The sheriff had been accused of stealing $50,000 dollars of silver and hiding it under the foundation of the Happy House Brothel. There are 16 counties in Nevada. 10 of them permit brothels, and this was one of them.

(Note: this is a true story with only some items changed “to protect the innocent”).

Politics is bloodsport, even at the local level and the case of Sheriff Jerimiah Brown was a disturbing example. Someone had set the sheriff up, and while he was able to prove his innocence, the fact that the case had even gotten to court was a PR flap of magnitude and the press feasted. The real culprit and the reason for placing the silver under the bordello were never discovered.

Sheriff Brown’s term ended shortly thereafter, and he retired.
Fast forward 4 years and it was time for the election of the Sheriff’s office. And… you guessed it, Jerimiah Brown decided to run again.

On Target Research was retained to conduct political surveys for former Sheriff Brown.

He may have been a good sheriff, but his understanding of PR, of public opinion, was abysmal. He was convinced that given that he had been found innocent in court, the community’s opinion of him was that of a good sheriff.

Our surveys of the voting public in that community showed that not to be the case. Yes, people remembered him. They remembered that “He had something to do with that whorehouse.”

The results of the survey were among the worst I had ever seen. I presented the results in the best light I could, but there was no hiding the basic truth of the matter. As I wanted to provide a solution- oriented recommendation, I studied the surveys in depth and came up with a PR program to handle the negative public opinion, which in fact, happened to be false.

I don’t market On Target as a PR firm, but I have done a great deal of PR work for other hats – a great deal – and I felt the program that I put together for him would have given him a decent shot at winning. No guarantee, but we could have cleaned up the public opinion.

And what was former Sheriff Brown’s response?

“Your survey information is not accurate. That trial was years ago. The town’s folks may not “love” me, but they like me, and they know I am a good sheriff.”

Of course he got his “ass” kicked in the election.

I certainly didn’t go back with an “I told you so.” Nor did he reach back with an “Opps, I should have listened.”

I had one other survey, for a large New York corporation where the Chairman of the firm had a very fixed idea about a service they were going to offer and he repeatedly rejected survey findings that were different than what he had in mind (we did three, as he wouldn’t believe the findings from the first two). The company no longer exists.

Correctly done surveys (correctly worded and correctly tabulated) provide marketing gold for promotional materials as well as PR campaigns. But you have to believe what your prospects tell you?).
We have traveled the planet. We have surveyed everyone from the Marketing Directors of the largest oil companies in the world to people who eat ice cream, television actors, orthopedic surgeons and Russian police.

We know surveys. If you want to boost sales and income, call or email me.

Best,
Bruce

Bruce Wiseman
President & CEO
On Target Research
www.ontargetresearch.com
Br***@**********an.net
1-818-397-1401