Media Expert: SF Company Fighting Against Gay Rights Took Home $60-70K Last Week

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Here's an update from Six Apart Media.

Update: And now we know where some of that media buy money went -- to Google AdSense and Six Apart Media! We know this because they started appearing on our site: here's a google one, and here's one from Six Apart. We went into our google account and blocked that URL, and are still working on the Six Apart ad. Hmm, perhaps Criswell is actually San Francisco's double agent, pissing away same sex marriage opponents' money by spending it on poorly targeted ads.

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Last week, our respected colleague in online journalism, Paul Hogarth, confirmed that San Francisco-based company Criswell Associates is indeed the marketing/PR agency calling itself a variation upon "MarCom Services" while it toils against the rights of same sex couples in Maine.

As the election in Maine gets down to the wire, PAC reports (that is, how a campaign's money's getting spent) have to be released every 24 hours. Anybody else want to see how much our friends at 58 Maiden Lane made last week?

10/27 $160,000 HOLY CRAP. Well, don't get too excited for the mysterious Bill Criswell -- that $160K was for a media buy, so they only got a percentage of it. Still, we're hurt than none of that media buying went to this site. OUR CONTRIBS NEED TO EAT, Bill! Send some of that love our way! (just kidding! You might actually be the only ad we'd turn down!)

10/28: $42,121 for "statewide media advertisement" and $40,530 for "statewide tv and radio ads." So, as we mentioned earlier, how this usually works is that agencies like Criswell just skim some off the top when they act is middleman, so they're not taking home that entire $80K. Just a percentage.

10/30: $81,745.91 for "media production costs." This isn't straight gravy for Criswell, either, but it's a greyer area. We spoke with a media producer from a global, full service agency who said, "typically we're making about 50% off this billing." Does that mean you pad the bill? "No, but our time and brainpower is worth more than we bill, so this is a good area to recoup costs."

That same producer, when we read him the payouts overall, told the Appeal "you can safely assume that this company's made between $60-$70K in the last week is straight billings, not in expenses recouped." Of course, we called Criswell Associates for comment, and left another message. If we actually get a call back (our number's 415.685.3832, Bill!), drinks are on us. If you're really curious, you can always email him at billcris@pacbell.net, too.

Above and beyond the issue some might have with a locally-based company making hay off an election described by many as "Maine's Prop 8," seeing these expenditures makes it clear that the folks who want to take away gay couples' right to marry in Maine are spending a lot of money on ads and commercials. If you're concerned, options exist to help the supporters of same sex rights compete in the ad space.