August 19, 2007

Candidates Turn to 'Boutique' Firms to Reach Niche Audiences

By Chris Cillizza

When Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.) launched the first ads of his presidential campaign in Nevada last week, two things stood out.

The first was obvious: They were in Spanish. The second was much less obvious. Rather than being produced by David Axelrod, Obama's chief media consultant, they were made by Elevacion, a small, Washington-based firm that specializes in Spanish-language communication.

The radio ads were aimed at the 24 percent of Nevada's population that is Hispanic and had a simple message: I am like you.

Democratic presidential hopeful Barack Obama used Elevacion, a small, Washington-based firm, to produce Spanish-language campaign ads that recently aired in Nevada. (By Sam Brown -- Elko Daily Free Press Via Associated Press)

"As a son of a foreign father who came to this country looking for a better life, Barack Obama learned that differences do not divide, but rather enrich," the ad's narrator intones. "From the U.S. Senate, he has defied the politicians who forget the very people they serve."

In addition to Elevacion, Obama's campaign has used FUSE -- a St. Louis-based advertising firm that has done work for the St. Louis Cardinals and SBC Communications -- to create and produce radio ads in South Carolina aimed at the black community. African Americans make up nearly 30 percent of the state's population and a significantly larger percentage of potential voters in next year's presidential primary.

"These firms represent some of the best new thinking in communications with voters, and we're excited they are a part of Obama's effort to transform politics and change our country," campaign spokesman Bill Burton said.

The use of boutique firms to reach niche audiences is increasingly common in presidential politics. As technology has allowed campaigns to slice and dice the electorate into ever-smaller chunks, companies that offer authenticity and effectiveness in a specific community have prospered.

The campaign of Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-N.Y.) campaign uses Sergio Bendixen for its work in the Hispanic community and has Sunrise Communications, a South Carolina-based firm that specializes in advertising to African Americans, on its payroll as well.

Clinton drew criticism earlier this year when South Carolina Sen. Darrell Jackson, the owner of Sunrise and an influential player in state politics, acknowledged days after formally endorsing her that he was a consultant to her campaign.

Lose One Warner, Gain Another?

Bored with presidential politics? Check out the intriguing narrative now unfolding in Virginia.
John W. Warner, the state's senior senator, is expected to announce after Labor Day whether he will seek a sixth term. At the moment, all signs point to retirement. The patrician Republican recently turned 80, and had banked a scant $72,000 in campaign cash through June. In January, Warner was bumped by term limits as the top Republican on the Armed Services Committee -- depriving him of a cherished post just as debate over the Iraq war was heating up.

Democrats are not only increasingly convinced that Warner is on his way out, but they are also giddy at the mounting evidence that Mark R. Warner may be their candidate, should the seat open up. People associated with the former Democratic governor and onetime 2008 presidential prospect have already started recruiting and interviewing potential campaign staffers, according to a party operative involved in the talks.

If Warner does enter the race, the seat would become one of the Democrats' top pick-up opportunities. Another Democratic campaign insider, however, was careful to insist: "Mark hasn't told anyone that he's running."

Let's assume John Warner does retire. The political effects would be considerable. For one, a Senate bid by Mark Warner would presumably end, or at least downgrade, the Democrat's status as a top vice presidential pick, throwing that contest even more wide open than it seems. And if Rep. Thomas M. Davis III gives up his Northern Virginia seat to make a run for the Senate, recent election trends suggest that a Democrat could well replace him -- signaling the end of an era for the moderate Republican district.