The real question should be why wouldn’t they use door drops at election time.
The candidates we all see during a run up to an election are only a figure at the head of an organisation dedicated to get their man or women elected.
The national political parties have huge budgets that allow them access to television, radio and national press.
However, local constituency parties, whose job it is to get their local candidate elected, do not have access to large sums of money. Not for them hours of prime television time and expensive ads in national newspapers.
Their job is to get their parties message out to the electorate, and get their candidate elected. And they have to do this on a very tight budget.
Political parties are media aware
Local political parties, like their national counterparts, employ press officers, publicity and advertising people who are very media aware.
Their job is to get as much publicity as possible for their candidate, while remaining within very tight fiscal boundaries.
That is why the really media savvy ones among them choose door drop leaflets.
They know what works
They have seen how hundreds of small and medium local businesses have benefitted and prospered by using a well-designed leaflet, and having it dropped on the door mat of the prospective customer, or in this case prospective voter.
They know that the best and most economical way to get their local candidates image and message in front of the local electorate, is through the letterbox.
The advantage a door drop has over the rest of the post that lands on the door mat is that it stands out.
A Door drop leaflet stands out from all the other post
Unlike a mail shot, a door drop is not enclosed in an envelope, so a door drop leaflet is one of the first things a person reads as they sort through their post.
And the publicity people in the local political parties are very aware of that.
They are also aware that a door drop leaflet does not need to be elaborate.
A well written profile of the candidate, plus one or two photographs, can easily be fitted on an A5 sheet.
Printed in full colours on both side of the sheet, a door drop leaflet provides an excellent platform for them to get their message out into the homes of the electorate.
They know how effective door drops are
The reasons why politicians and their party machines use door drop leaflets effectively at election times, are they appreciate it is a highly effective method of getting their message across to the electorate.
They have seen how local businesses have used door drop leaflets and how it improved their profile and standing in the local community.
They know what sells
Despite all the hyperbole regarding their election promises, politicians know they are in the same business as the companies who also use door drop leaflets, they are all selling something.
Local companies are selling products and services; politicians are selling ideas.
That is why politicians use door drop leaflets at election time, They have seen how it works.
