NEW YORK—With four weeks to go until primary day, Democratic mayoral hopeful Bill Thompson launched a duo of campaign ads, set to hit broadcast and cable channels today.
The television ads prominently feature Thompson speaking directly to voters about his beginnings, and his vision for New York City.
The two 30-second spots are a stark contrast to the first ad run by Bill de Blasio and the second ad (released today) by Christine Quinn, in which the candidates’ voices are absent from the ads.
Jonathan Prince, chief campaign strategist for Thompson, said his research has shown voters are more engaged in the ads when they see the candidates.
“Bill’s best attribute is Bill,” Prince said on a conference call with reporters.
He added the strategy would not be used in every ad, however, in these initial ads he wanted to reintroduce Thompson to voters. Thompson came in a close second to current Mayor Michael Bloomberg in 2009.
Prince said the press may remember Thompson, but average New Yorkers may have forgotten the former comptroller, who has spent the past four years in the private sector.
Prince was coy when asked about the cost of the ads, and did not want to discuss his specific ad strategy, so as not to tip his hand to his competitors.
After a bit of pressing by another reporter, Prince said, “We are on the air and we are not coming off the air.”
Thompson has remained under the radar, save for the fiery speech he gave at a church following the Trayvon Martin verdict several weeks back, yet he continues to stay near the top of the polls.
When asked about the race thus far, Prince said “team Thompson” has played its game and feels it has built a solid foundation to build on for the sprint to the primary on September 10.
“I feel we are exactly were I expected us to be at this point,” Prince said.
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