Delegate Bob Marshall, Republican Incumbent Candidate for Virginia State Legislature

“Spot Runner filled in gaps that I may have missed in my other campaign efforts, picking up voters who didn't already know me.”

Political candidates have turned to television for years to get their messages to potential voters. But television wasn't available for campaigns of all sizes. It is now, says Bob Marshall, a Republican candidate running for reelection to the Virginia State House of Delegates. In the midst of a tough race, he turned to Spot Runner's library of powerful, creative, and affordable ads. “The price is very attractive and the selection was appealing,” says Bob. “Everyone liked my ad; it was very zippy, and made it feel like a big-time race.”

With the creative in place, the next step was to identify the best areas to run the ad. Bob already had one county he wanted to target, but Spot Runner advised him to run an ad in an adjoining county where its sophisticated media planning technologies suggested that key voters also resided. Spot Runner enabled Bob to micro-target on TV, allowing him to send one message to one neighborhood and a different message to the other.

It was a good move, says Bob, who complemented the television spots with mailings. “Spot Runner filled in gaps that I may have missed in my other campaign efforts, picking up voters who didn't already know me.”

Following the launch of the ad campaign, Bob encountered several supporters who'd seen the ad on TV, including one that especially touched him. “It was only the second day that the ad ran, and a man approached me at the store and said, “You're Bob Marshall!” The man was a voter who — thanks to the ad — understood and appreciated Bob's positions on key issues. This voter, and many others who no doubt had seen Bob's message on TV, carried him to another victory.

At a time when other Republican candidates in his area were losing ground, Bob increased his margin of victory and handily won his race.