Below are some examples of the TV and radio work we've done over the years. Included are bio ads, contrast ads and issue ads. We've shown some of the interesting ways we've tried to tell the story, including using humor.
We tapped into the general feeling that Americans felt out of control ahead of the November 2022 election. Through interesting graphics, we hit on inflation, crime, and parental concerns over divisive education topics. The Restoration PAC ad targeted Wisconsin Senate candidate Mandela Barnes, who was defeated by Sen. Ron Johnson.
Congressman Bill Johnson is always on the go. We told his story in a memorable way, as he read a letter he wrote to his grandkids. We used a drone and other techniques to share why Bill fights for Ohioans day in and day out.
In order to cut through the rest of the political radio ads around the election, we went with a light-hearted and memorable ad that brings the listener back to nostalgic superheroes of their childhood. We used the creative solution to hit our message that Keith Faber cleaned up corruption and held criminals to account as State Auditor. We were also able to feature his FOP endorsement.
Knowing that we faced a lot of competition in a district with multiple media markets during a presidential election cycle, we fashioned a series of ads for Bill Johnson to cut through the clutter. These "how-to" ads portrayed Bill Johnson doing the mundane tasks that many of us face each day - fixing a leaky faucet, cleaning windows, changing oil in a car and mowing the lawn. Bill provided tips and tied it all together with his work in Washington. This ad won a Pollie Award as the best congressional radio ad of the cycle.
This classic ad shows how creative and funny a campaign can be with "negative" opposition research. Running in a coal-rich district, we learned that our opponent had spent time in Germany at a clean energy summit. "German Class" shared the lessons we learned.
We decided to break the "fourth wall" in this Pandora ad for Bill Johnson. Since we targeted users aged 35+, our reference to Justin Bieber at the end helped make the ad memorable for listeners.
Columbus area State Senate Kevin Bacon is a good sport about sharing his name with the actor Kevin Bacon. In this spot, we decided to have a little fun with it as people play a slightly-off version of 6 degrees of Kevin Bacon.
Issue One, Ohio's "Third Frontier" bond issue appeared on the ballot during a primary election. We were asked to create an ad for conservatives who might have reservations about the state taking on additional debt. This ad resonated well on conservative talk radio.
Conservative Brad Wenstrup challenged incumbent Congresswoman Jean Schmidt in a GOP primary. Schmidt was known for getting an aisle seat during the State of the Union Address and happened to give President Obama a kiss. We recreated the moment and sprinkled in information about her record. Conservative Republican voters were not happy with Ms. Schmidt’s tenure and this ad reminded them of it. Wenstrup won the primary and now serves as a Member of Congress.
Bill Johnson was challenging Congressman Charlie Wilson in the general election. Wilson had received some bad press for not holding townhall meetings, so we used the hook of an old time detective story to file a "missing person" report.
Judge Judi French wanted to remind people of a Judge's primary responsibility, which we did in this spot using children reading the Constitution as a memorable tag.
Court of Appeals Judge Jennifer Hensal ran in a tough district straddling media markets during a cycle with dozens of races on the air. She needed to break through with her message and this radio helped her do just that.
One great thing about radio is that you can still do some advanced targeting. This spots, aimed at women, let Dewey Stokes' wife do the talking for Dewey.
Betty Montgomery had served as Ohio's Attorney General for eight years and her opponent, Marc Dann, had no experience as a prosecutor or running a large government office. Unfortunately, a national wave election helped elect Dann in a very close race. This spot proved prescient when Dann had to resign in disgrace and was convicted of crimes in office - after finally admitting he simply had not been qualified for the job.
Jimmy Stewart's district covered a large area in Southeastern Ohio. This spot highlights the rolling hills that dot the landscape and the amount of windshield time Jimmy put in representing his constituents.
Janet Creighton's opponent served while Canton was irreversibly changed by job losses. In radio, powerful audio is important, and this ad suggests her opponent was sleeping on the job through the constant hum of snoring.
This radio spot uses a circus to highlight the twists, turns and other stunts pulled by various Democratic candidates and officeholders.
Another radio segment that you can target is religious listeners. This spot aired on religious stations where Betty Montgomery recalled a story about faith from Matthew that helped guide her in public life.
In South Dakota, small towns are the lifeblood of the state and when we advised the re-election campaign of Governor George Mickelson, we used small towns as a frame for the economic growth that was in place because of Governor Mickelson’s policies. He won the race in a landslide.