Tag: Bigfoot

Democrats are going for laughs in their midterms ads. Republicans are going for fear.

Why 2018 candidates, parties, and PACs are getting creative with their political ads.

Bad political ads are everywhere. You know the ones — footage of a candidate walking down a quaint Main Street, touring a construction site wearing a hard hat, or shaking hands at a senior center while a disembodied narrator intones their life accomplishments.

Those ads make veteran political filmmaker Mark Putnam’s eyes glaze over.

“Without singling out any particular — I don’t need to — there are so many like that,” Putnam told me in a recent interview.

View the complete October 11 article by Ella Nilsen on the Vox.com website here.

In 3rd District race, candidates employ flash mobs, dueling ads — and Bigfoot

Erik Paulsen talks as Dean Phillips listens at the debate at the UBS Forum at Minnesota Public Radio. Credit: Tony Saunders, MPR News

On a gloomy fall Wednesday in suburban Minnesota, Bowzer was hitting all the right notes.

Jon “Bowzer” Bauman, the former member of 50s-style rock group Sha Na Na, was playing the 1953 song, “Goodnite, sweetheart, goodnite” on his keyboard. But instead of sweetheart, Bowzer subbed in the name of the local congressman, Republican Erik Paulsen.

“Don’t hate to leave you, but we really must say, goodnight Erik Paulsen, goodnight,” Bowzer sang, leading a small crowd gathered in Excelsior, Minn. This was moments after Bowzer endorsed Democrat Dean Phillips’ campaign for Congress with his jaw agape and an enthusiastic single-arm flex, his signature move.

View the complete article by Briana Bierschbach on the MPR News website here.

Viral “We Found BigfootI” Ad to Air on TV Ahead of Thursday Night Viking Game

Viewed over 1 million times, ad becomes first to air just once since 1990

Excelsior, MN – With well over one million views online and accolades from national media outlets and thousands of viewers calling it one of the best ads ever made, Phillips for Congress’s viral “We Found Bigfoot” online video is making its way to television. A 60-second version of the spot will air on TV during this Thursday’s Vikings vs. Rams pregame show.

In the two days following Bigfoot’s release online, Phillips for Congress raised over $86,000 and saw enormous support from individuals hoping to see the memorable ad run on TV.

“As Dean said, when they go low, we go hilarious,” said Zach Rodvold, Campaign Manager for Phillips for Congress. “So while the airwaves are crowded with dishonest attack ads — most of them targeting Dean as part of a coordinated smear campaign — Bigfoot uses a little humor to communicate a serious message. And it’s funny because it’s true: Erik Paulsen is the 6th biggest taker of special interest money in Congress, and spends his time courting his donors while avoiding his constituents at all costs.” Continue reading “Viral “We Found BigfootI” Ad to Air on TV Ahead of Thursday Night Viking Game”

The Top 5 Most Creative Brand Ideas You Need to Know About Know (Hint: Bigfoot Makes an Appearance)

Welcome to the Creativity Top 5 most interesting brand ideas of the week.

5. Denny’s: ‘Mobile Relief Diner’, EP & Co
Denny’s is taking its grill on the road to provide food to people affected by natural disasters. After a trial run feeding victims of California wildfires, the Mobile Relief Diner is headed to North Carolina, with free pancakes, bacon and coffee for people hit by Hurricane Florence. The chain’s creative agency of record, EP & Co, is getting the word out.

4. Nike: ‘Fastest Ever’, Wieden & Kennedy Portland
Nike’s timing is perfect. Just days before Kenyan runner Eliud Kipchoge set a stunning new world record at the Berlin Marathon, this spot from Wieden & Kennedy came out: It features his feet, hitting the track like a meditative machine. It also hearkens back to Nike’s attempt to break the 2-hour marathon record in 2017, a goal that seems a bit more attainable now.

3. Dean Phillips for Congress: ‘We Found Bigfoot!’, Hunt Adkins
The Pacific Northwest’s hairiest protohuman makes a public appearance in a campaign ad for Dean Phillips, a Democrat running for the House in Minnesota’s 3rd District. Bigfoot tries to track down Phillips’ elusive opponent, Republican incumbent Erik Paulsen, in a spot from Minneapolis agency Hunt Adkins.

View the complete September 24 article by I-Hsien Sherwood and Alfred Maskeroni at the Ad Age website here.

Reality Check: Phillips Ad Finds Bigfoot Looking For Rep. Paulsen

NOTE: For those who’ve tried to participate in the tele-townhalls, we know that it’s like calling in to a radio program.  There’s a screener who decides which questioners will be allowed to speak (it’s rarely been anyone who doesn’t parrot GOP positions).  And, any request for follow ups to questions aren’t fulfilled.  Those who have gotten one-on-one time with Rep. Paulsen have found that what he says in those meetings a lot of the time aren’t what he does on the floor of the U.S. House.  And, what can we say about those “Congress on Your Corner”?  They were never announced to the public in more than hours in advance.  By the time people found out about them, Rep. Paulsen had usually left the location.