Some Case Studies: The Solution: On Sept. 2, 2003, Stpehen
Abbott launched nhreligion.com, New Hampshire's source for
religious news and information. The site features original news stories
about religious people, events and issues throughout the state, as well
as links to statewide stories running in local papers and houses of
worship online. The Solution: Abbott advised Tahir to highlight his centrist
platform and focus on his character and integrity. Abbott created ads,
designed a Website, www.saggystaterep.com and wrote news
releases to raise the candidate's visibility and emphasize these
themes. On Nov. 5, Saggy was among the top three candidates in a
23-person race - just two votes from a second-place finish - and
outpaced 15 Democrats in the three wards that were added to his old
GOP-leaning district after redistricting. He has since gone on to wins
in 2004 and 2006. Charles
Tarbell for Governor (2004) On
election day, he took an average of 20% of the vote statewide, 23% in
his home county, and 43% in the incumbent governor's hometown of
Rye. He
accomplished this with a few speeches and press statements that
carried a solid, clear message.
Abbott
Public Relations has recently done work for:
- PROFESSIONAL
DRIVERS, INCORPORATED
- secondchancemags.com
- Dahar Law Firm
- Danis and Company, accountants
- FOR MANCHESTER
- Vesta Roy Excellence in
Leadership Series
- The Knights of Pythias (fraternal organization)
nhreligion.com
The Problem:
New Hampshire religion news lacked focus and depth and newspapers
relied heavily on out-of-state wire news. The state lacked a central
portal for only religion news.
NH State Rep. Saggy Tahir
The Problem: In September,
2002, Stephen Abbott was hired to advise Saghir "Saggy" Tahir in his
bid to return to the New Hampshire House. The former chair
of the city GOP faced running in a newly drawn,
Democrat-leaning district.
The Problem: Stephen Abbott
was called in to manage the last month of the previously self-managed
2004 Gubernatorial campaign of Charles Tarbell, who was challenging
incumbent Gov. Craig Benson in the Republican primary. Tarbell
had made it clear early in the campaign that he was running simply to
"make a point" about education funding and would not raise any money.
As a result, the media and other Republicans were ignoring his
candidacy.
The Solution: While it was far too late to
pull off an upset victory, Tarbell hit the ground with a renewed
determination and a "Ten Pledges of a Tarbell Administration" stump
speech written by Abbott, designed to show he wasn't a one-issue
candidate. He bumped up his public appearances and speeches and made
many positive impressions on the campaign trail. While still
skeptical, the media did begin to print the campaign's news releases
and media statements, and he was included in a Portsmouth
debate and performed well in that venue. While fundraising in the final
month did not pick up, Tarbell received the endorsement of some
prominent Republicans and the state employee's union.