Victory Store (Davenport, IA), one of the largest sellers of campaign yard signs in the U.S., is reshaping the political landscape with its political yard signs shaped like life-sized cutouts and other innovative options.
“Our goal is to get candidates to think outside the box when they begin planning their campaign yard signs,” said Steve Grubbs, Victory Store’s founder and a former political candidate. “We still sell plenty of two-color, rectangle yard signs, but we’re starting to get candidates to think in terms of using signs as an eye-catching way to send a real message.”
In a typical election year, Grubbs’ company sells more than three million yard signs. “For most local candidates, their yard signs and brochures are the extent of their political advertising so they have to get it right from the start.”
Digital-printing and cutting technologies allow full-color signs to be easily cut by a computer-controlled blade. One popular sign shape depicts a standing person holding a candidate’s sign. Other sign-shape options include gavels, apples and sheriff stars. A candidate may purchase a combination of a construction worker, working mom and professional woman, for example.
Sign shapes can also symbolize the office candidates seek. School-board candidates buy apple-shaped signs, while candidates for judge purchase gavel-shaped signs.
Adding a special shape to a sign adds an average of $1.50 per sign. For example, 250, 2 x 2-ft. signs normally cost $2.25 per sign, but the same sign in the shape of an apple will cost $3.75.
Grubbs said he’s introducing more options this year through a direct-mail campaign to 35,000 candidates.
For more information, visit www.victorystore.com/signs/ysigns.