Woods 1

Candice Woods 60 Schoolhouse Hill Rd Sandy Hook, Ct 06482 18 December 2012

Linda McMahon Media Plan

Part 1: Narrative Overview

Introduction

The main objective of this media plan is to come up with a media strategy incorporating

all forms of paid media to persuade voters to vote for Republican candidate Linda

McMahon to the . McMahon’s media plan will create a brand and

incorporate television advertisements, radio advertisements, direct mail, social media, and emails

to connect to the parry base and to persuadable voters to win the United States Senate seat with a

50% + 1% margin.

In order for McMahon to successfully win the open United States Senate seat and the

plurality of the vote, the campaign must assure voters that he is the only logical choice to

represent Connecticut’s people and their values in the Senate. The purpose of this media plan is

to roughly outline the media plan for McMahon’s campaign. The first step in the campaign is to

gather candidate and opposition research in order to figure out McMahon’s strengths and

weaknesses, and the strengths and weaknesses of McMahon’s opponent in the general election.

After gathering candidate and opposition research, the campaign will look at electoral targeting

to come up with who the campaign needs to target in the media plan. In order to get votes for

McMahon, the campaign has to identify McMahon’s base of support voters, the voters who will never vote for her, and the voters who can be persuaded to vote for her. The media plan will identify the three groups of voters through looking at electoral history, regional demographics, and voter files. Through looking at the research, campaign issues and the electoral targeting, then Woods 2 a theme and brand for McMahon will be developed to use throughout the campaign. After developing the brand and messages, the media plan will outline the media strategy that will guarantee electoral success for McMahon on November 6, 2012.

Candidate and Opposition Research

I. Candidate Research: Linda Marie Edwards McMahon

Linda Marie Edwards McMahon was “born in New Bern, , graduated from

East Carolina University with a Bachelor of Science in French, and lives in Greenwich,

Connecticut” (“About Linda” np). McMahon is a family woman as she has two children, Shane

McMahon and Stephanie McMahon-Levesque, six grandchildren, and has been married to her husband Vince since 1966 (O’Leary 1). McMahon is not a career politician and has never been elected into office. Rather, McMahon “has worked as a legal secretary, a supermarket cashier and a jewelry store manager before joining the wrestling industry” (“Linda McMahon” np).

McMahon became involved with the wrestling industry when “Vince McMahon founded his own wrestling company, Titan Sport in 1980, and in 1982 bought his father’s business, Capitol

Wrestling, also known as the World Wide Wrestling Federation, turning it into an international success” (O’Leary 4). McMahon worked for Titan Sports as “a business manager from 1980-

2009, as president from 1993-2000, and CEO from 1997-2009” (O’Leary 1). McMahon’s background and family is an asset for the campaign because a family softens McMahon’s image as a business woman and helps with the female vote. McMahon can connect with housewives, working moms, and single women because she has experience in struggling to start a lucrative business, maintaining a home, balancing her responsibilities as a working mother, and becoming a CEO in a business dominated by men. Woods 3

The 2012 United States Senate seat is not the first race that McMahon has entered. McMahon

previously ran in the 2010 United States Senate race against Connecticut Attorney General

Richard Blumenthal and was defeated by “12 percentage points” (O’Leary 1). During the 2010

election, McMahon was defined “as a corporate executive who amassed a fortune in an industry

known for rampant steroid abuse, denigration of women and exploitation of its wrestlers”

(“Linda McMahon” np). McMahon attempted to brand herself in the 2010 election as a

successful business woman failed because the negative aspects of her wrestling business branded

her as a callous and cruel businesswoman. Before she decided to run again, McMahon went on a

listening tour in Connecticut. The purpose of the listening tour was to “familiarize herself with

local politicians and build grassroots support” (Jaffe 1). The listening tour can be used in the

2012 election to make McMahon seem to be more accessible and caring than other candidates,

and to reverse the image of the evil corporate tycoon that she was branded as in 2010.

On the issues, McMahon appeals to both Independents and Republicans. McMahon “opposes

cap-and-trade, supports offshore drilling, supports implementing Free Trade Agreements, supports Second Amendment Rights, supports repealing health care reform, and is pro-choice”

(“Linda McMahon on the Issues” np). McMahon’s main focus is her job creation plan.

