st century media, the relevance of lawn signs has been greatly diminished. I get most of my clients off webites like Zillow.com. In fact to this date, I’ve gotten maybe one or two sales from signs and dozens from online.

If someone would like to do business with you, how can they get in contact with you?

www.AbeHaupt.com www.ABetterRealtor.com
Or just call my cell at 610-996-3405.

Thanks again for agreeing to answer a few questions!

Experienced campaign professional talks political lawn signs

Posted on by wes

Eddy Foster campaign manager
Campaign Professional Eddy Foster

First, what is your background?  What campaigns have you worked on?

I have been working on campaigns since I was 13 years old. Early on, I was involved in races for School Board and for County Commissioner. When I was 16, my Stepfather ran for State House against Steven Bararr (PA-160), and I got my first real taste of a state campaign. Since then, I have worked on the following races:

  • Andy Dinniman State Senate Special Election
  • Youth VoteEd Adrian for Burlington
  • VT City Council- Campaign Manager
  • Obama for America- Field Organizer
  • Josh Maxwell for Downingtown Mayor- Campaign Manager
  • Tina Davis for State Rep- Campaign Manager
  • And several others… at local and state levels.

Having worked professionally on state and national campaigns, did you notice a difference in the number of voters who were asking for yard signs?  If there was a difference, why do you think that was?

Obama aside (where EVERYONE wanted a sign), supporters of other campaigns all seemed to want signs in amounts proportionate to population. Obama was a rock star, and thats why so many “extra” people wanted Obama signs.

Since you worked on a presidential campaign without yard signs, do you have any stories of supporters who were upset that you didn’t have signs to hand out?

My situation with those signs was odd, because in Chester County where I was working a rich lady essentially purchased signs for the offices in the county. She literally dropped several grand on this. Now, even so, there was never enough, but we kept an emergency stash to give them out to people who wouldnt take no for an answer.

On the state Representative campaign, did the voters who requested yard signs ever volunteer otherwise?  Did you ask people who requested signs to help in other ways?

Sometimes and yes. Our general election batch of signs was delayed, but we had a plan all along. We kept a running list in votebuilder of who wanted signs, and we had guys distribute our signs out to their houses, all in one day. It was great. Some people did indeed volunteer, but %80 of people were simply supporters who didn’t do much more than vote.

Thanks for answering a few questions about your experience with yard signs.  Any parting thoughts?

Yard signs are like the cold war. You need to have about as many as your opponent, but if you have a lot more its overkill.

State House candidate Jerry Policoff on campaign yard signs

Posted on by wes

You’ve heard a lot from me about campaign yard signs: when they work and they don’t. But just like LeVar Burton said on Reading Rainbow, “but you don’t have to take my word on it.” To get a variety of opinions and discover more strategies that work, we’re asking elected officials, candidates, staffers, and other activists about their experience with political signs.

Jerry Policoff for State Rep Yard Sign Interview
Candidate Jerry Policoff

You ran for state Representative in 2010.  Why did you decide to throw your hat into the ring?

The LCDC selection committee asked me to run.  I declined the first time they asked, but they asked again just a few days before the convention and I decided to accept.  They said they had about ten applicants but that they thought I would be a strong candidate and that this was a winnable race.

Did you order campaign yard signs?  If so, why did you decide to order yard signs and how many did you ultimately order?

Ken Ralph ordered the signs from a company in the Midwest.  Our original plan was to order 500, but pour fund-raising exceeded expectations so we ordered 750.  We considered 1,000, but we decided that 750 was more than enough to saturate the district.  That represented about 1 sign for every 50 registered voter.

Tell me about the design of your yard signs.  What did they look like?

The signs said â??ELECT POLICOFF PA HOUSE 41ST DISTRICT.â?  In large block letters.  The background was blue, letters white, border blue inside white and white.

Where did you distribute the signs and why?  Did you put them out along the highway or in voters’ yards?

All of the above.  We put them wherever they were legal because we had more than enough.  When we knocked on doors we asked people who seemed receptive if they wanted a sign for their yard.

Were you able to make use of all of the signs that you bought or, in hindsight, did you order too many?

We probably could have ordered 600 to 650, but we did get all the signs deployed before the election, including at most polling places.  I donâ??t think weâ??d have ordered fewer signs if we had it to do over again.  Everywhere I went people commented that they were seeing my signs all over the place.  Perhaps I would have added the words â??Democratâ? and my web site url if I had it to do over again.  I left that stuff to others.

Any parting thoughts about political yard signs or politics more generally?

