the Assembly, what voters remem- bered most about Linda Stender was “Stender the Spender.” Now that’s effective advertising. So much about political adver- tising—about any advertising, re- ally—is obvious. It’s got to be eye- catching, novel, powerful and, at least in the case of political advertis- ing, where lowest unit rate and rep- utations are at stake, accurate. But that doesn’t mean that only the pros have good ideas. In the 2010 cycle, one of my cli- ents had a very clear vision of how he wanted to portray himself in a dead-heat state Senate race that could help determine which party held a majority. I insisted on at- tacking our opponent and I got my way—50 percent of our ads were negative, and they were face melt- ing. He insisted on supplementing this campaign with a series of scripts he wrote that were so un- conventional that I nearly refused to film them. However, his performances were so strong and his sense of the local voters’ mood so accurate that the spots turned out to be some of the most effective I made all cycle. He went on to win by 5 points.
“Clear Choice” (Frank Guinta for Congress, NH-1, 2010)
The most effective ads say one thing and focus on saying it powerfully.
“Stender the Spender” (Leonard Lance for Congress, NJ-7, 2008)
Virtually every member of a campaign, from the phone banker to the campaign manager—and cer- tainly including candidate friends and spouses—can be counted on to be in possession of an idea for a “great” television spot. The temptation of political professionals to dismiss these sources of inspiration is not only arrogant but wrong. Mike DuHaime, who was Rudy Giuliani’s campaign manager and Chris Christie’s lead consultant, tells a Cinderella story in which a phone banker during the Bush- Cheney ‘04 campaign suggested an idea for how to use the unexpected endorsement of former New York City Mayor Ed Koch, a Democrat, for a spot
aimed at Florida voters. The campaign actually filmed the ad, giving hope to every backyard tosser who ever dreamed of pitching in the Majors. By the same token, the notion that good scripts emanate only from the tops of campaigns is sus- pect. I worked for Rudy Giuliani for eight years before becoming a media consultant, and during election time one of my roles was to edit the scripts that campaigns would send in hopes of getting the mayor to endorse their candidates on camera. Some of these scripts were so ludicrous that they not only would offend Rudy and the audience, but they were unpersuasive and horribly written. (“Just as the terrorists brought down the twin towers, don’t let yourself be terrorized into raising taxes.”) Writ- ing and rewriting hundreds of television, radio and robocall scripts in a manner that combined a voice authentic to Rudy with a message that worked for the campaign at hand served as great training. The reason I’ve spent so much time talking about the script is that it’s the most important ele- ment of a political spot. Other elements such as ef- fective direction, compelling images, eye-catching graphics and story-sensitive editing are all criti- cal, of course, and many great scripts are undone by careless or lackluster production. However, it is equally dangerous to try to muscle a mediocre script into greatness with the magic of After Ef- fects, Final Cut Pro and a really awesome RED camera set up. After all, message is king.
Ken Kurson is a partner at Jamestown Associates, a national political media firm, and the co-author of Rudy Giuliani’s best seller Leadership.
April 2011 | Campaigns & Elections 45
Jamestown Associates
Jamestown Associates
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