McMahon’s six point jobs creation plan consists of “middle tax cuts, business tax cuts, ending

job killing regulations, a 1% spending reduction each year, empowering a skilled workforce, and

developing American energy resources” (“Linda’s Plan” np). McMahon believes that “‘people

create jobs, not governments’” (“Linda McMahon on the Issues” np). McMahon’s job creation

plan is aligned with the Republican Party because McMahon’s job creation plan focuses on

reducing government assistance and promoting a free market system to create more jobs. Woods 4

McMahon wants to repeal the Affordable Health Care Act and does not support health care

reform. McMahon does not support health care reform because she believes she does not support

individuals mandates and believes that “costs can be cut through market forces if policies are

sold across state lines. She blamed the ever-escalating costs on mandated coverage” (O’Leary 3).

As a CEO, McMahon is no stranger to implementing health care plans. The WWE’s health care plan consists of “workers putting aside tax-free income to cover the cost of prescriptions and

doctors visits… the arrangement brought down the company’s costs, provided flexibility and put

more responsibility on the individual” (O’Leary 3). McMahon’s stance on health care is an asset

for the media plan because while she does not have experience in working for the government,

she does have experience in overseeing a successful health care system that worked for a

massive company that thrives on physical and mental stress.

As a Roman Catholic, McMahon also does not support health care reform. McMahon’s

strong Catholic identity impacts her views on health care reform because she does not support

“the Obama’s administration’s mandate that all insurance plans, even those provided by Roman

Catholic institutions, cover contraception as preventative care” (O’Leary 3). McMahon does not

believe that the government should force the Church or private businesses to subscribe to

insurance companies that provide contraception because it goes against her faith and she believes

in individual choice over government intervention. McMahon’s stance on the contraception

mandate helps the campaign and the media plan because it appeals to conservatives and religious

voters who also do not support mandated contraception.

II. Opposition Research: Christopher Scott Murphy

Christopher Scott Murphy is a native son of Connecticut. On his personal website, Murphy

boasts that “both sides of Chris’ family go back four generations in Connecticut” (“Get to Know Woods 5

Chris Murphy” np). Murphy “grew up in Wethersfield, Connecticut, attended University of

Connecticut Law School in Hartford, and practiced real estate and banking law from 2002 to

2006 with the firm Ruben, Johnson & Morgan in Hartford” (“Biography of ” 1).

Murphy is a part of a stable nuclear family as he “resides in Cheshire with his wife Catherine, a legal aid attorney, and their sons Owen and Rider” (“Get to Know Chris” np). Murphy does not appear to have any sex scandals. Murphy’s childhood, family, education and work history is a strength for his campaign because people identify with people with similar backgrounds. Murphy grew up, attended school, and worked in Connecticut before running for office in Connecticut.

Voters tend to assume that since they share a similar background with a politician they also share the same values and norms because they have shared experiences through growing up, living, and working in the same area.

On the issues, Chris Murphy supports tax reform, manufacturing in America, health care reform, education, women’s health and equality rights, LGBTQ rights, renewable energy, environment conservation, education reform, and ethics reform (“Issues” np). Murphy values are aligned with the Democrat Party platform because Murphy supports health care reform, tax reform, protecting workers from exploitation and bringing jobs back to America, protecting the environment, education reform, and equal rights for all social classes. Due to the country’s current recession and unemployment rates, every candidate needs to have a clear cut jobs creation plan. Murphy’s job creation plan and stance on the economy reflects other issues he cares about. Murphy’s jobs creation plan is a five point plan that includes “simplifying the tax code, promoting and strengthening American manufacturing, reinvesting in our transportation infrastructure, making education a priority, and leading the way in renewable energy” (“Issues” np). Murphy believes that investing in the middle class through simplifying the tax codes, Woods 6 investing in education, and creating jobs through manufacturing and renewable energy is the best way to invigorate the economy.

