Advocacy

How to Avoid Unrealistic Budget Expectations

Building a winning campaign infrastructure is like painting a masterpiece. In the same way artists have to use contrast, focus, light, and movement, consultants must assemble a cohesive team of vendors and staff that can work to make their vision come to life. The issue is that most candidates want Van-Gogh results on a high-school-art-competition […]

Lessons from a Trip to Colombia Presenting on Politics & Communication (…and Our Adoption Story)

I just arrived back from Medellín, Colombia – the City of Eternal Spring. If you’ve never been, seriously make it your next vacation. Beautiful setting in a valley 6,000 feet above sea level. Kind people that smile and speak to you on the streets. Perfect weather that puts Hawaii to shame. [Jump to the bottom […]

Real Polling is Not Broken

While on a panel in Las Vegas for the 2017 Reed Awards, we dove into the topic of the reliability of polling. After the well-documented number of polling misses revealed in the November election, the polling industry was deemed unreliable and inaccurate. However, it should be noted that myself and other pollsters I hold in […]

State Legislative Elections Are Erratic so Track & Plan Ahead

The smaller an electorate, the more unpredictable the results become. 135,835,472 voters showed up in the November 2016 General Election (67% of registered). Only 14.8% of registered voters participated in the GOP Primary. Out of those, 14,015,993 supported Trump, which translates to 7% of the electorate. Now think of the effect on even smaller races, […]

3 Ways to Prepare Your Legislative Issue for Battle

I’m taking us back to my military roots. As my first platoon daddy told me upon entering an M3 Bradley Cavalry Fighting Vehicle for the first time… hang on and enjoy the ride. Army leaders have a process called Intelligence Preparation of the Battlefield (IPB) which is part of the overall Military Decision Making Process […]

Serious 2016 Success for Our Partners & Clients

In an election year that was a roller coaster of emotions and topped off with an Election Day of historic proportions, Cygnal is fortunate to have worked with some of the best and brightest political operatives and committees in the business today. We are proud to have been a part of the success that our […]

Using Polls Effectively Near Election Day

In the political campaign industry, many tough choices are made. Maybe not the dramatic choices of Scandal, but tough nonetheless. As the cycle winds down and election day quickly approaches, political consultants making the right decisions quickly is paramount to winning. If we could physically speak with every voter to find out their stance, to […]

Once Dangerous, Now Safe: Opportunities Abound in Colombia

When we told our families last Fall that we would be traveling to Medellín, Colombia for two months to adopt our son, their faces turned as white as the cocaine they thought covered the country. In spite of the thousands of positive articles in the international press about Colombia’s impressive, positive strides in the last […]

How to Implement Big Data Principles in Your Campaign or Organization

I’m an Apple guy…iPhones, iPads, iEverything. Every time Apple says something, I’m on the hook to listen. Having said that, I am also a huge fan of Samsung’s “Next Big Thing” marketing campaign; mainly because I think it’s catchy and relevant to this topic because the next big thing – data power for everyone – […]

5 Ways to Gauge ROI in Your Political or Issue Campaign

The single most valuable resource for any political campaign or issue group is cash. Much time and effort is spent raising it, and cash is needed in order to exist, to operate and definitely to win. With this being so valuable, it should unquestionably be protected and used wisely, yet so often this is not […]

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