Promotional Spotlight: Philadelphia Sunday Sun’s Voter’s Guide
Promotional Spotlight: Philadelphia Sunday Sun’s Voter’s Guide
When African-American citizens in the Philadelphia region are looking for information on the upcoming election – from candidates, to issues, to polling places – they know the Philadelphia Sunday Sun will be a trusted and reliable source for that information. The Sun’s Voter’s Guide, issued the weekend before the election, serves as their reader’s almanac for all things “election”. Leah Fletcher, advertising director of the Sun, heads up the initiative and says it has become a crucial fixture for the community. “Our readers have told us the guide is incredibly helpful because it illuminates the information that can often be so difficult to uncover amidst the storm of materials during the election season.”
The Voter’s Guide, now in its third year, highlights candidates running at the city, state and federal levels. It includes a profile of each candidate and the office they are running for as well as their political affiliation. Fletcher says the guide serves as a comprehensive compendium for the Sun readers, containing important voting information like up-to-date polling place locations and a sample ballot. “It really is critical,” says Fletcher, “historically, direct and indirect efforts have been made to block the rights of the African-American community to vote.” Along these lines, Fletcher notes the importance of the polling place locations alone, saying that in such a large and populace region, they are often changed from one election to the next. In addition, the Voter’s Guide digs deep on the candidates and the issues that matter to the Sun readers so they can make more educated decisions at the polls.
The Voter’s Guide also serves as a profitable revenue source for the Sun, fetching $20,000 net income last year, and is on track for the same or greater this year. Fletcher says the Guide sees a mixture of advertisers, from the constant weekly national and local advertisers, to specific groups seeking the election-related demographic readership. Political candidates and organizations, and community groups, advertise in the Guide each year.
Fletcher says the Voter’s Guide is just one of several initiatives the Sun has developed to better serve the community and help the bottom line. She goes on to say that these programs are what set weekly community papers apart. “Everyone is always talking ‘gloom and doom’ when it comes to community newspapers,” says Fletcher. “That’s not the case. We have a unique position and with it, unique opportunities. The information we share, and the relationship we have with our community, is different and valuable to our readers.”
For additional information, please contact Leah Fletcher at 267-872-3894, or ads@philasun.com.