Strategic Media Services

Strategic Media Services (SMS), founded in the Washington, D.C. area in 1996 by David Neal, is a "full-service media research, planning and placement firm" serving a "select group of political, issue/advocacy and commercial clients," its website states. Services offered include media strategy and planning; negotiation/buying; competitive tracking/analysis; final schedule posting; and account reconciliation.

Only "51 consulting firms accounted for about $346 million in spending" in the 2001-2002 election cycle. "Of the thousands of minutes of political advertising broadcast to viewers and listeners across the country, most bore the fingerprints of just six companies: Democratic firms GMMB, LUC Media and Media Strategies and Research; Republican firms Murphy Pintak Gautier Hudome, National Media and Strategic Media Services," which were "paid $149.6 million for their services by the state party and caucus committees."

SMS shares the same Washington, D.C., address with Dawson McCarthy Nelson Media.

Political
The following are not listed on the SMS website as clients:


 * National Republican Congressional Committee:


 * In the third quarter of 2006, SMS received more than $1.5 million from the NRCC for the 2006 campaign in Minnesota's 6th Congressional District.


 * In the 2003-2004 election cycle, SMS received more than $38.5 million&mdash;in excess of $30 million coming from the NRCC.


 * Republican National Committee: In the 2001-2002 election cycle, SMS received more than $1 million from the RNC.


 * Political action committees:


 * In the third quarter of 2006, SMS received more than $60,000 from the All Children Matter-Iowa PAC.

Other
The following are listed as clients on the SMS website:


 * American Petroleum Institute
 * American Iron and Steel Institute
 * American Heart Association
 * American Academy of Ophthalmology
 * American Beverage Association
 * Beer Institute
 * Blue Cross Blue Shield
 * Business Roundtable
 * Household International
 * Michigan Chamber of Commerce
 * National Association of Manufacturers
 * Pfizer
 * U.S. Chamber of Commerce

Campaign contributions
In the 2001-2002 election cycle, SMS contributed $10,856 (primary) to the RNC Republican National State Elections Committee.

Personnel

 * David Neal, formerly executive vice president at National Media, Inc.

Domain name and web services
STRATEGICMEDIASERVICES.COM is served by Special Systems Inc., which shares the same IP address with the right-wing Media Research Center (MRC) (mediaresearch.org); MRC's Business & Media Institute (freemarketproject.net/); MRC's Cybercast News Service (conservativenews.net/ and cnsnews.net); Crossroads Media, LLC (xroadsmedia.net), which connects (via a WHOIS search) with Americans for Job Security's Mike Dubke; and Belong2 Networks (belong2.net), with administrative contact Carl Forti, the former communications director at the National Republican Congressional Committee who is working for Republican Mitt Romney 2008 presidential campaign.

Contact information
1023 31st Street NW 4th Floor Washington, D.C. 20007(Map) Phone: 202 337-5700 FAX: 202 337-8484 Email: info AT strategicmediaservices.com URL: http://www.strategicmediaservices.com/

Related SourceWatch articles

 * Majority Strategies
 * U.S. congressional elections in 2006
 * U.S. presidential election, 2004
 * U.S. presidential election, 2008

External resources

 * Company profile: Strategic Media Services, Manta.com.