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I am very proud of this mock up; some people credit our victory to this piece, though I suspect it only played a part. I am proud of this because I believe it is one of the best local political ads I have ever seen. Notice there is none of the boring biographies and platitudes usually seen in political ads. There is no mention of experience, voting records, and extended families. Rather, this ad used something seldom seen in politics: humor. More specifically, sarcasm. The advertisement was consistent with our message, it labeled the incumbents as the antithesis of responsible public servants, and perhaps more importantly, it made people notice and talk. This ad was structured carefully, utilizing concepts like an attention-getting device, primacy and recency, and Maslow's hierarchy of needs. You may have noticed the statement about crime was placed last; this decision was a combination of considering people's basic need of safety and the theory that people remember the first and last parts of a series. When we conducted our poll, participants most often stated "back room politics" as their major complaint about Covington City Hall. So, we made that the first issue. Also, that statement was the most consistent with our overall theme: Bernie listens to residents and will include them in the decision-making at City Hall; the incumbents close the doors of City Hall and ignore the needs of residents. This quarter-page ad was placed in the Thursday, Friday, Saturday, and Monday edition of the Kentucky Post. It also appeared in the Sunday Enquirer. Other than the phone-banks, which continued until election day, this advertisement was our last mass communication effort. Now, we were waiting for the final result.