However, Murphy’s political positions can also be a personal weakness because voters might not agree with all of his political positions and votes as a career politician. McMahon needs to capitalize on Murphy’s weak record as a politician and juxtapose her own strengths to his weaknesses at any given opportunity. Since he has been a politician since 1998, he has amassed a voting record that could be used against him to persuade swing voters not to vote for him.

Murphy supports controversial issues like health care reform and stem cell research. For example, “Murphy authored and passed Connecticut's historic Stem Cell Investment Act…the legislation, which invested $100 million over ten years into embryonic and adult stem cell research, became the nation's first law directing state funding to life-saving stem cell research”

(“Biography of Chris Murphy” np). Voters who are pro-life, evangelicals, Catholic and conservative tend to not to vote for candidates who support stem cell research due to a moral or religious objection to stem cell research. While pro-life, evangelicals, and conservatives are not in Murphy’s base, Catholics are a part of the Democrat base. Due to Murphy’s direct involvement with stem cell research, Catholics could vote for McMahon. McMahon could also use Murphy’s stance on stem cell research as a negative campaign tool through labeling Murphy as a baby killer since his bill earmarked money for embryonic stem cell research. Also,

Murphy’s support of health care reform can take away voters from him and can be misconstrued in a negative light. As a part of the House and Energy Commerce Committee, Murphy “took part in the drafting of the historic health care reform law. As legislation moved through Congress,

Chris was a leading voice for the public opinion and putting Americans back in charge of their health care” (“Get to Know Chris” np). While Murphy’s base Democrat voters will agree with Woods 7 his position on health care reform, his stance on health care reform could alienate moderate

Republicans and Independents from voting for him because they believe that government involvement with health care is an overreach of government power and do not want to pay for other people’s health care through their taxes.

Murphy also has experience as a politician in Connecticut. Murphy was “a Representative to the Connecticut State House of Representatives from 1998 to 2002, a Connecticut State Senator from 2003 to 2006, and a Representative in the United States House of Representative from 2007 to present” (“Representative Chris Murphy” np). Murphy’s experience is a strength because

Connecticut voters can already identify Murphy as an elected politician and can identify his position on issues because Murphy has an established voting record. Voters can research bills that Murphy has voted written and sponsored. For example, as a U.S. Representative, he has

“sponsored 25 bills, 0 made into laws” and “co-sponsored 236 bills, 9 made into laws” (“Open

Congress” np). As a United States Representative, “from January 2007 to September 2012,

Murphy missed 132 of 5081 recorded or roll call votes, which is 3.0%. This is worse than the median 2.5%,” (“Rep Chris Murphy” np). McMahon can claim that missing 3.0% of votes is irresponsible as the average Congressman misses 2.5% votes and that 97% attendance is not good enough for the citizens of Connecticut.

While Murphy has a solid personal background and an adequate political record, he does have three financial scandals that can be used against him. Murphy’s first two scandals involve missed payments as “Murphy was sued for not paying his rent on his Southington apartment in late 2003. In early 2007, he was the defendant in a foreclosure action against the Cheshire home he purchased in January 2005” (Rennie 1). While the lawsuits were dropped by the landlord and

Chase Bank, Murphy has admitted to missing the payments. Murphy has also been accused of Woods 8

getting a sweetheart mortgage deal with Webster Bank in 2008. McMahon contends that

Murphy’s loan from Webster Bank is unethical because he “provided legal services for Webster

prior to his election to Congress, he was allowed to open the home-equality line of credit and

because the bank’s Political Action Committee contributed to his Congressional campaigns”

(Lockhart 1). Murphy’s financial scandals are a liability due to the current economic

circumstances of the nation. Since the senate race has to contend with a recession and low

unemployment rates, a record of missed payments and an accusation of unethical fraternization

with a bank does not bode well for Murphy’s credibility as a politician as a ethic reformer or help

his economic platform.

Electoral Targeting

The purpose of electoral targeting is to determine who votes, who will support the candidate, who will support the opposition, and who can be persuaded. As a Democrat, Murphy has the electoral advantage because Connecticut is considered to be a blue state. Historically,

Connecticut votes for Democrats and the state “has an all Democratic house delegation, a

Democratic governor and both senators are Democrats as well. It hasn’t voted for a GOP

presidential nominee in 20 years” (Mahtesian np). Why does Connecticut tend to vote for the

Democratic candidate? There are more Democrats registered in Connecticut than Republicans.