I thought the signs were an important purchase because my opponent bought lots of them.  It took quite some time to get an effective team put together because many people who promised to help went AWOL.  Once things fell into place I really enjoyed running, and in a normal year I think I could have won.  I got more than 30 major endorsements including the Intel, and I got excellent press despite running as a committed progressive in a red conservative district.  I would consider doing it again.  On the other hand I am disgusted that Obama has chosen to govern as a tool of Wall Street, and that the Democrats, after securing strong majorities in both houses of Congress, allowed the Republicans and Blue Dogs set the agenda.

I have no doubt that this is why we took such a pummeling in November.  Many Democrats and Independents were fed up and decided to stay home while the extreme right wing of the Republican Party sensed an opportunity and turned out in force.  I intend to work very hard to primary DINO Democrats, and I will very possibly withhold my support and my vote from them if they are nominated.  Right-wing Corporate Democrats have seized control of the Party, and it is time to take it back.

* This goes without saying, but the thoughts expressed by Jerry are his own.  Same goes with anyone else I interview!

Pa Young Democrats president talks yard signs

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Pa Young Democrats president Tim Brennan
Pennsylvania Young Democrats President, Tim Brennan

First, thanks for agreeing to answer a few questions about your experience with yard signs.

Tim, would you explain a little bit about your background and your political experience?

I have been involved in politics and an active volunteer since the 1988 Presidential election. My first big experience with signs was in the 2004 Schuylkill County commissioner race where I put up 500-1000 signs on my own. There was also the 2002 17th District Congressional race.

As president of the Pennsylvania Young Democrats, you’ve come in contact with a lot of younger candidates.  Would you say that young candidates rely less on political signs than older candidates?  Why do you think this is?

I do not think that young people rely less on signs. I think there my be more importance placed on social media, but I think that signs, like buttons, have become a part of political culture. Just like buttons have made it past TV and radio, it seems like signs have found a niche in US politics.

I’ve seen younger candidates forgo signs in favor of social media.  Do you think that candidates should stop using traditional campaigning tactics like yard signs and direct in favor of social media and other newer tools?  Where is there a balance?  Does it depend upon the district?

I don’t think that people should stop using signs, but they have to start making them more in tune with 2011. People are tired of the metal posts and mess they make. I am especially tired of the lead posts, because if you use your bare hands you get lead poisoning and headaches. Physical signs will always have a role in branding because it is something that has been established and that can’t be put back in the bottle, unless the sign industry does not find a way to adapt.

Thanks Tim for your time.  I really appreciated your thoughts!

Councilman Mike Schlossberg on campaign yard signs

Posted on by wes

You’ve heard a lot from me about campaign yard signs: when they work and they don’t. But just like LeVar Burton said on Reading Rainbow, “but you don’t have to take my word on it.” To get a variety of opinions and discover more strategies that work, we’re asking elected officials, candidates, staffers, and other activists about their experience with political signs.

Campaign Yard Sign Schlossberg for City Council
Schlossberg for City Council Yard Sign

Thanks Councilman for answering a few questions. First, please share a little bit about your political experience. What campaigns did you work on before you ran for office yourself? When did you run for council and in what community?

I had worked on a few campaigns…Kerry 2004, Representative Jennifer Mann’s State Senate Campaign in 2005, Linda Minger’s race for State Representative in 2005, Don Cunningham for Lehigh County Executive in 2005, Pennsylvania Coordinated Campaign in 2006 and Michelle Varricchico for Lehigh County Court of Common Please, 2007. Based on this, I knew just how hard campaigns could be, but also how immensely satisfying they were. I also had worked in a few legislative offices…this made me realize the power of politics and governments, so in 2009, I ran for an at-large seat in Allentown City Council.

Yard Sign ask on Facebook
Asking supporters to display a yard sign

In a post on Facebook, you asked for volunteers for your campaign to canvass, phone bank, help on Election Day, and put a sign on their lawn. Throughout the course of your campaign, how many yard signs did you distribute?

Probably around 500…I would say maybe 200 at people’s doors, and the rest were given to volunteers who just threw them up everywhere!

You did a lot of door to door over your campaign. Did voters ask for yard signs while you were out canvassing?

If they gave a positive response, absolutely! This helped me blanket a neighborhood.

Did you ask voters to post yard signs part of your phone bank or canvassing script? Otherwise, what strategies did you use to build a list of voters who wanted your campaign signs?

I didn’t really do phone banking, so no. Otherwise, in addition to canvassing, I included a yard sign ask in every phone call, e-mail and direct mail.