We organize our thoughts and the world into stories so we can try and make sense of it all.
We are story tellers. We take the hard numbers from a poll and meld it with a candidate’s life experience to weave a story that is understandable, moving, and matters to voters.
Some of the first words we learn as kids are, “Once Upon a Time.” Our firm takes the story from there. Here are a few of the hundreds of spots we’ve created that tell a story with a beginning a middle and an end. In the spot above, we helped the United Association tell Mark Kelly’s story and help him secure a seat in the U.S. Senate.
“Democrats win control of US Senate as Ossoff defeats Perdue” – Washington Post
The 2020 Georgia runoff campaigns were always going to be extremely difficult and the pressure was only increased following the General Election where control of the Senate all came down to these two U.S. Senate seats.
There was incredible work taking place on behalf of Ossoff and Warnock to best position their historic turnout operations and ground game by organizers, volunteers, canvassers, and non-profit groups (Stacey Abrams deserves all the credit she has been given and more). Our role on the IE side was to help define the race early by positioning Perdue and Loeffler as corrupt, insider-trading politicians who were getting rich off the pandemic while regular Georgians were suffering.
We did this through storytelling that cut through the clutter on television. The quiet strength of this spot made it stand out in a sea of fast moving, loud, in-your-face style ads that were saturating screen everywhere in Georgia.
For Governor Josh Shapiro actions speak louder than words
In the campaign to elect Josh Shapiro Governor of Pennsylvania, our IE’s strategic imperative was to persuade white working-class men. We needed to give them a reason to vote FOR Shapiro. All our research showed this group was a very cynical audience that was difficult to reach but they could be persuaded by showing actions Shapiro had taken that could benefit them. In other words, we had to show that Shapiro walked the walk, not just talked the talk – that is best done through a story.
“The 2018 Senate race that likely bothers Trump the most”
– MSNBC on Jon Tester’s victory
We were hired by the United Association to help Jon Tester hold on to his U.S. Senate seat in Montana. Polls showed an extremely tight race headed into Election Day between Tester and his opponent. In order to win, we knew our creative had to tell a story and connect with voters.
Across the country Democrats picked up greater numbers in urban and suburban areas and lost ground in the more rural areas. That night, we watched as Heidi Heitkamp and Claire McCaskill went down in defeat to Republicans but, despite multiple Donald Trump visits to the state, Montana was different. The next day after the ballots were counted Jon Tester came out the victor.
We targeted our advertising to Montanans who needed to hear and see a story of Montana… the story of Jon Tester. It wasn’t about Republican or Democrat, it was about right and wrong.
That’s what Jon Tester understands and why he is such a good fit for Montana.
The spot was a quiet and patriotic. It showed Jon as “one of us.” Oscar-award winner J.K. Simmons poured his incredible talent to the voice-over narration.
We helped Dreama, an Airbnb host, tell her story.
In all campaigns, great storytelling is a way to connect voters to your issue, candidate, or corporation.
For Airbnb we needed to give viewers a different way to think about the company through the eyes – and stories – of local Airbnb hosts. In this spot Dreama, a New Orleans Airbnb Host, tells her story about what home sharing means to her and her family. In the spot Dreama powerfully says, “In January I lost my job. Airbnb was actually the thing that kept me afloat until being reemployed. It saved my house and kept me from moving my children.” Watch Dreama tell her story in the video above.
Winner of “2017 Best Public Affairs Campaign in the Nation” by the American Association of Political Consultants (AAPC)
“There’s manure in the water…”
Donald Trump won the 1st State Senate district in Wisconsin by 17 points; Scott Walker won the district by 24%. In fact, a Democrat hadn’t held the seat in 33 years. But the issue of water quality, embedded in a personal story, helped move voters to make a different decision in the special election in 2018. We utilized personal iPhone video taken by Erika of her own faucet to make this spot feel more real to voters.
The John Lewis Story
John Lewis was the client we proudly donated our time to helping. We wrote and produced his 50th and 60th birthday films (above) as a tribute to this American hero.
When someone walked into Congressman Lewis’ office they were often shown this film prior to meeting with the Congressman.
It is a story from steam engines to search engines.
In Arkansas the legislature made it more expensive for rural and poor school districts to have access to high speed Internet.
Our spot for Faster Arkansas (above) tells a story of the state coming of age with electricity and rail. It explains why the Internet is the next great connection to the future.