In the state of Connecticut, there are 1,992,285 active registered voters, of which 732,201 are

registered Democrats, 417,615 are registered Republicans, and 10,090 are registered

Independents (Merrill 2).

Looking at the electoral history, Murphy has an advantage over McMahon because

Democrats are more likely to vote than Republicans. In the past two senate elections, there has

been a high for the Democratic Party. In 2006, 1,134,777 Connecticut citizens Woods 9 voted in the Senate race, Joseph I. Lieberman won 49.7% of the vote with 564,095 votes (Miller

9). Lieberman served in the United States Senate as a Democrat for three terms and “he remains committed to caucusing with Senate Democrats, but is identified as an Independent Democrat

(ID-CT)” (“Biography of Joseph Lieberman” np). In the 2006 election, Lieberman ran under the

Connecticut for Lieberman Party, a party which was specifically created for Lieberman. If

Lieberman had not lost the 2006 primary to Lamont, he would have been the Democratic Party candidate in the general election. In the general election, Lieberman defeated Lamont whom received 450,844 votes and Republican whom received 109,198 votes (Miller

9). In 2010, there was an increase in voter turnout in the general election and an increase in

Republican votes. In 2010, 1,153,115 Connecticut citizens voted in the Senate race, with

Democrat candidate winning the Class 3 Senate seat with 52.48% of the vote with 605,204 votes and Republican Linda McMahon receiving 43.2% of the vote with

498,341 votes (Haas 10). In order to win in 2012, McMahon needs to keep her base secure, maintain the votes she received in the 2010 Senate race, capitalize in disenfranchised moderate

Democrat voters, and target swing voters.

In order to win the election, McMahon needs to make sure that her Republican voter base is secure. McMahon needs to focus on fiscal and social conservative voters because her campaign platform promotes both fiscal and social conservative issues. The campaign must mobilize a base that consists of voters who identify as being Libertarian and Main Street

Republican because these voters make up the core voting base of fiscal and social conservatives in Connecticut. The Republican base consists of Libertarians and Main Street Republicans in

Connecticut. Libertarians are “highly critical of government and disapprove of social welfare programs. They are pro-business and strongly opposed to regulation” (“Beyond the Red vs. Woods 10

Blue” 1). Demographically “most Libertarians (85%) are non-Hispanic white and two-thirds

(67%) are male. Well educated (71% have attended college) and affluent (39% have incomes of

$75,000 or more)” (“Beyond the Red vs. Blue” 2). Main Street Republicans are “highly critical of government, and very religious and strongly committed to traditional social values” (“Beyond the Red vs. Blue” 1). Demographically, Main Street Republicans are “predominantly non-

Hispanic white (88%)…a majority are Protestant (65%, including 38% white evangelical). A large majority (69%) are generally satisfied financially” (“Beyond the Red vs. Blue” 2). Murphy will never gain the support of social conservatives, white collar workers, high income families, and evangelicals because his political positions are geared towards liberal ideals like investing in stem cell research and ending the Bush tax cuts for high income families. McMahon will win the

Libertarian and Main Street Republican vote without any qualms because her political positions are more attuned to the values of the Libertarians and Main Street Republicans than Murphy’s political positions.

Throughout the campaign, McMahon needs to Independent voters and moderate

Democrats. McMahon will be fighting with Murphy over Post-Modern Independent voters. Post-

Modern Independent voters are people value “regulation and environmental protection. Favor the use of diplomacy rather than military force to ensure peace” (“Beyond the Red vs. Blue” 1) and

“tends to be more supportive of Wall Street and business interests, and skeptical of broad-based social justice programs aimed at helping African-Americans and the poor” (“Beyond the Red vs.

Blue” 3). Demographically across the United States they are “the youngest of the typology groups (32% under age 30); a majority are non-Hispanic white (70%) and have at least some Woods 11 college experience (71%)” (“Beyond the Red vs. Blue” 2). In Connecticut, Post Modern

Independent voters are key voters because Both McMahon and Murphy could appeal to Post-

Modern Liberals because Murphy supports environmental conservation while McMahon supports business interests and wants government to stop spending money on social programs.

