BZD’s 2022 Creative Produces Wins

Reflecting on 2022, it was a year of historic challenges for Americans with a partisan Supreme Court rolling back reproductive freedoms and big corporations raising prices to pad their profit margins.  

And Democratic candidates faced the challenges of that political environment along with unprecedented opposition spending.

From helping Vermont become the first state in the nation to enshrine reproductive rights in its constitution and helping flip the Michigan and Pennsylvania Houses, to protecting all of our incumbent members of Congress and helping Karen Bass become the first woman mayor of Los Angeles, the BZD team was proud to help candidates from coast to coast overcome challenges and win historic races.  

In over 20 states, our creative made a difference between winning and losing.  Some of our favorite game-changing pieces from 2022 are below.

BREAKING THROUGH FOR MEMORABLE IMPACT

People are getting a lot of messages in a lot of places.  So, we developed creative and messaging to cut through the noise, get attention, and make a memorable impact.  

USING HUMOR TO GET ATTENTION AND DRIVE MESSAGING - BOTH POSITIVE AND NEGATIVE

To stand out even more, we used humor when appropriate to deliver both positive and negative messages.  In several cases, our creative was shared by voters on social media, propagating the message.

GRAPHIC AND EMOTIVE STORYTELLING FOR POSITIVES

We have always been proud of our storytelling for positive mail and we used creative concepts to elicit emotion and make strong positive impressions. 

DRAWING CLEAR CONTRASTS ON PRIORITIES

Elections are about choices.  When that is a binary choice, it is critical to show a clear contrast to help the voters visualize the choice.

BZD wins big at the Pollies -- again!

For yet another year, BZD’s creative work stood out with the most AAPC Pollie wins of any Democratic direct mail firm.

We’re proud of our creative product, but we’re even more proud of the wins that our work helped produce in 2021. BZD’s team approaches every campaign uniquely and treats each piece of mail we develop with the thought and care as if we were personally going to be speaking to a crowd the size of each mail universe. 

Times Union Commentary: For a winning strategy, Dems can look to the Spa City

The national narrative coming out of the November election is that Democrats lost ground and the Republican strategy of stoking divisive culture wars looks like it may be a successful strategy for them to win control of Congress in 2022.

Not so fast.

Democrats can look to a small city in New York’s Capital Region for a roadmap to victory in 2022.

Saratoga Springs is a mostly white and suburban-like community. It is politically moderate and has a long history of Republican leadership, though Democrats have gained a small edge in voter registration. With its commission form of government, the mayor and elected department commissioners comprise the five-member City Council. Most of the current council members were supported by Republicans in the 2019 elections, but with four members choosing not to run for re-election, Democrats had an opportunity to elect a majority.

The long-simmering tension between social justice activists, including Black Lives Matter, and the Saratoga Springs Police Department over the death of Darryl Mount reached a boiling point this summer, with additional police called in with riot gear and armored vehicles being deployed during a peaceful protest.

The police response led to activists forcibly detained and later arrested for violations when they could have been mailed a summons, producing more protests and an investigation by the New York attorney general’s office.

In spite of this charged environment with public safety as the top issue and a 3-to-1 spending disadvantage, Democrats swept the four open seats and elected the state’s first Asian-American city mayor and the city’s first out LGBTQ woman of color to the council. How we did so, particularly for Ron Kim’s winning mayoral campaign, is a good blueprint for Democrats across the state and the nation.

Let’s start with what we made a point not to do.

We did not focus on Donald Trump.

We did not get lost in manufactured Republican culture warfare, even though the political environment was ripe for it.

We did not talk about “defunding the police.” In fact, we neutralized that potential attack and talked about increasing spending for public safety while strengthening accountability.

We did not talk about masks or vaccine requirements in the campaign’s advertising.

Instead, we focused on solutions that bring people together, not on issues that divide us. We had a consistent message about listening to people and delivering for them. Nothing went out from the campaign without saying that Kim will listen and make Saratoga Springs a safe city that works for everyone, not just a select few.

We had a clear strategy to build a foundation for Kim, persuade swing voters, and invest in mobilizing Democrats who do not ordinarily vote in municipal elections. And when Republicans did attack, we responded forcefully, called them out for being deceptive and divisive, and used the attacks to pick apart the Republican mayoral candidate’s “independent” message.

We also emphasized Kim’s experience and preparation for the job. People make decisions emotionally and find reasons (hopefully facts) to back up their decisions, and voters want to feel comfortable when making a choice for an executive office.

There is a reason the moniker “swing voter” is popular with the press. Between 15 percent and 25 percent of voters will swing back and forth between the Democratic and Republican parties, sometimes on the same ballot but more often against the party they perceive to hold national power in the given year.

