It was funny, it was unique -- the first political ad to use that type of spoof humor -- and it was devastatingly effective.
The commercial helped propel Ronald Reagan to his first term as President, was a critical part of building a Republican majority in the U.S. Senate, and winning 50+ seats in the House of Representatives.
Midway through the Reagan years, Steve and I joined forces to form Sandler-Innocenzi. Steve sadly is no longer with us, except in spirit. But we continue to be a force in national politics producing innovative and cutting edge ads, moving public
opinion and winning elections at the local, state, and national level.
What defines us is the ability to help clients succeed when success is less than certain. When Republicans last lost their house majority, our clients persevered. When electing women wasn’t in vogue, we were blazing trails helping elect female
Governors and Members of Congress.
We’re proud of our work for clients like Governors Judy Martz of Montana, Kay Orr and Dave Heineman of Nebraska, Butch Otter of Idaho, and Jim Gibbons of Nevada; Senators Mike Crapo and Jim Risch of Idaho; Congresswoman Cynthia Lummis of Wyoming; and former
GOP Policy Committee chair and AG Commissioner Adam Putnam of Florida.
To quote an old country western song – “This Ain’t Our First Rodeo.”
Too many people in politics today think they are advertising people. Maybe it’s the rise of social media, maybe it’s just that everyone has a video camera in their phone. I don’t know why it’s happening, but I know it’s wrong and it hurts
candidates.
Creating effective advertising is hard. Creating advertising that moves the needle is harder. Creating ads that work across all channels, broadcast to social, that’s really, really, difficult.
But that’s what we do.
In the weeks to come I am going write about what is right with the political ad business, what is wrong with it and other nuggets of wisdom this Italian Kid from Pittsburgh has learned along the way. Some of you will hate these blog posts, they may make my
friends upset, but it’s an important topic and if I can start a discussion about what creates effective advertising – well then, that’s a good thing.
One other thing, this won’t be a kiss and tell column. It’s doubtful anything will end up in Drudge. But I promise you I’ll keep it real and keep it true to my blue-collar roots. So, stay tuned… Oh, and BTW, here’s a photo of me and my dad from a few
weeks ago. Not too bad for 94.