Issues of the Campaign

McMahon’s lack of political experience, corporate image and exploitation of females in an industry she helped found is a weakness for the McMahon campaign because Murphy has the experience that McMahon lacks and he has a record of supporting female equality rights. In order to compensate for Murphy’s experience and record, McMahon will have to hone her message on women’s rights, health care, and job creation in order to persuade Connecticut to vote for her. The following list of issues is the list of issues that McMahon will address in her television and radio ads, direct mail pieces, and Internet advertisement.

1. Introduction: McMahon will have to reintroduce herself to the state of Connecticut.

McMahon needs to separate herself from the cold image that was defined for her by

Blumenthal in the 2010 campaign cycle. McMahon also needs to define herself before

Murphy does. The introduction message will feature McMahon’s family, and briefly

explain why she loves Connecticut while focusing on all the charitable work that

McMahon has done in Connecticut. The introduction pieces should also highlight

McMahon’s listening tour that she conducted in 2010 and 2011 to show that she cares

about what the people want out of an elected official. Woods 12

2. Abortion: On the issues, both McMahon and Murphy are pro choice and support female

rights in the workplace. McMahon’s pro choice stance puts her at odds with the

conservative faction within her party but will help attract moderate Democrat voters and

liberal Independent voters.

3. Promotion of Women’s Rights: McMahon will have two messages on women’s rights.

One of her messages will be on why she is pro choice and the other message on women’s

rights will be on how she helped break the glass ceiling as a female CEO and how she

helped create scholarships for underprivileged females in various schools throughout the

state to help them fulfill their potential.

4. Same Sex Marriage: Both McMahon and Murphy support same sex marriage.

Connecticut was one of the first states pass a same sex marriage amendment. McMahon’s

message will clarify that she will protect Connecticut’s equal marriage status but, she will

also explain that she does not support passing a same sex marriage amendment on a

federal level.

5. Job Creation & Promotion: Both McMahon and Murphy have different plans on how

to create and promote jobs within in Connecticut. The media pieces regarding job

creation and promotion will be a comparison piece between the two different plans,

focusing on how McMahon’s six point jobs plan will benefit Connecticut more than

Murphy’s plan.

6. Health Care Reform: McMahon supports repealing the Affordable Health Care Act

while Murphy is a champion of health care reform. The media pieces regarding health

care reform will compare McMahon and Murphy’s stances on the Affordable Health Care

Act. The media pieces will also explain why McMahon supports repealing the Affordable Woods 13

Health Care Act through highlighting McMahon’s objections to individual mandates and

religious organizations being mandated to provide abortions and contraception to its

female employees.

7. Taxes: McMahon wants to lower tax rates in Connecticut. McMahon also considers

herself to be a fiscal conservative. The media pieces will juxtapose Murphy’s complacent

record of raising taxes with McMahon’s taxation policy.

8. Get Out the Vote: During the last few weeks of the campaign, the campaign needs to

rally around McMahon and push voters to vote for McMahon. The GOTV message effort

will juxtapose McMahon’s economic plan with Murphy’s economic plan since job

creation and promotion are the most important issue in Connecticut at the moment.

Media Strategy

According to Leonard Steinhorn, “despite all the attention paid to campaign advertising,

the truth is that television ads alone will not win an election. But an effective branding

campaign- one that turns every media tool into an advertising vehicle- will” (Steinhorn 141).

Before the campaign creates a media plan, the campaign needs to create a brand. The media plan and the campaign have to come up with a brand, a marketing technique that capitalizes on distinctive and unique characteristics of a candidate to identify the candidate from other candidates. The campaign branding is important for all campaigns to have because each candidate needs a hook to distinguish its campaign from the opposing campaigns in order to persuade voters to vote for the candidate. The campaign will brand McMahon as a reformer and a concerned citizen that loves her state. The campaign needs to brand McMahon as a reformer because she does not have the experience that Murphy has as an elected official and she is within the political minority in Connecticut as a Republican. The campaign needs to brand McMahon in Woods 14 a soft, nurturing and caring fashion in order to undo the damage that Blumenthal’s campaign did to McMahon’s image in 2010.

