Press Release FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Monday, June 19, 1995 Contact: Dan McLagan (615) 340-0320Alexander First to Hit Campaign Airwaves
Former TN Governor Launches TV Blitz in Iowa and New Hampshire
NASHVILLE, TN - Republican presidential candidate Lamar Alexander announced that his campaign is starting TV advertisements in Iowa and New Hampshire today with a six figure saturation TV buy.
"We're taking my message of growth and jobs, freedom from big government, and more personal responsibility to the airwaves," said Alexander.
The $300,000 media buy starts tonight in Iowa and New Hampshire. The 60Šsecond spots will run in the Manchester, Boston, Des Moines, Cedar Rapids, and Sioux City media markets until mid-August.
The spots focus on Alexander's background as a two-term Governor of Tennessee (1979-1987), former U.S. Secretary of Education (1991-1993), and as a Nashville businessman and co-founder of Corporate Child Care, Inc., a start-up business that now employs more than 1200 people.
The ads mention Alexander's accomplishments as a "conservative Governor who balanced eight budgets," noting that Tennessee attracted the auto industry with Saturn while Alexander was governor, and that Tennessee's taxes are among the nation's lowest. After the announcer notes that Lamar Alexander is "running for President from the real world," Alexander himself appears for the final 30 seconds of the ad, telling viewers that "the answers to our problems aren't in Washington, D.C., they are in our churches, families, neighborhoods, and schools." Alexander continues to say that he is coming to New Hampshire and Iowa this summer to "get to know you," and then "get about the business of helping America aim for the top."
"I think the race for head of the U.S. Senate in Washington is winding down, and the race for President of the entire United States of America is ready to begin," said Alexander. "These TV spots will help me get my message out while we're still at the starting line."
Alexander chief campaign consultant, Mike Murphy, who prepared the ads said, "the average primary voter will see these spots more than 10 times over the next eight weeks. This ad campaign will increase Lamar's name identification, and help get his powerful message out to voters. I think it will become more and more evident as the Lamar Alexander campaign grows that Governor Alexander is the leading alternative to Senator Dole in the GOP primary race."
In the second commercial break following the Wilson story, the Lamar Alexander for President ad was aired. Here is the text of that 60 second ad, along with a brief description of the accompanying visuals.
TEXT VISUALS [male voice-over narration] 1.Text: "The Experts Said The experts said he'd never He'd Never Win" win. Then he walked a thousand miles 2.Alexander in gubernatorial across his state bringing campaign walking alone. people together. 3.Then shaking hands with citizen. And became the governor who cleaned 4.Leading campaign parade up corruption in Tennessee. Lamar Alexander 5.Recent, video of Alexander speaking with Amer. flag in background. a record from outside Washington. 6.Walking with people in in neighborhood. [A series of a still photo of Alexander face and his name on a plaid background across the top of the screen, with changing text below the still to fill the screen] A conservative governor who 7.Governor who balanced balanced state budgets. eight budgets. Kept taxes the fifth lowest 8.Kept taxes fifth lowest of any state. in U.S. Reformed Education 9.Reformed public education Brought in the auto industry 10.Brought in auto industry with Saturn. And later helped found a new 11.Helped start new business business that now has twelve with 12,000 employees hundred employees. Lamar Alexander, 12.B&w still of Alexander governor, standing, left profile. businessman, 13.B&w still of Alexander education secretary, crouching,talking to kids a Republican running for President 14.Still photo of Alexander speaking, Amer. flag in back from the real world. 15.Walking in neighborhood parade. [narration ends and Lamar Alexander speaks, with piano and oboe music playing in the background] I'm coming to New Hampshire this 16.Shoulders and head of summer to get to know you. Gov.Alexander in shirt and Because the answer to our problems tie. Dark curtain as isn't in Washington. The answer's backdrop, facing viewer. in our churches, families, Alexander's name appears at neighborhoods, and schools. bottom of the screen at It's about growth and jobs. "because" and disappears at Freedom from big government. "It's." And a lot more personal Camera slowly moves in to responsibility. Alexander until his face I'm Lamar Alexander. fills the screen. Let's get to know each other. And then let's get about the business of helping America aim for the top.