The results in Saratoga Springs are proof that Democrats can stop that backswing by focusing on people and solutions instead of purist ideology and culture warfare. Disciplined campaigns matter.

Achim Bergmann of Saratoga is a Democratic strategist who currently runs a national political consulting firm with clients in 25 states.

Source: https://www.timesunion.com/opinion/article/Commentary-For-a-winning-strategy-Dems-can-look-16677868.php

News Herald: Wyandotte resident recognized as one of best campaign professionals under 40

Charly Norton has been honored by the American Association of Political Consultants as one of the 40 best and brightest campaign professionals under 40 years old.

She serves as vice president of Bergmann Zwerdling Direct, a leading Democratic voter contact firm based in Washington, DC. The Wyandotte resident is based in metro Detroit and handles work for clients in Michigan and across the country.

“AAPC is pleased to recognize Charly Norton as a member of our 2021 class of 40 Under 40 for their outstanding achievements,” said AAPC President Becki Donatelli. “Each year, this award recognizes 40 rising stars in American political consulting who have made a real difference in campaigns.”

Norton said she was honored to earn this recognition from her peers, mentors and industry professionals.

“Although it isn’t exactly a walk in the park working in this industry as a woman and a mom of a young child, I am grateful for the opportunity to work with a great team to elect public servants, from all backgrounds and walks of life, who share our values,” she said. “With our democracy under attack, this is another important reminder of the responsibility each of us have in building a fairer, safer, healthier, more just country where everyone can thrive.”

From leading communications on top U.S. Senate and ballot measure campaigns to managing constituency press for President Barack Obama’s re-election in Chicago HQ, Norton is a battle-tested Democratic strategist with experience leading programs in more than 30 states, the AAPC stated in a press release.

BZD specializes in persuasive direct mail, taking aim at winning campaigns for Democratic candidates and progressive organizations nationwide.

The AAPC recognized the winners of the 40 Under 40 Awards at the 2021 Pollie Conference on Oct. 19 in Las Vegas. The conference brings the leading political professionals in the world together to network and hear from top technology innovators, pollsters, pundits and service providers. The 40 Under 40 Awards Ceremony and Reception was sponsored by PayClearly, and was held at Caesars Palace.

“This year’s judging process was especially difficult for our bipartisan team of judges as this year’s nomination pool included many qualified and talented young political consultants who excelled in the face of incredible obstacles throughout the 2020 campaign cycle,” said AAPC Vice President Larry Huynh. “We were beyond pleased to celebrate the achievements of this year’s 40 Under 40 class in person at Pollies 21 Live.”

Only 20 Democrats and 20 Republicans in the United States were named to AAPC’s exclusive “40 Under 40” winners list. Candidates were evaluated on their role as a strategic consultant in the industry, along with leadership and professional accomplishments in political consulting.

Founded in 1969, the AAPC is a multi-partisan organization of political and public affairs professionals dedicated to improving democracy. The AAPC has over 1,400 members hailing from all corners of the globe. It is the largest association of political and public affairs professionals in the world.

Source: https://www.thenewsherald.com/2021/12/02/wyandotte-resident-recognized-as-one-of-best-campaign-professionals-under-40/

BZD Wins 15 Awards at the 2019 Pollies

Congrats Governor!

Congratulations to our friend and client Ned Lamont, who was sworn in today as the 89th Governor of Connecticut.

We’re proud of Ned for championing property tax cuts, common sense gun laws, and gender and racial equality, and we know he’ll continue these tough battles in his next four years as Governor.

Running in a tough environment for Democrats statewide, Lamont needed to communicate that he would be different and break from establishment politics to bring real change to Hartford. This is the theme we emphasized throughout his mail, using compelling, eye-catching pieces that expressed his vision for Connecticut.

At the same time, we had to drive the message that his opponent, Bob Stefanowski, would be an extension of the Trump administration, and that his radical tax plan would make Connecticut’s already suffering economy even worse.

We were honored to be part of a great team that helped Ned win and look forward to the great things he’ll do!  

It was the Year of the Scientist

As NBC news reported, at least seven incoming members of Congress have STEM backgrounds.

We’re proud of our friends at 314 Action who recruited, trained, and offered organizational support for many of these winning candidates, and dozens more who ran in state and local campaigns across the country.

We partnered with 314 on several campaigns this cycle, including the independent expenditure to help propel Congressman-elect Sean Casten to victory.

And just in time for the new year, we designed this poster for 314 to commemorate their wins for Senate and Congress.

Learn more about 314’s victories: https://www.nbcnews.com/health/health-news/science-was-big-winner-tuesday-s-vote-n933761

Visit 314 online: http://www.314action.org/