In modernity, an effective media plan consists of television advertisements, radio advertisements, direct mail, Internet ads, and emails that are specifically targeted to select voters that the campaign believes that are either guaranteed votes or persuadable votes. The components of the media plan are consistent and work in tandem to sway voters to vote for the candidate based upon the brand of the campaign. McMahon’s message needs to have positive messages in most of her media pieces because she does not want to alienate voters again due to the violent nature of her business and her cold corporate image as a CEO.

McMahon needs to target Republicans, moderate Democrats, and Independents in order to win the election. The campaign needs to examine voter lists in order to figure out where to send appropriate direct mail and what type of media campaign would be the best to fit the type of voter that lives in Connecticut. In order to reach the voters that she is targeting, the campaign needs to consider the following voter lists:

Connecticut Statewide Totals

Voters Households Overall 1989499 1331027 Age under 35 412611 347102

Age over 55 822224 618911 Has a phone 1728138 1109496 Verified phone 1025718 613883 Multi-voter household 115440 495978 Reg after 10 General 251099 222784 10/10/10 Female 1067289 964175 Male 899110 798304

Likely married 1174477 735402

Woods 15

Asian 23678 16827 Jewish 119316 76277

Hispanic 163498 126930 Cell phone 0 0 Email address 653673 519872 Voted 2010 Primary 280164 217618 Voted 2010 General 1107385 774368 Voted 2008 Primary 404294 315835

Voted 2008 General 1477879 1008115 Voted 2006 Primary 182567 147322 Voted 2006 General 865113 614661 Voted both generals 08 1005867 711378 and10 Voted either general 08 or10 1579397 1067744

Voted both primaries 08 176391 141888 and10 (“Connecticut Statewide”)

Connecticut Republican Statewide Totals

Voters Households Republican- Independent Households Overall 411813 310192 884104 Age under 35 53187 47073 231635

Age over 55 193510 155768 379489

Has a phone 368632 273226 745528 Verified phone 232018 167668 421876 Multi-voter 281830 180209 165851 household Reg after 10 General 40219 35820 149258 10/10/10 Female 195459 186345 590225 Male 212321 199902 543041 Likely married 269316 194245 517705 Asian 3609 2801 5099

Jewish 24125 18065 48500 Hispanic 15584 12657 67378 Woods 16

Cell phone 0 0 0 Email address 158070 134957 349631 Voted 2010 Primary 111029 86780 88942 Voted 2010 General 285269 218772 492403 Voted 2008 Primary 120391 95954 101640 Voted 2008 General 333372 254335 652908 Voted 2006 Primary 5226 4525 9758 Voted 2006 General 218158 170384 385448 Voted both generals 261640 202385 449368 08 and 10 Voted either general 357001 270291 693787 08 or 10 Voted both 62265 50445 50881 primaries 08 and 10 (“Connecticut Statewide”)

Connecticut “Other” Statewide Totals

Voters Households Overall 842492 653367 Age under 35 215649 192373 Age over 55 291258 242936 Has a phone 723961 547451 Verified phone 420899 303759 Multi-voter 482486 293361 household Reg after 10 General 126865 116402 10/10/10 Female 445667 417453 Male 386776 360191 Likely married 501480 377287 Asian 13417 10543 Jewish 45916 35021 Hispanic 67844 57556 Cell phone 0 0 Email address 267849 233629 Voted 2010 Primary 2986 2529 Voted 2010 General 388992 313018

Voted 2008 Primary 6806 6334 Voted 2008 General 577560 454299 Voted 2006 Primary 6228 5419 Voted 2006 General 299186 242733 Voted both generals 347086 281124 Woods 17

08 and 10 Voted either general 619466 484754 08 or 10 Voted both 516 486 primaries 08 and 10 (“Connecticut Statewide”)

