InsiderNJ: Pilmenstein’s Activate Media Wins Reed Award for Roman Ad

This story originally appeared in InsiderNJ.

Blue digital firm Activate Media announced it has won the 2021 Reed Award for “Best Online Video for County, Local or Judicial Campaign (Non-Mayoral) (Democratic)”.

The winning work is titled “We’re Not Going Anywhere,” a video Activate produced for Linden 6th Ward Councilman John Francis Roman’s contentious primary reelection campaign, which he ended up winning by a tremendous margin of 2-to-1.

The video was named a finalist in three separate categories:

-Best Online Video on a Shoestring Budget (Democratic)

–Best Online Video for County, Local or Judicial Campaign (Non-Mayoral) (Democratic)*

-Most Relatable Depiction of a Candidate in an Online Video.

“It’s a tremendous honor to see our work recognized industry-wide,” said Activate Media President Dave Pilmenstein, “and it just goes to show what’s possible at scale. I got into this business trying to prove the thesis that candidates who display authenticity and value-adds are more important than bells and whistles and now it’s clear as day. People are desensitized to formulaic content. Brand affinity isn’t just about touch points, it’s about sticking points. That’s what we’re all about.”

“We didn’t need to put on a suit and get all glossed up,” said Councilman Roman. “I had a simple vision for a video and Dave expanded on it and brought it to life.  No script, we just recorded real interactions. We have each other’s backs here in the 6th and Dave told that story in one masterful minute.”

“The video was viewed 26,000 times on Facebook with 22,000 full play-throughs. That means people were watching it more than once.  That’s exactly what persuasion media is supposed to do.”

The Reed Awards, named after Campaigns & Elections founder Stanley Foster Reed, embody excellence in political campaigning, campaign management, political consulting and political design, grassroots & advocacy.