Purple Strategies

Purple Strategies is a bipartisan communications firm that offers services in strategic communication, public affairs, issue advocacy, public opinion research, advertising, media relations and new media for corporations, trade associations and non-profit organizations. Past and current clients include BP,{{cite news |title=Purple Strategies Hires From Burnett, Emanuel Team Chicago office expands |author=Noreen O'Leary |url=http://www.adweek.com/news/advertising-branding/purple-strategies-hires-burnett-emanuel-team-149311 |work=Adweek |date=9 May 2013 |access-date=9 May 2013}} United Airlines, NASCAR,{{cite news |title=Lawmakers wheel on NASCAR |author=David Rogers |url=http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0712/78636.html |work=Politico |date=17 July 2012 |access-date=8 April 2013}} the United States Chamber of Commerce and Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America (PhRMA).

Purple Strategies' principal partners include Republican political strategists Alex Castellanos, Bruce Haynes, and Robin Roberts, as well as Democratic strategists Steve McMahon, John Donovan, and Mark Squier. The company is headquartered in Alexandria, Virginia with additional locations in Chicago, Houston, and Harrisburg, Pennsylvania.{{cite news |title=2016 BEGINS TONIGHT: Ryan, Rubio speak on upward mobility at Kemp Foundation dinner -- VandeHei, Allen column debuts: Behind the Curtain -- POLITICO promotions -- Al Hunt b'day |author=Mike Allen |url=http://www.politico.com/playbook/1212/playbook9589.html |work=Politico |date=4 December 2012 |access-date=12 March 2013}}

Purple Strategies operates Citizen2, a media company based in Chicago and the Washington, D.C. area specializing in reputation management and branding.{{cite news |title=D.C. public affairs firm opening in Chicago |author=Lynn Sweet |url=http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1N1-13D5A5F5F0F11550.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160409173627/https://www.highbeam.com/doc/1N1-13D5A5F5F0F11550.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=9 April 2016 |work=Chicago Sun-Times |date=21 February 2012 |access-date=6 March 2013}} Citizen2 developed the "National Hiring Day" campaign for McDonald's in 2012, in partnership with the public relations firm Golin Harris International. The print, radio and social media campaign sought to add 50,000 employees to McDonald's workforce and featured profiles of real McDonald's employees.{{cite news |title=Is McDonald's Losing That Lovin' Feeling? |author=Maureen Morrison |url=http://adage.com/article/news/mcdonald-s-losing-lovin-feeling/232821/ |work=Advertising Age |date=20 February 2012 |access-date=7 March 2013}}{{cite news |title=McDonald's Aims to Turn 'McJob' Image on Its Ear in Recruiting Effort |author=Maureen Morrison |url=http://adage.com/article/news/mcdonald-s-aims-change-mcjob-image-recruiting-effort/152930/ |work=Advertising Age |date=4 April 2011 |access-date=7 March 2013}} In 2013, Citizen2 was hired by Coca-Cola to help the company join the national discussion about soft drinks' role in high rates of obesity in the United States. Citizen2 helped Coca-Cola create a television commercial highlighting the company's efforts to address obesity. The ad ran in the U.S. and Europe.{{cite news |title=Coca-Cola Addresses Obesity Head-on in New Ads |author=Natalie Zmuda |url=http://adage.com/article/news/coca-cola-addresses-obesity-ads/239163/ |work=Advertising Age |date=14 January 2013 |access-date=7 March 2013}}{{cite news |title=Coke to air UK anti-obesity ads |author=John Reynolds |url=http://www.marketingmagazine.co.uk/news/1173650/Coke-air-UK-anti-obesity-ads/ |work=Marketing Magazine |date=6 March 2013 |access-date=15 April 2013}}

Purple Advocacy is also a subsidiary of Purple Strategies, and specializes in government affairs, including lobbying.

Purple Strategies was founded in 2008 by Alex Castellanos and Steve McMahon. Republican consultant and strategist Castellanos merged his strategic communications company, National Media Public Affairs, with McMahon's Democratic firm Issue & Image, to create the bipartisan organization. Bruce Haynes became the managing partner at Purple Strategies. Haynes has explained that the merger was the result of the founding partners routinely meeting each other when pitching to clients. The partners decided they should combine efforts, blending the "blue" and "red" consultancies, to create a "purple" company.