Part II: Budget

I. Total Breakdown

Communication / % of Budget Cost Consultant Total of Television 53.7% $27,970,900 (Production & Schedule) Total of Radio 11.8% $6,137,200 (Production & Schedule) Total of Direct Mail 9.1% $4,724,700 (Production & Postage) Internet Advertising 23.1% $12,000,000 Outdoor Advertising 0.96% $500,000 Misc. Expenses 0.96% $500,000 (Banners, Signs, Fliers) Press Secretary 0.17% $66,0001 Media Consultant 0.11% $55,000 Direct Mail 0.02% $10,000 Consultant Pollster Fee 0.11% $55,000 Candidate / 0.05% $25,000 Opposition Research Grand Total 100% $52,043,800

1 Costs for press secretary, media consultant, direct mail consultant, pollster fee, and candidate / operation research provided by budget worksheets provided by Professor Plaut and Professor Robbett Woods 18

The total budget for the media portion of the campaign is $52,043,800. Generally,

campaigns spend about 70% of their budget on their media campaign. Based upon the media

budget, the campaign should spend $88,474,460 overall on the election.

II. Direct Mail

The goal of the direct mail plan is to reach as many households as possible. The campaign

needs to target Republican, Independent, and female voters in order to gain traction in the

election. Based upon the voter lists provided by the Voter Contact Services, the following table

explains the topic of the mail piece, which type of voter the target is directed towards, and how

many households the mail piece will be sent to. Some of the households will overlap from the

Republican and Other table but, the campaign is not worried about wasting money on sending multiple pieces of mail to multiple households because the goal of the campaign is to reshape

McMahon’s image and brand in Connecticut to gain traction with more voters.

Direct Mail Plan

Target Topic Mail Date Households Overall Connecticut Intro / Bio 7/15/2012 1,331,027 Overall Republican- General 7/ 28 / 2012 1,537,471 Independent and Comparison- Other McMahon and Murphy Overall Connecticut Abortion 8 / 4 / 2012 1,331,027 Female Republican- Promotion of 8 / 11 / 2012 1,007,678 Independents and Women’s Rights Female Others Overall Republican- Job Creation and 9 / 13 / 2012 1,537,471 Independents and Promotion Overall Other Overall Republican Same Sex Marriage 10 / 22 / 2012 963,559 and Overall Others Overall Republican Health Care Reform 10 / 8 / 2012 310,192 Overall Republican- Taxes 10 / 15 / 2012 884,104 Independent Overall Republican- Endorsements 9 / 20 / 2012 1,537,471 Independents and Woods 19

Overall Other Overall Republican- Negative, Murphy’s 10 / 30 / 2012 884,104 Independents economic record Overall Connecticut Get Out the Vote 11 / 1 / 2012 1,331,027 Total Mail Pieces 10,960,939

To produce “an 8.5" x 11" postcard, printed 4-colors/2 sides on coated card stock,

the per-piece prices would be: 20,000 quantity: 42¢ each, 50,000 quantity: 25¢ each

100,000 quantity: 19¢ each” (Robbett 1). Each mail piece for each issue that McMahon sends a

mailer for is going to be an 8.5 x 11 postcard because it is the cheapest size and kills less trees.

To send out the direct mail, “for postage, 24¢ per piece can be used as an average per piece cost

for budgeting standard (bulk) rate mailings” (Robett 1).

It will approximately cost the following to send out the direct mail to the voters of

Connecticut:

Production - (100,000 x $.19) x 109 = $2,071,000 (50,000 x $.25) x 1 = $12,500 (20,000 x $.42) x 1 = $8,400 Postage - 10,970,000 x $.24 = $2,632,800 Total for the mailing- $4,724,700

III. Television & Radio

The goal of the television and radio advertisement schedule is to reach as many voters as possible and to hammer in the message that McMahon is the only candidate to vote for. The strategy for both the television and radio advertisements is a progressive schedule. In each market, the campaign is going to start airing commercials slowly and build as the weeks go on.

McMahon has plenty of money to spend but, the campaign does not want to annoy possible voters with airing too many commercials. Through increasing the amount of commercials shown and GRP slowly, constituents are not overwhelmed with the commercials. The campaign is going to spend the most money on television ads, particularly in the New York market. The Woods 20

campaign is spending the most money in the New York market because the New York City

market is the most expensive market in the country. The campaign has to spend money in the

New York City market because the New York market also reaches voters in Fairfield County and about 925,899 people live in Fairfield County (“Fairfield County Census”). The campaign will be airing more television and radio advertisements in the Hartford / New Haven market because the market covers the entire state. The campaign will also be investing the Boston market because the Boston market can reach parts of Windham and Tolland counties.

