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The National Association of Latino Elected Officials (NALEO) has recently been criticized for promoting the 2010 Census with a poster that depicts Mary and Joseph heading to Bethlehem for a census and the birth of Jesus. According to a recent Washington Post story, NALEO created the posters to help spread awareness among Latinos that the census is “important, easy and safe.” A line on the poster even says, “Don’t be afraid.”

Religious leaders may debate whether or not the poster is appropriate by their standards. Strictly as a communications tool, it is very effective. It recognizes that a good message must play to emotions, not logic.

Most people would agree that knowing how many citizens we have in what parts of the country is important. The numbers guide fundamental infrastructure decisions, from building schools and hospitals to zoning Congressional districts. The strategy behind the poster addresses the reality that, for some people, the dread of talking to government employees outweighs any purported benefits. The religious depiction has the effect of underscoring just how real and worthy those benefits are.

Fact-based messages, highlighting the importance of accurate demographic information, could be geared to this audience, but the emotional connection would be lost. Without that connection, the information is far less likely to be remembered and therefore less likely to result in any action or gain. It can also be observed that controversy, even if it alienates certain audiences, significantly expands the reach of a message for the obvious reason that controversial messages are remembered.

Effective messages have three elements: they are positive, factual, and responsive to the audience’s concerns. The NALEO poster succeeds on all three levels. The fact that it may raise some eyebrows doesn’t hurt either.

Melissa Arnoff is a Vice President at Levick Strategic Communications, the nation’s top crisis communications firm, and a contributing author to Bulletproof Blog. Connect with Levick on Twitter: @Levick.