Oradell Agency: State Officials Wanted Christie in 'Stronger than the Storm' Ad

An Oradell firm is sharing what it saw during its part in early planning for what became New Jersey's $25 million “Stronger than the Storm” advertising campaign in 2012. The president of Sigma Group, a local advertising company that bid unsuccessfully for the campaign, said that Christie administration officials asked to have the governor in the promotional spots, the Asbury Park Press reported.

Shannon Morris said that when her company made its presentation to try and land the campaign account last March, New Jersey officials asked if Sigma Group would be willing to have Chris Christie featured in the commercials. She said that the officials state’s bidding evaluation committee did not ask about using anyone else as a focus for the ads. Morris also said that her company had not considered putting the governor in the spots prior to the March meeting.

The contract ultimately was landed by MWW, the other finalist. That company pitched campaign ads that featured Christie, commercials that wound up running during the governor's re-election campaign. What's raising eyebrows in the wake of the Bridgegate probe and Superstorm Sandy audit was the cost of MWW's bid of $4.7 million, which was nearly twice as high as Sigma Group's $2.5 million bid. The spots were paid for out of Sandy recovery funds, the article said.