Prepare yourselves for a year of election campaigns

It’s that time of year again — a time when pundits and generally-opinionated folks like to look back on the previous year and prognosticate on what’s going to happen in the next. I’ve never actually gone back and read any of the columns I’ve written on this theme, but I’m presuming they weren’t particularly on-point, so go ahead and take this one with a big boulder of salt.

We live in a time where absolutely no one can really predict the future, because norms are being blown up, rebuilt and then blown up again at a dizzying and breathtaking pace. The two things I think I know for sure is that 2020 is going to be rife with vision-related metaphors and, in a related vein, it’s going to be one of the most political years we’ve seen in this province for a while. Expect politicians and their respective parties and supporters to swing into campaign mode in January and keep their foot on that pedal until the fall, when we’ll vote for both our municipal and provincial representatives.

As those pre-campaign war rooms and strategists get warmed up, there’s much fretting and hand-wringing about how to reach voters without overwhelming them and, by extension, alienating them. While there will absolutely be all kinds of noise to cut through to reach voters, including from one of the most contentious, important, sensational and undoubtedly bizarre presidential elections in U.S. history, Saskatchewan politicians need not worry. But they’ll need to get creative. Communicating with the general public, particularly voters, can be done in 2020, but it will take patience and persistence.

The worst thing any campaign could do is restrict or reduce their ways and means of communication, or in other words, marginalize themselves, for fear of irritating voters. Instead, already-elected politicians will need to amplify their brands through their existing portfolios (though if spending is involved to do so, it should never come from the public purse), making an additional effort to use platforms like their personal social media channels to wed themselves to anything and everything positive happening in their city, riding or ward.

There are also always fascinating new developments in where and how to reach a captive audience, or in other words, to advertise. I was recently in a public washroom in the States where the advertising in the stalls was on the floor between the potty-goer’s feet. I don’t particularly recommend that for political ads, but it’s great for sports and other retail brands. Airlines have begun running ads on their in-flight entertainment systems that are locally relevant to the region of the flight’s departure and arrival. Pre-movie advertising in cinemas is another place to reach a target demographic.

And of course, there are all the traditional ways to reach people as well, including through this newspaper. The big difference between mainstream media ads today and those of yesteryear is that today’s must be far more microtargeted. This means you must work closely with each media company’s salespeople to only pay for messaging that is tailored to the eyes and ears most-reached by their platform, instead of buying it in bulk with a generic message.

As for what the results of all this campaigning is going to mean to the future of our city and province, all I’ll say is that I don’t believe we’ll see any significant fundamental changes. Out-of-touch talk radio hosts are predicting some kind of housecleaning for the current Saskatoon city council, but that idea simply does not resonate beyond a handful of highbrow gated communities at the Willows or the group of narrow supporters of the controversy-ridden and not particularly popular former CEO of the Remai Art Gallery.

Despite the fact that he’s almost certain to secure another four years as premier (though they’ll only be the first four he can consider himself elected as such by Saskatchewan people), Scott Moe and his Sask. Party will lose urban seats. How many will depend on how much longer he keeps up his ill-advised, totally ineffective anti-Ottawa song and dance. Either way, he’ll be the first Sask. Party premier to lose seats in a provincial election and that’s not going to make his subsequent term any easier. It is 2024 when everything will change. One more thing I know for sure: the only person who can protect your intellect and mental health from being degraded by a bombardment of negativity and overblown, often-false political rhetoric in the year 2020 is you.

Choose what you read and watch wisely, take the time to look into the backstory of media outlets and reporters delivering your news. Most important, however, in 2020 and every year as time relentlessly marches on, is your family and friends. May your time with them be persistent, patient and a priority. My wish for you in 2020 is all that, plus health and happiness

-Tammy Robert