Consulting the attached Microsoft Excel File via email, both the television schedule and radio schedule are broken down into market, the associated gross rating point for the market, and how much it would cost to show the commercials per week. The pound sign column indicates how many commercial types that the campaign wants to show per week per area. The campaign will initially run four commercials based upon the issues that are most important to the campaign. The campaign will air an introduction commercial about McMahon, a job creation and promotion commercial, a women’s rights commercial, and a comparison commercial between McMahon and Murphy. Generally, it costs $25,000 to produce a high-end television spot and $12,000 to produce a high-end radio spot (Robbett 1). The campaign will only produce high-end television spots and high end radio spots because McMahon deserves the best and she can afford it. It will cost $100,000 to produce four high-end television spots and it will cost the campaign to produce $48,000 high-end radio spots. The campaign will spend a grand total of

$34,033,100 on the radio and television advertisements.

IV. Internet Advertising Woods 21

The campaign cannot ignore emerging technology. As a part of its communications plan, the campaign will design a paid media campaign that will involve personal websites, e-blasts,

Facebook and Twitter accounts, print ads and Internet commercials that promote McMahon. The website, e-blasts, Facebook, and Twitter accounts should all focus on reinforcing the positive work that McMahon has done for Connecticut as a concerned citizen and what she plans to do as an elected official. The campaign is willing to spend $12,000 million dollars on Internet advertising. The campaign thinks that it is more worthwhile to spend money on the Internet than on the radio but, the Internet is not as important as television advertisements.

Part III: Creative Material Examples

1. 30 Second Television Script

Positive Introduction / Biography Ad: Meet Linda McMahon

Effects Transcript Fade to banner over a picture of Linda Linda McMahon: “I’m Linda McMahon and I McMahon with her husband Vince, two approve this message” children, and six grandchildren. “Paid by Linda McMahon” for four seconds. Fade into Linda McMahon sitting on a couch, Linda McMahon: “There’s been a lot said looking straight into a camera about me over the years. I’ve been called an elitist and a cold hearted CEO. People say that my industry is demeaning towards women and promotes violence.” Fade into pictures of Linda with her family and Linda McMahon voice over: “But, none of friends. things are true. I am a mother, a grandmother, a daughter, a wife, and a friend.” Fade into pictures of Linda sitting on the board Linda McMahon “I am an educator, a business at , attending a meeting woman, an advocate, a public servant.” at the Connecticut State Board of Education, and volunteering at public libraries, hospitals, and the . Fade into Linda McMahon sitting on the couch Linda McMahon: “And I want to be your again. Senator, Connecticut.”

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2. 60 Second Radio Ad

Comparison Radio Ad: Job Creation and Promotion

Effects Transcript Background music: Distorted horror music, Linda McMahon voice over: “There are more loud. than 170,000 Connecticut citizens who are unemployed and are looking for good, honest work. Connecticut unemployment has doubled to 9%.” Background music: Distorted horror music, Linda McMahon voice over: “But, Chris loud. Murphy won’t help Connecticut. Murphy doesn’t have a jobs plan. Murphy has even voted against job creation in Connecticut because he voted against the National Authorization Act and the Defense Appropriation Act and says he would support cuts to the Defense budget which will affect Connecticut’s manufacturing sector. Under Chris Murphy, Connecticut’s unemployment will continue to increase.” Background music: Uplifting piano music, soft Linda McMahon: “Unlike Chris Murphy, I and gentle. have a jobs creation plan. I want to revive Connecticut’s manufacturing sector through supporting the REINS Act. I want to keep our contracts with the Defense department and end job killing regulations that have cost many Connecticut families their jobs and livelihood.” Linda McMahon: “A vote for Linda, is a vote for putting Connecticut back to work” Linda McMahon: “I’m Linda McMahon and I approve this message”

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