Mike Huckabee's Speech at The Washington Briefing and the Value of a Bumper Sticker

Huckabee is surging. Watch why. From The Washington Briefing, hosted by the Family Research Council.

And be sure to support your favorite candidate. Your Business Blogger will soon be a-sporting bumper stickers.

Alert Reader PB writes,

I am a graduate student at the Greenlee School of Journalism at Iowa State University. I am doing a research project on the effectiveness of the bumper sticker in political campaigns. You have a note on your blog from last year that says research shows that a bumper sticker can be worth $250 to a candidate. Can you please direct me to this research. I would truly appreciate your assistance as I have not found anything this specific in the literature. Thank you so much

The Alert Reader is referring to Steele for Senator and the Roe Effect, from November, 2006,

After an evening of lit drops, the Penta-Posse poses for their candidate, Michael Steele for Senator for Maryland.

Research shows that a bumper sticker has an in-kind equivalent value of $250 to the political candidate. Smart campaigners will also put the bumper sticker on the driver’s side front bumper to greet on-coming traffic.

The Roe-Effect will take effect sooner or later.

Our Iowa grad student is correct: the research/data is difficult to uncover. I use the $250 amount from memory of a lecture I heard somewhere. But I have no solid citation other than from Matt Lewis & The News, writing Congressman Says Bumper Sticker = $250 and good friend Todd Zywicki at The Volokh Conspiracy with A Curious Claim:

Senator George Allen routinely reminds us that a bumper sticker is worth $200 in free advertising or $300 if on a pick-up truck or S.U.V.

But as Charmaine reminds me, I must always cite a source — even on the blog.

If another Alert Reader can email me a citation, we will send you a copy of Charmaine’s book Mother in the Middle…with Bill Maher’s finger prints.

Bill Maher, Politically Incorrect

Thank you (foot)notes:

Tomorrow, the first of December, Your Business Blogger and the Penta-Posse will be putting Charmaine on a plane to Little Rock.

And check out Alert Reader Patti Brown’s well researched work on political advertising.