This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2007, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.

Scattershot campaign signs decorate the city, and snappy billboards - some have slogans, others spandex - have saturated roadways all summer.

But as the Sept. 11 primary nears, Salt Lake City's leading mayoral candidates have become full-time message merchants. Their faces pop from glossy fliers in our mailboxes, they grab space in our newspapers, and they invade our television commercials - mostly after work.

Soon, more pitches from Ralph Becker, Dave Buhler, Keith Christensen and Jenny Wilson will echo from our car radios.

It's a capital tradition every four years - even if voter turnout for the primary tends to be wretched. And that's the point: Each candidate knows that prodding just enough people to the polls could make the difference between a spot in the general election and closing their campaign shop.

In past primaries, as few as 30 votes sealed contenders' fates.

So what are the top-tier hopefuls selling? Why? And will it resonate with voters?

Here is a look at the mayoral media menu. What tastes best and what the electorate swallows, of course, won't be known until Election Day.

Ralph Becker

About the ads: The House minority leader has built a clever, if hackneyed, campaign concept of candidate-as-cartoon character. As the animated "Blueprint Man," Becker offers outlines on how to improve the city - savior-style, like Superman.

The ads - the first was submitted via YouTube - features fellow Democratic Rep. Phil Riesen, a former TV anchor, as narrator. When Becker sees out-of-control development, more traffic and failing schools, Riesen says, "Ralph becomes the hero Salt Lake City needs."

The spot shows a miniature Becker with a "B" on his blue chest, flying across the capital, clutching a blueprint.

Another 30-second spot outlines endorsements that include nearly every Democrat in the Legislature. The ad also mentions former first lady Norma Matheson, Sen. Scott McCoy and Rep. Jackie Biskupski.

Becker also has a sea of yellow signs showcasing the spires of City Hall.

About the strategy: The emphasis on blueprints is likely designed to highlight Becker's career as an urban planner. The timing is significant as the capital undergoes a massive downtown makeover, punctuated by the LDS Church's $1 billion-plus City Creek Center.

By name-dropping openly gay members of the Legislature, Becker bolsters his progressive credentials. And by using historic City Hall, Becker attempts to broaden his reach from Capitol Hill, where he has been a fixture for 11 years.

Becker's ads also beat the Democratic drum - a bonus in Utah's blue-hued capital - and refer to him as "the one Democrat" with the vision and experience to be mayor. The line targets Wilson, the Democratic front-runner, whose voting base Becker needs to siphon to survive the primary.

Dave Buhler

About the ads: As the only Republican in the top tier, the two-term City Council member has unleashed a humor-filled frenzy of billboards and cable TV spots as pithy as they are prevalent.

Dressed down in polo shirts, Buhler is presented as the "reasonable guy" and a "bridge builder" - a nod to the Main Street skywalk planned at the City Creek Center.

The campaign's light tone started with the round "I Like Dave" lawn signs along with his Web page - concocted by city-based Love Communications - in which a walking Buhler avatar guides viewers through the site.

The TV ads also use props. In one, a "friend of the wild" Buhler is surrounded by stuffed animals. In another, he strips his boxing gloves before hugging a punching bag.

"After all, I'm a lover of Salt Lake, not a fighter," he says.

And in another, the former state senator emerges from a red garbage can situated next to a blue one. He says he is aware Republicans rarely win in the capital, but trashes the idea that city issues are partisan and that GOP candidates can't win. "I don't buy it," he says.

Buhler also notes he fully supported the city's recycling program - "And I didn't even argue about the color of the cans."

Each spot ends with a "Buhler" burp, uttered in Ben Stein-fashion from the '80s comedy "Ferris Bueller's Day Off."

About the strategy: Ribbing outgoing Mayor Rocky Anderson with the "reasonable guy" contrast should appeal to the GOP base and some independents, whom Buhler needs to reach the general election. And it appears to be working. Buhler is running nearly neck-and-neck with Wilson in the latest Salt Lake Tribune poll.