The firm's first major client was the United States Chamber of Commerce; in partnership with the communications firm Powell Tate, Purple Strategies developed the Chamber of Commerce's "Campaign for Free Enterprise" in 2009.{{cite news |title=US Chamber awards largest campaign to Powell Tate, Purple Strategies |author=Jaimy Lee |url=http://www.prweekus.com/us-chamber-awards-largest-campaign-to-powell-tate-purple-strategies/article/149527/ |work=PRWeek |date=23 September 2009 |access-date=7 March 2013}} This was the largest campaign initiated by the Chamber of Commerce to date, and used advertising, digital outreach and grassroots campaigning to promote free enterprise in the United States.{{cite news |title=Chamber makes push extolling 'free enterprise' |author1=Jim Snyder |author2=Kevin Bogardus |url=http://thehill.com/business-a-lobbying/62953-chamber-makes-push-extolling-free-enterprise |work=The Hill |date=13 October 2009 |access-date=7 March 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091019045830/http://thehill.com/business-a-lobbying/62953-chamber-makes-push-extolling-free-enterprise |archive-date=19 October 2009 |url-status=dead }}

In 2010, Purple Strategies was hired by BP following the Deepwater Horizon oil spill.{{cite news |title=As Outrage Grows, So Does BP's Adviser Crew |author1=Jim Snyder |author2=Kristin Jensen |url=http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/content/10_26/b4184030288892.htm |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100621143411/http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/content/10_26/b4184030288892.htm |url-status=dead |archive-date=June 21, 2010 |work=Bloomberg Businessweek |date=17 June 2010 |access-date=7 March 2013}} Purple Strategies developed online, television, print and radio ads that favorably portrayed BP's cleanup efforts in the Gulf of Mexico.{{cite news |title=Washington PR firms cashing in on BP spill |author=Garance Franke-Ruta |url=http://voices.washingtonpost.com/44/2010/06/washington-cashes-in-on-bp-spi.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120226183136/http://voices.washingtonpost.com/44/2010/06/washington-cashes-in-on-bp-spi.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=February 26, 2012 |newspaper=The Washington Post |date=4 June 2010 |access-date=7 March 2013}}{{cite news |title=BP Turns to Political Shop for $50 Million Ad Buy to Convince You the Company 'Will Get This Done' and 'Make It Right' |author=Alex Pepper |url=https://abcnews.go.com/blogs/politics/2010/06/bp-turns-to-political-shop-for-50-million-ad-buy-to-convince-you-the-company-will-get-this-done-and/ |work=ABC News |date=4 June 2010 |access-date=7 March 2013}}{{cite news |author=Rupal Parekh |date=23 December 2011 |title=BP Launching National Ad Blitz After Christmas to Tout Gulf Recovery |work=Advertising Age |url=http://adage.com/article/news/bp-launching-national-ad-blitz-tout-gulf-recovery/231758/ |access-date=7 March 2013}}{{cite news |date=27 December 2011 |title=BP Provides Gulf Coast Update |work=CSPnet.com |url=http://www.cspnet.com/news/corporate/articles/bp-provides-gulf-coast-update |access-date=25 March 2013}}

Cable provider Time Warner Cable hired Purple Strategies in 2010 to develop a response to a rate increase planned by News Corporation, the parent company of Fox Network, for Time Warner Cable's rights to offer the Fox broadcast channel in media markets across the country, including New York City. The resulting interactive campaign, titled "Roll Over or Get Tough", asked Time Warner Cable customers to help decide how the company should respond to the proposed increase. The campaign generated over 800,000 responses and drew media attention for the way that Time Warner Cable handled the dispute.{{cite news |title=Corporate Antagonism Goes Public |author=Stephanie Clifford |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2010/01/25/business/25fight.html?_r=0 |work=The New York Times |date=24 January 2010 |access-date=12 March 2013}}{{cite magazine |title=King Kong Vs. Godzilla |author=Lauren Collins |url=http://www.newyorker.com/talk/2010/01/11/100111ta_talk_collins |magazine=The New Yorker |date=11 January 2010 |access-date=12 March 2013}}

