The Kerrey Ad Campaign

Kerrey's long-time media consultant Joe Rothstein produced quite a bit of footage done in cinema verite style, but none of it aired.  He was dumped after the Dec. 1991 campaign shake-up and replaced by David Doak and Robert Shrum. 

The Kerrey ad campaign opened several ads featuring Kerrey speaking directly to the camera.  In "Shattered," Kerrey, in a hospital setting, highlighted his bill to create health insurance and declared, "It's time we made health care a fundamental right for all Americans."  In "Net," Kerrey, in front of a hockey net, declared, "I'll tell Japan if we can't sell in their market, they can't sell in ours.  "Pay" and "Counterfeit" also focused on Kerrey's call for national health insurance and "Auditorium" was another ad on trade.  Narrated bio spots ("Cause," "Courage," "Firefight" and "Starting") included B&W still photos of Kerrey in uniform and at various points in his career; health care was still a prominent prominent theme.  Many Kerrey ads referenced a middle class tax cut. 

With about a week until the New Hampshire primary, Kerrey's ads began to refer to other candidates at least by inference. "November" said of Kerrey that "no one can question his patriotism," "he's no regional candidate" and "he's different from the old-style Democrats who have failed time and time again."  "Facts" directly responded to a Harkin ad.  Kerrey closed his NH primary campaign on a positive note, speaking direct to camera in "Growing Up." 

Ads produced for the South Dakota and Colorado primaries continued to contrast Kerrey with the other candidates.  Kerrey's ads used a number of different tag lines as the campaign progressed: "Fight Back America," "Courage for a Change," and "He'll Put America Back to Work."

See also:
Howard Kurtz.  "The Media Team That Put Kerrey on Ice."  The Washington Post, Mar. 17, 1992.


[SCRIPTS]
"Shattered" (NH, Jan. 10, 1992) >
"Net" (NH, Jan. 10, 1992) >
"Pay" (Jan. 21, 1992) >
"Cause" (Jan. 21, 1992) >
"Counterfeit" (Jan. 30, 1992) >
"Auditorium" (Jan. 26, 1992) >
"Courage" (Feb. 4, 1992) >
"Firefight" (Feb. 5, 1992)
"Starting" (Feb. 5, 1992)
"November" (Feb. 11, 1992) >
"Facts" (Feb. 13, 1992)
"Growing Up" (Feb. 14, 1992) >
"Siege" (SD, Feb. 20, 1992)
"Rocky" (CO, Feb. 27, 1992)

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