By promoting an environmental awareness, Buhler tries to mask a relative weakness. And he has to downplay his GOP affiliation - often a scarlet letter in city elections even though the race is officially nonpartisan.

The overall intent - to soften his stuffy image - aims to bring Buhler's wit from the political backrooms to the public. That makes him something else: A regular guy.

Keith Christensen

About the ads: From his green lawn signs to the omnipresent bicycle billboards, the businessman and former city councilman (sometimes decked out in a spandex cycling jersey), has a campaign theme.

And it is consistent.

Wearing a custom jersey emblazoned with his name, Christensen projects a fit and fun image. In a TV spot, he also leads a pack of cyclists, who weave through various city neighborhoods.

"Join the ride," the ads beckon, along with the slogan: "He wins. We all win."

In another bicycle ad, Anderson rides tandem with former Sen. Jake Garn. Both are Christensen supporters from opposite political worlds.

A Christensen radio ad also taps his star endorsees, who deliver an amusing script that highlights their ideological contrast. At one point, Anderson and Garn revive the old underwear argument: boxers or briefs?

About the strategy: By tying himself to Anderson, Christensen hopes to mobilize the two-term Democratic mayor's passionate army of voters.

And, by highlighting Garn, a Republican and former Salt Lake City mayor, the candidate, who is polling in fourth, wants to prove he has bipartisan backing.

Still, the focus of the paid media is most interesting for what it doesn't present: connections to big business, including Christensen's 31 gas stations. Instead, the cycling and bright green "Keith" signs project a recreation-minded man, focused on the environment.

In the left-leaning capital, Christensen needs to shed his GOP-businessman label, which is why he dropped his Republican affiliation.

He is hoping the quality-of-life campaign makes enough voters comfortable.

Jenny Wilson

About the ads: At first glance, two things stand out on the Salt Lake County councilwoman's otherwise-traditional campaign signs: the word "Democrat" and the large "Wilson" name.

The same pairing holds sway in other ads.

On TV, Wilson opts for a straightforward issues approach - but packs the spot with a progressive lineup.

First, she appears in a power suit on the spectacular roof of the Main Library. Wilson hits the foothills to promote clean air, rides TRAX to boast about funding for the airport line, poses downtown in front of a "green" building and then stands on a tree-lined street to highlight the west side.

The ad, backed by a soft score, emphasizes three words at the end: "Experienced. Progressive. Leader."

"I love this city," she says.

Leading in the polls, Wilson has the smallest media presence thus far, which likely won't last.

About the strategy: Clearly, Wilson is happy to connect the dots to her former-mayor father for voters. Stressing "Wilson" and "mayor" on signage reminds many city dwellers of Ted Wilson's popular stint in City Hall.

For the daughter to follow his political footsteps, pumping the Democratic label also makes sense.

But Wilson's professional look projects a credibility all her own. She wants to be recognized for her own accomplishments. And it probably doesn't hurt for the youthful 41-year-old to dress a bit older.

By touting progressive touchstones, such as mass transit and environmental stewardship, Wilson wants to solidify herself as Anderson's logical successor. And by bolding the word "experienced," the candidate hopes to downplay the fact she has just 2 1/2 years in elective office - the least among the top contenders.

Still, to protect her lead, expect the so-called burn rate on her cash-on-hand to pick up steam during the final two weeks.

Show the money

Despite the already-steady stream, campaign commercials will come even faster as the days tick toward Sept. 11. That's because most of the mayoral field has stashed cash for the stretch run. And they know TV is key.

Christensen, who topped $550,000 in fundraising, according to campaign-finance disclosures, still had $262,000 as of Aug. 1. Becker was sitting on $138,000, the reports show, while Wilson reported $114,000. Buhler still had nearly $94,000, while a fifth hopeful, J.P. Hughes, clutched $27,000.

No other candidate in the nine-member field reported any money. The top two vote-getters from the primary will face off Nov. 6.

The race

for mayor

* WHEN IS THE PRIMARY?: Early voting has begun in advance of the Sept. 11 primary. The top two vote-getters among the nine candidates for Salt Lake City mayor will square off Nov. 6.