In 2011, Purple Strategies established Purple Advocacy to focus on government relations including lobbying and advocacy work.{{cite news |title=Rob Collins, Jim Jordan join Purple Strategies |author=Mike Allen |url=http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0711/59220.html |work=Politico |date=18 July 2011 |access-date=6 March 2013}}{{cite news |title=Hagel appointment would give some lobbyists a friend in the Pentagon |author=Bill Allison |url=http://reporting.sunlightfoundation.com/2012/hagel/ |work=Sunlight Foundation |date=20 December 2012 |access-date=12 March 2013}} The following year, Purple Strategies hired Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel's former communications director, Chris Mather, and expanded operations, opening an office in Chicago.{{cite news |title=Rahm's ex-press chief lands herself a new gig |url=http://www.chicagobusiness.com/article/20120221/BLOGS02/120229982 |work=Crain's Chicago Business |date=21 February 2012 |access-date=6 March 2013}} Following the company's expansion in Chicago, Purple Strategies was hired by Northwestern University in 2012 to assist with public relations around a planned construction project that had met with opposition from preservation groups.{{cite news |title=Who's who — and who's paying — in the Prentice preservation war |author=Melissa Harris |url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/2012/09/16/whos-who-and-whos-paying-in-the-prentice-preservation-war/ |work=Chicago Tribune |date=16 September 2012 |access-date=12 March 2013}}

Throughout the 2012 election cycle, Purple Strategies' research division Purple Insights conducted polling in swing states during United States presidential election.{{cite news |title=Poll: Mitt Romney's net unfavorability doubles in swing states |author=Alexander Burns |url=http://www.politico.com/news/stories/1111/68799.html |work=Politico |date=21 November 2011 |access-date=25 March 2013}}{{cite news |title=Poll: In 2012 swing states, Obama is tied with Mitt Romney, Newt Gingrich |author=Jennifer Skalka Tulumello |url=http://www.csmonitor.com/USA/Elections/President/2011/1121/Poll-In-2012-swing-states-Obama-is-tied-with-Mitt-Romney-Newt-Gingrich |work=The Christian Science Monitor |date=21 November 2011 |access-date=29 April 2013}} Following the election, Purple Strategies placed 5th out of 28 organizations on Fordham University's list of most accurate polls.{{cite news |title=Which election poll was the best? |author=Maura Judkis |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/post-politics/wp/2012/11/07/which-poll-was-the-best/ |newspaper=The Washington Post |date=7 November 2012 |access-date=6 March 2013}}{{cite news |title=Final Election poll: Raleigh polling firm beats competition, says Fordham University |author=Sougata Mukherjee |url=http://w3.nexis.com/new/docview/getDocForCuiReq?lni=570Y-DYB1-JCPJ-Y21P&csi=302204&oc=00240&perma=true |work=Triangle Business Journal |date=9 November 2012 |access-date=6 March 2013}} In 2012, Purple Strategies expanded into Pennsylvania, hiring former Pennsylvania House of Representatives member Dante Santoni and opening an office in Harrisburg.{{cite news |title=Job change bittersweet for ex-Rep. Santoni |author=Mary Young |url=http://readingeagle.com/article.aspx?id=441787 |work=Reading Eagle |date=5 January 2013 |access-date=June 18, 2017}} In 2013, Purple Strategies acquired the polling firm Momentum Analysis, which is known for its research on "Walmart moms".{{cite news |title=Walmart moms back Obama's SOTU plans |author=Carrie Budoff Brown |url=http://www.politico.com/politico44/2013/02/walmart-moms-back-obamas-sotu-plans-157082.html |work=Politico |date=14 February 2013 |access-date=June 18, 2017}} Momentum Analysis' founder Margie Omero joined Purple Strategies as a managing director of the company's research division, Purple Insights.{{cite news |title=Purple Strategies acquires Democratic polling firm |author=Sean J. Miller |url=http://www.campaignsandelections.com/campaign-insider/366157/purple-strategies-acquires-democratic-polling-firm.thtml |work=Campaigns & Elections |date=27 March 2013 |access-date=27 March 2013}}{{cite news |title=First in PI ... Survey: Nonpartisan image can pay off for corporations - Recess roundup ... Immigration, balanced budget, fiscal issues, etc. |author= Byron Tau |author2=Anna Palmer |url=http://www.politico.com/politicoinfluence/0313/politicoinfluence10311.html |work=Politico |date=27 March 2013 |access-date=June 18, 2017}}

{{reflist|2}}

• [http://www.purplestrategies.com/ Purple Strategies website]
• [http://citizentwo.com/ Citizen2 website]

Category:Companies based in Alexandria, Virginia

Category:Public relations companies of the United States

Category:Advocacy groups in the United States

Category:Communications consultants

Category:Public opinion research companies in the United States

Category:Research and analysis firms of the United States

Category:American companies established in 2008

Category:2008 establishments in Virginia

Category:Reputation management companies