Schwartz, Tony (1923–)

According to Tony Schwartz, political campaigns are won or lost in the living room with the help of the media. Long gone are the days of baby kissing and mingling with the constituents. Now it seems as though the major television networks are the new political parties. Schwartz has played an important role in creating this new system. “Tony Schwartz, as much as any person, laid the foundation for modern political advertising,” says Senator Warren Rudman (R-NH). Schwartz's “presearch” theory has become a necessary tool in campaigning and creating political ads. “We are in the business of using public relations in a new manner, not in the old terms of press relations,” says Schwartz. “We are using PR as ‘peoples' reaction,’ personal retrieval of feelings ...